Phonics

At St Saviour’s, we believe that the ability to read and write confidently is a fundamental life skill that underpins all areas of learning. Phonics plays a vital role in the development of early reading, spelling and writing and is considered a key component of our approach to literacy across the school.

Why is phonics important?

High-quality, systematic synthetic phonics teaching is central to St Saviour’s approach to early reading and is delivered in line with the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework and the National Curriculum for English. This approach enables pupils to secure the essential skills of word recognition, including accurate decoding and blending, which are necessary for fluent and automatic reading. Once these skills are embedded, pupils are able to direct their attention towards understanding and responding to the meaning of the text.

The Simple View of Reading, which underpins both the EYFS Framework and the National Curriculum, identifies two distinct but interdependent dimensions of reading: word recognition and language comprehension. Both elements are essential for successful reading. As pupils develop secure and automatic decoding skills through systematic phonics instruction, the balance shifts from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’. This progression supports pupils in reading with increasing fluency, confidence and enjoyment. The ultimate aim of reading instruction is for all pupils to achieve strong comprehension and a lifelong engagement with reading, allowing them to comprehend, interpret and engage with a wide range of texts.

In accordance with statutory guidance, pupils are taught to develop a secure knowledge of grapheme–phoneme correspondences and to apply this knowledge when segmenting words for spelling. This systematic approach enables pupils to encode words with increasing accuracy and confidence, supporting effective reading and writing across the curriculum.

What programme do we use?

Here at St Saviour’s, we use Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics, a DfE-validated systematic synthetic phonics programme, as the core approach to teaching early reading and writing. The programme is designed to ensure that all pupils learn to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension, by developing secure decoding skills alongside a love of reading.

Most pupils complete the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme by the end of Year 1; however, where necessary, the programme continues into Year 2 to ensure that pupils achieve secure phonics knowledge and reading fluency. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 who require additional support in phonics and early reading continue to follow the Read Write Inc. programme. In Years 5 and 6, pupils who are not yet secure readers access Read Write Inc. Fresh Start, a structured literacy intervention designed to accelerate progress for older struggling readers and enable them to read confidently and independently.

Read Write Inc. Phonics aims to:

• teach pupils to decode words rapidly and accurately using their phonic knowledge.
• develop fluency, prosody and automaticity in reading.
• ensure pupils understand what they read through structured comprehension and discussion.
• foster confidence, independence and enjoyment in reading.

Pupils are taught in progress-based groups which are organised according to their current reading attainment rather than age. Daily phonics sessions last 45 minutes (or 20–40 minutes in Reception, as appropriate), ensuring sufficient time for focused teaching, practice and application. Pupils are assessed regularly, with formal assessments taking place at least half-termly, enabling staff to monitor progress closely and move pupils between groups promptly so that teaching is closely matched to their needs.

In addition, to daily whole-group phonics teaching, targeted one-to-one or small-group interventions are provided for pupils who require additional support to maintain pace with the programme. These timely interventions are designed to prevent gaps in learning, support rapid catch-up and ensure that all pupils are given the opportunity to become confident, fluent readers.

Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching reading, writing, and spelling, ensuring that all children develop secure decoding skills and confidence in literacy. Our approach is built on clear principles to support learning, engagement, and retention.

Phonics Instruction
Phonics is taught in a sequential, cumulative way to make learning accessible and enjoyable. Children learn to read and write the 40+ sounds in English, supported by visual cues such as pictures (e.g. ‘a’ as an apple, ‘f’ as a flower). Children then develop blending skills with Fred the Frog, who helps pupils combine sounds to read words.

Once basic phonics is mastered, pupils learn alternative spellings for sounds (e.g., ‘ay’ as ay, a-e, ai; ‘ee’ as ee, e, ea) which are reinforced through memorable phrases. This systematic approach ensures children can decode unfamiliar words confidently.                                     
To ensure children internalise what they learn, lessons are highly interactive. Pupils work in pairs to answer questions and discuss ideas, enabling teachers to check understanding continuously and provide immediate support where needed. Partner talk is embedded across the school day; maintaining focus and ensuring that all pupils can articulate their understanding clearly.

Reading Practice and Book Selection
During their phonics sessions, children are provided with books that match their current phonics knowledge, enabling successful, independent reading. The selection of teaching books is determined by each group’s phonics assessment. Teachers are provided with guidance on the appropriate starting point within the series for example, whether to begin with Green Book 1 or Green Book 6 to ensure that instruction is accurately matched to pupils’ current phonics knowledge and reading ability. Each story is introduced with new vocabulary and character names and pupils read the story over three to five sessions (depending on their grouping); enabling  decoding, developing fluency and comprehension. This approach ensures that by the time pupils read at home they do so confidently and with expression. Home reading books are to be issued every Monday at the end of your phonics session as this allows their book to be changed during the week with their TA.

Parent partnership

We recognise the importance of parental engagement in supporting reading development and recognise that some of our pupils come from families where English is not the first language. To support and strengthen the connection between home and school learning, we provide accessible instructional videos on our school website, linked to YouTube. These resources enable parents to support their child’s learning at home and become familiar with the phonemes and sounds taught in school. Additionally, we provide parent reading workshops throughout the year, enabling parents to observe and practise the decoding, blending and comprehension strategies used in school. These initiatives strengthen home-school partnerships and equip parents to support their child’s reading fluency and comprehension effectively. Pupils take home a phonics book each week which aligns with the sounds they are learning that week with fluent readers receiving an additional book for independent practice. For pupils in Key Stage 1, the online reading platform Bug Club provides interactive reading opportunities while Early Years children receive animated phonics lessons via Seesaw, reinforcing school learning at home. At St Saviour’s C of E primary school, we believe ‘Together Everyone Achieves More.’