Our Phonics scheme:

At St Peter's we follow the Read, Write, Inc Scheme developed by Ruth Miskin.

Reading

Children learn the English alphabetic code: first they learn one way to read the 40+ sounds and blend these sounds into words, then learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes. Each sound has a phrase and mnemonic to help the children identify and internalise the sound. The children practise blending the sounds using the speed sound cards and magnetic letter tiles. They orally segment words using 'Fred Talk' and this is enabled by a cuddly green frog.

The children experience success from the very beginning. Lively phonic books are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words and, as children re-read the stories, their fluency increases.

Along with a thought-provoking introduction, prompts for thinking out loud and discussion, children are helped to read with a storyteller’s voice.

Writing
The children write every day, rehearsing out loud what they want to say, before spelling the words using the graphemes and ‘tricky’ words they know. Children use their 'Fred Talk' to segment words for spelling and identify the correct letters using the frieze or speed sound charts to help them. 

They practise handwriting every day: sitting at a table comfortably, they learn correct letter formation and how to join letters speedily and legibly. The handwriting phrases help them to form the letters correctly from the very beginning. Children’s composition (ideas, vocabulary and grammar) is developed by drawing on their own experiences and talking about the stories they read.

Children are assessed every half term and therefore they are taught in small groups, closely matched to their ability. This on-going assessment ensures that gaps are identified quickly and inform teachers planning. This also means that children who are struggling are 'kept up' rather than 'catching up' with 1:1 daily targeted tuition.

Parents can read much more about the programme following this link:

https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/programmes/phonics/

There are some great videos to help explain. Have a look below...