At Senacre Wood Primary School we use the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their literacy. RWI is a method of learning centered around letter sounds and phonics, we use it to aid children in their reading and writing. Children from EYFS and Year 1 are split into groups  from 9am to 9.30am each morning from Monday to Thursday. On a Friday, the teachers focus on the discrete teaching of tricky or high frequency words.

 

Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into composing what they write.

 When using RWI to read the children will:

• learn that sounds are represented by written letters
• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• learn how to blend sounds
• learn to read words using 'Fred Talk'
• read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
• show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions

When using RWI to write the children will:

• learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds.
• learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
• write simple sentences

In EYFS and KS1, children will follow a daily phonic programme to create fluent, enthusiastic readers, confident speakers and willing writers.

At the end of Year 1, pupils will also complete the compulsory phonics screening (more details below).

In KS2, children follow a daily literacy and language programme that equips them with the skills to read and understand texts confidently, write fluently, think critically and articulate thoughts and ideas clearly.

For additional Information please view the below documents.

The Jump to Spelling!

After the National Phonics Screening at the end of Year 1, teachers will begin to look at how to move their children on from words that can be sounded out phonetically. The move from phonics to spelling can be from as early as part way through Year 1 for higher ability children. We have chosen a programme that leads on from our RWInc phonic programme to bridge the gap between phonetic knowledge and common spelling rules in the English Language, which begins for most children in Year 2.

We know that no single scheme or programme can teach a child how to spell.

There are various barriers to learning that need to be considered at all times, from confidence and self-esteem to dyslexic tendencies and poor phonic knowledge. We use the Oxford Owl Spelling Zone, alongside games, songs and discrete teaching to enforce and retain new spelling expertise. Our staff work hard to ensure that key vocabulary is woven through the curriculum, and discussions take place about how words can be categorised according to word class, subject specific and cross subject specific language. In Years' 5 and 6, the etymology of words (the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning) is also used as a teaching point.