Reading
Learning to read is taught through careful phonic progression using phonically decodable books leading on to supporting the teaching of comprehension and reading fluency. Vocabulary is explored and taught meaningfully through text exploration and class discussion.
Text-based approach
We aim to impart a love of reading balancing ‘the will and the skill’ and we provide many opportunities across the school for reading for pleasure and using a text-based approach for the teaching of writing. We are a community of readers with book clubs for both staff and children and a reading raffle as incentive to read and an opportunity to own a new book!
As with all subjects at St Mary’s, we aim to help learners to be resilient and resourceful – learning at their own pace and willing to face challenges. The text-based focus allows children to develop not just their reading skills but also the craft of writing.
Writing
Talk for Writing (Pie Corbett) and Sentence Stacking (Jane Considine) support pupils in developing a wide range of vocabulary and support them in developing the features of different writing genres and sentences. A combination of shared and independent writing allows children to learn a range of skills and apply their knowledge with a vast range of writing opportunities across the curriculum. Children are able to draw on a wealth of vocabulary
Grammar and spelling
Both grammar and spelling are taught explicitly when necessary and woven into daily learning with the reading and writing focus of lessons. Children are explicitly taught hand writing which remains an expectation throughout the school.
You can read our English coverage overview here.
Bringing English Alive
Making our school language rich is a passion of ours – read on to find out more about what we offer.
How we teach Phonics
At St Mary’s Primary school we use the Ruth Miskin Read Write Inc. phonics programme (RWI) for children in Reception, Year 1 and 2. Some children in years 3 and 4 who require phonics will also have access to the programme.
What is Read Write Inc.?
Read Write Inc. (RWI) is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme, designed to help all children learn to read fluently and confidently so they can focus on developing their comprehension, vocabulary and spelling skills.
How will RWI be taught?
All children are assessed half termly by the Reading Leads, meaning they work alongside other children at the same stage of reading development. This ensures full participation and allows each child to learn at the pace that is right for them.
Children have daily RWI lessons from Reception through to Year 2. When our Year 2 pupils are reading they move to ‘Fluency Group’.
Each Speed Sound (letter sound) is taught using a picture and a memorable phrase to help children recall it easily.
Alongside these sounds, children are introduced to:
Reception
In Reception, children begin by learning one letter sound per day, always using pure sounds to support blending.
For example:
In the Autumn Term, children in Reception are taught whole class by their own class teacher while they build confidence. From Spring onwards, following assessment, they will move to smaller RWI groups taught by EYFS staff members. Initially children will come home with wordless books before moving on to sound blending books and then the RWI home reader linked to their current group.
By the end of Reception, children learn:
Teachers frequently use Fred Talk (e.g., c‑a‑t → cat) to model blending.
Children also use Fred Fingers to segment words for spelling.
Children read RWI texts that match their phonics stage. They begin with Ditties (short phonics-based texts) before progressing to storybooks as their confidence grows.
They also learn and practise Red Words (common exception words) regularly.
Year One & Year Two
Children follow the same RWI lesson structure but learn:
Once children are fluent readers, they transition to the ‘Fluency Group’.
Children will bring home the RWI home reader linked to their current group. Once they reach Fluency Group, they will bring an ‘easy reader’ home from the school library.
Set 1 Speed Sounds and Rhymes
| Sound | Rhyme |
| m | Down Maisie then over the two mountains. Maisie, mountain, mountain. |
| a | Round the apple, down the leaf. |
| s | Slide around the snake. |
| d | Round the dinosaur’s back, up his neck and down to his feet. |
| t | Down the tower, across the tower. |
| i | Down the insect’s body, dot for the head. |
| n | Down Nobby and over the net. |
| p | Down the plait, up and over the pirate’s face. |
| g | Round the girl’s face, down her hair and give her a curl. |
| o | All around the orange. |
| c | Curl around the caterpillar. |
| k | Down the kangaroo’s body, tail and leg. |
| u | Down and under the umbrella, up to the top and down to the puddle. |
| b | Down the laces, over the toe and touch the heel. |
| f | Down the stem and draw the leaves. |
| e | Slice into the egg, go over the top, then under the egg. |
| l | Down the long leg. |
| h | Down the horse’s head to the hooves and over his back. |
| sh | Slither down the snake, then down the horse’s head to the hooves and over his back. |
| r | Down the robot’s back, then up and curl. |
| j | Down his body, curl and dot. |
| v | Down a wing, up a wing. |
| y | Down a horn, up a horn and under the yak’s head. |
| w | Down, up, down, up the worm. |
| th | Down the tower, across the tower, then down the horse’s head to the hooves and over his back. |
| z | Zig‑zag‑zig, down the zip. |
| ch | Curl around the caterpillar, then down the horse’s head to the hooves and over his back. |
| qu | Round the queen’s head, up to her crown, down her hair and curl. |
| x | Cross down the arm and leg and cross the other way. |
| ng | A thing on a string. |
| nk | I think I stink. |
Set 2 & 3 Speed Sounds
Once children are secure in all Set 1 sounds and can blend confidently, they move to Sets 2 and 3, which teach long vowel sounds and alternative spellings.
Example: Long Vowel Sounds
| Long Vowel | Set 2 (Taught First) | Set 3 (Alternative Spellings) |
| a | ay: may I play | a‑e: make a cake / ai: snail in the rain |
| ee | ee: what can you see | ea: cup of tea / e: he, me, we |
| igh | igh: fly high | i‑e: nice smile |
| ow (long) | ow: blow the snow | o‑e: phone home / oa: goat in a boat |
| oo (long) | oo: poo at the zoo | u‑e: huge brute / ew: chew the stew |
| oo (short) | oo: look at a book | — |
| ar | ar: start the car | — |
| or | or: shut the door | aw: yawn at dawn |
| air | air: that’s not fair | are: share and care |
| ir | ir: whirl and twirl | ur: nurse for a purse / er: a better letter |
| ou | ou: shout it out | ow: brown cow |
| oy | oy: toy for a boy | oi: spoil the boy |
| ire | — | ire: fire, fire! |
| ear | — | ear: hear with your ear |
| ure | — | ure: sure it’s pure? |
Useful Links for Parents
How to pronounce Speed Sounds:
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/reading-owl/find-a-book/read-write-inc-phonics–1/phonics-pure-sounds-video
Free RWI Resources for Home:
Oxford Owl offers eBooks, practice sheets, videos and more:
https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/
Reading at Home
Hearing your child read their ‘home reader’ aloud is an invaluable way to support their reading development. When children re-read the same text, they build both their reading speed and their ability to use a natural, expressive ‘story voice’. As decoding becomes easier, their confidence, enjoyment, and fluency all increase.
We encourage parents and carers to listen to their child read aloud at least four times a week. Re-reading their ‘home reader’ is especially beneficial, as it helps build confidence and supports children in becoming fluent, enthusiastic readers.
Alongside this, we of course encourage children to choose other books that interest them, either to read themselves or for you to read to them. Hearing and sharing stories is hugely powerful in developing a lifelong love of reading.
The Year 1 Phonics check
Children in Year 1 take part in the Governments Phonics Screening Check during the month of June. This check is an informal task carried out 1:1 with a teacher to provide information that the children are making progress within phonics to become a fluent reader. It is a list of 40 words presented as real words and pseudo (alien) words (e.g. brip, snorp) to see if children are using their phonics to read the words. It takes no more than 5-10 minutes.
The check will identify the children who need extra help so they are given support by their school to improve their reading skills. These children will then be able to retake the check in Year 2 so that the school can track them as they move through the school.
Useful websites:
Ruth Miskin RWI https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/
Oxford Owl (Your child will receive a login to read RWI ebooks online) https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/please-log-in
Additional Information:
Parent Booklet 1
Parent Booklet 2
Speed and Sound Chart
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
St Mary’s has a junior library that allows all pupils to access a wide range of reading material at school and to take home. The library has a large fiction and non-fiction section. Our book selection is current and represents all pupils in school, wider Britain and around the world. Children have opportunities to visit the library as a class during lesson time and during their lunch hour.
Reading is celebrated across the school in many ways. In juniors a raffle is run rewarding children with books they can take home as their very own.
St Mary’s Primary School is home to an Open University Reading for Pleasure research group. Teachers from our school and from other schools in the area are invited to take part. The project allows teachers to use pedagogy to support reading for pleasure in the classroom to help create more life long readers!
St Mary’s currently has four book clubs. Each book club meets 6-8 times per year. The club is open to any children in the year group who wish to take part.
St Mary’s proudly celebrate reading throughout the year and we enjoy an extra special book week during the week of World Book Day in March. Children have the opportunity to explore books, do fun activities around books.
St Mary’s have authors and illustrators visit the school annually. It is always a pleasure and a treat to hear from them and it inspires many of the children with their reading and writing!
St Mary’s Primary School are book testers for The Children’s Book Society.