English

Phonics - Teaching Early Reading at Greens Norton CE Primary School

At Greens Norton, we want every child to become a confident, enthusiastic reader. To give them the best possible start, we follow the government-recommended approach of synthetic phonics. This simply means teaching children how to recognise letters (or groups of letters) and the sounds they make, and then blend those sounds together to read words.

Our Phonics Programme: Read Write Inc. (RWI)

We use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme to support children as they learn to read and write. RWI is a structured, engaging and effective way of teaching phonics. Children learn:

• the sounds that letters and groups of letters make

• how to blend these sounds to read words

• how to segment words into sounds to help with spelling and writing

Why Reading Matters

Reading opens the door to learning. Children who read regularly become more confident readers, which helps them access more challenging books and new knowledge. The more they learn, the more curious and motivated they become.

How We Support Your Child

Children are assessed regularly so we can place them in small groups matched to their current reading ability. They work with trained RWI teachers or teaching assistants who ensure they receive the right level of support and challenge.

Our goal is simple: to help every child develop a love of reading and the skills they need to succeed.

Writing at Greens Norton CE Primary School

At Greens Norton CE Primary School, we believe every child should grow into a confident, capable writer. Our aim is for children to enjoy expressing their ideas clearly and creatively, and to understand how to adapt their writing for different purposes and audiences.

How We Teach Writing

From Year 2 upwards, children learn to write through a structured approach based on different genres (for example, stories, reports, letters or diary entries). Each writing unit lasts around three weeks and follows a consistent sequence:

• High-quality book stimulus: Each unit begins with an engaging text that provides context and inspiration for writing.

• Modelled examples: Children explore an age-appropriate model text and analyse what makes it effective. Children are taught three skills and then given opportunity to use these skills cohesively. 

• ‘Reverse planning’: Together, we identify the key features and ingredients of the genre. This helps children understand how writing is structured.

• Independent writing: Using the reverse plan, pupils plan and produce their own piece of writing, applying what they have learned.

Reception and Year 1 follow separate, developmentally appropriate approaches that focus on early writing skills.

Supporting Children in the Classroom

We use working walls in every classroom to support the writing process. These displays grow throughout the unit and include modelled examples, vocabulary, structure guides and key learning points. Children refer to the working wall during lessons to help them work independently and confidently.

Handwriting at Greens Norton CE Primary School

At Greens Norton CE Primary School, we teach handwriting through the Kinetic Letters programme. This approach helps children develop the physical strength and letter-formation skills they need to write fluently and automatically. When handwriting becomes effortless, children can focus more on their ideas and creativity.

What is Kinetic Letters?

Kinetic Letters is based on several key principles:

• Strong core and arm muscles are essential for good handwriting.

• Children only move on when they are developmentally ready.

• Each part of handwriting is taught separately before being combined.

• Letters are taught as movements, not just shapes, helping children develop flow and accuracy.

• Once handwriting is automatic, the brain is freed up to concentrate on content.

For further details, please visit the Kinetic Letters website.

Spelling at Greens Norton CE Primary School

From Year 2 to Year 6, children take part in a 15-minute daily spelling lesson, following the National Curriculum spelling rules. Each week, they focus on a new rule or phoneme and apply strategies first learned through Read Write Inc. phonics to help them spell confidently and accurately.

What happens in a spelling lesson?

Every spelling session follows a clear structure to support understanding, practice and application:

1. The teacher introduces the spelling rule using ‘Fred Talk’.

2. Children use dots and dashes to identify single sounds, special friends and chatty friends.

3. The class reads words aloud that follow the new spelling pattern.

4. The teacher models how to break words into sounds (‘Fred Talk’) and pinch the sounds.

5. Children echo the words and write them on whiteboards.

6. Spellings are reviewed using letter names, the sound chart and the ‘Tick and Fix’ method.

7. The session ends with dictation, allowing children to apply the rule in sentences.

Reading at Greens Norton CE Primary School

At Greens Norton CE Primary School, we aim to develop life-long readers who not only read confidently across a range of texts, but also develop a genuine love of reading for pleasure.

How We Teach Reading

Reading skills are taught through English lessons and reinforced across the whole curriculum. Teachers deliver whole-class reading sessions, exploring a variety of text types and teaching key reading skills such as:

• retrieval

• vocabulary understanding

• inference

• summarising and predicting

We use the National Curriculum objectives and clear progression maps to plan and deliver high-quality reading lessons.

Reading for Pleasure

Reading for Pleasure is highly valued throughout the school. Children read and listen to stories every day, helping them experience a wide range of authors, genres and styles.

All children take home level-appropriate reading books. In Reception, Year 1 and for some pupils in older year groups, these books are phonetically decodable so that children can practise the sounds they have learned. Each class visits the library every week, where children can borrow from a rich selection of fiction and non-fiction books.