Intent

RWI at Chopwell Primary

 At Chopwell Primary School we aim for all our children to become fluent, confident readers who are passionate about reading.

Children who read regularly or are read to regularly have the opportunity to open the doors to so many different worlds!

More importantly, reading will give your child the tools to become independent life-long learners.

We can achieve this together through:

• Read Write Inc, a program to help your child read at school
• Encouraging children to develop a love of books by reading to them daily, at home and at school
• Giving children access to a wide range of books at school and at home

At Chopwell Primary we use Read Write Inc Phonics (RWI) to give your child the best possible start with their Literacy development.  Mrs. McCarrick is our Read Write Inc lead teacher, so if you have questions about RWI, contact school who can refer you to her. 

What is Read Write Inc?

Read Write Inc (RWI) is a phonics complete literacy programme that helps all children learn to read fluently so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling.  The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Chopwell we begin elements of the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7, as we use a stage, not age approach. We have also invested in the 'Fresh Start' approach for our Year 4 - 6 children who continue to need a phonics approach to their learning. RWI and Fresh Start were both developed by Ruth Miskin and more information on this can be found at https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/.

Implementation 

How will RWI be taught?

In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Phonics is taught daily by a member of staff who is trained and confident in delivering the RWI scheme. Phonics sessions are about 45 minutes long.

All children are assessed regularly by our RWI lead teacher.  From these assessments, children are organised into small groups, where they work with peers on the same stage.  

Assessments are used to inform groupings and to identify those children who require daily 1:1 tutoring, with the intention being that children 'Keep up, not catch up.'

Nursery

When appropriate, children will be introduced to the initial sound pictures in short five minutes sessions, as well as playing 'Fred Games' to support children to orally segment and blend.

Reading

The children:

• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts – see below
• Learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending
• Read from a range of storybooks matched to their phonic knowledge
• Work well with partners
• Develop comprehension skills in stories by answering 'Find It', 'Prove It' and 'Have a Think' discussion questions

Writing

The children:

• Learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases
• Learn to write words by using Fred Talk
• Learn to build and write sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write and observing and contributing to their teacher modelling the sentence first. 

Talking

The children work in pairs so that they:

• Answer every question
• Practise every activity with their partner
• Take turns in talking and reading to each other
• Develop ambitious vocabulary

Home

Children take home:

• A decodable book which they have already read in school.
• A 'book bag book' which is a decodable home-reading book designed to reinforce classroom learning. 
• A story for pleasure and enjoyment, intended for the parent/carer to read to the child.  We have 6 stories which we rotate each half term to encourage children to improve language acquisition through repetition and boost memory and storytelling skills. 

Impact

Read Write Inc. Phonics has had a significant impact on our children's early reading outcomes by providing a consistent, structured, and engaging approach to phonics.

The impact is measured by the following:

• Increased pupil confidence in recognising sounds, blending, and reading with fluency
• Good progress for all pupils, including those requiring additional support
• Regular assessments that ensure teaching is closely matched to individual needs
• Strong staff confidence and consistency in phonics teaching across the school
• Pupils developing a positive attitude to reading and a love of books

As a result, our children become confident, enthusiastic readers who are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.