How will my child be taught to read?

We start by teaching phonics to the children in Nursery. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down. This is essential for reading, but it also helps children learn to spell well. We teach the children simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters.

The children also practise reading (and spelling) what we call ‘red words’, such as ‘once,’ ‘have,’ ‘said’ and ‘where’. The children practise their reading in many different ways and then move on to books that match the phonics they know. The teachers read to the children, too, so the children get to know many types of stories, poetry and non-fiction books. 

How will I know how well my child is doing?

We assess all children in Nursery - Year 2 every 6-8 weeks to track how well your child is progressing in reading. We use the information to decide what Read Write Inc. group they should be in. Your child will work with children who are at the same reading level as them. Your child will have one-to-one phonic support daily if we think they need extra practice to keep up.

What can I do to help?

We host regular workshops so that we can explain how we teach early reading in Nursery and Reception. 

Help your child to sound out the letters in words and then to ‘blend’ the sounds together to make a whole word. Try not to refer to the letters by their names. Help your child to focus on the sounds. You can hear how to say the sounds correctly at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXcabDUg7Q

When reading with your child, encourage them to tell you the story out loud; ask them questions about things that happen or what they think about some of the characters in the story. Reading to your child as much as possible will help them to learn about books and stories. They will also learn new words and what they mean. Showing an interest in reading yourself and talking about reading as a family will also be beneficial to your child's reading journey. 

What if my child finds it difficult to learn to read?

We will find out very quickly if your child is finding reading difficult. First, we ensure children are in the correct group, so that we can make sure that they have no gaps in their sound knowledge. If they still struggle, we give them extra time with an adult, on their own. These adults are specially trained in Read Write Inc. one-to-one support. Your child will still take part in phonic sessions and won’t miss out on any learning opportunities.

Some children take a bit longer to learn to blend sounds together to read a word, e.g. c-a-t to make the word ‘cat’. Attending workshops will explain how you can help support your child in making progress at home, too.