Phonics

At Sampford Peverell Church of England Primary School, we teach phonics using the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme. This provides a clear, structured approach to early reading, enabling children to become confident, fluent readers.

Phonics teaching follows a carefully planned progression:

Tuning into Sounds

Before children begin formal phonics, they develop the listening and speaking skills that are essential for reading. In Pre-School, children are supported to:

Tune into sounds (auditory discrimination)
Listen to and remember sounds (auditory memory and sequencing)
Talk about sounds, developing vocabulary and language comprehension

These early experiences provide the strong foundation needed for successful phonics learning.

Fred Talk

Children are then introduced to Fred Talk a key strategy used in Read Write Inc. Fred Talk teaches children to hear the individual sounds in words. For example when an adult says c-a-t, the children respond by saying cat.

This begins in the summer term of Pre-School and continues into Reception. It is an essential building block, as it prepares children to blend sounds together when reading.

Learning Sounds (Set 1)

When children enter reception, they begin learning Set 1 sounds. These are the first sounds children need to read and write simple words.

Children are taught to:

Recognise individual sounds
Say sounds accurately
Form letters correctly

Blending to Read

As children learn more sounds, they begin to blend them together to read words. For example, they blend c-a-t to say/read cat.

This is a key milestone in early reading and is carefully taught and practised to ensure children become confident and successful.

Once children begin blending, they will bring home reading books that are closely matched to the sounds they know.

Learning Sounds (Set 2 and Set 3)

Once children are secure with Set 1 sounds and blending, they move on to Set 2 and Set 3 sounds.

These sounds teach children that:

One sound can be written in different ways (for example ay, ee, igh)
The same sound may appear in different words

Children learn to read and spell words using these alternative spellings, which supports them in reading longer and more complex texts with confidence.

Supporting Your Child at Home

You play a vital role in helping your child become a confident reader.

Fred Talk Practice

Before children begin reading books, one of the most important ways to help is by practising Fred Talk.

Simple games at home help children hear and say sounds in words, building the skills they need for blending. Click this link for some games you can play at home.

Saying Sounds Correctly

When supporting your child with phonics at home, it is very important that sounds are pronounced correctly. Correct pronunciation helps children to blend sounds together more easily when reading words. If sounds are not pronounced accurately, blending can become more difficult and this may slow your child’s progress.

To support parents with this, we recommend using the Read Write Inc. sound pronunciation video, which demonstrates the correct way to say each sound:

👉 Read Write Inc. Sound Pronunciation Video

We strongly encourage parents to refer to this video when practising sounds at home so that children hear the same sounds at home as they do in school. If you are ever unsure, it is better to use the video or encourage your child to say the sound themselves rather than guessing.

Additional Video Support

From time to time, we may send home short videos for you to watch with your child. These will usually be shared when ongoing assessment shows that your child would benefit from extra practice or reinforcement in a particular area of phonics (for example, sound pronunciation, Fred Talk, blending or speeding up word reading).

Please support your child by watching these videos together and encouraging them to join in.

Reading Books at Home

When your child brings home a reading book, we ask that you support them by reading it three times:

First read – sounding out and blending words
Second read – building confidence and accuracy
Third read – developing fluency and expression

Before reading, please:

Practise the sounds in the book
Read the green and red words at the front
Revisit the ‘speedy green words’ at the back

This helps children develop automatic word recognition, which is essential for fluent reading.

Developing Fluency and Understanding

Fluency is not about reading quickly. It is about reading smoothly and automatically, without needing to stop and sound out every word.

When children can recognise words automatically, they reduce the effort needed for decoding. This allows them to focus on:

Understanding what they are reading
Making sense of the text
Developing strong comprehension skills

Phonics Screening Check

All children take the Phonics Screening Check in June of Year 1. This is a short, statutory assessment designed to check how well children can use their phonics knowledge to read words. For more information click this link.

During the check, children are asked to read a mix of:

Real words, and
‘Alien’ (nonsense) words, which show whether children can apply their phonics skills rather than relying on memory

The check is carried out in a calm, supportive way by a familiar adult and is designed to feel like a normal reading activity.

If a child does not meet the expected standard in Year 1, they will re-sit the Phonics Screening Check in Year 2. Additional support and targeted phonics teaching are put in place to help children become secure and confident readers.

Our systematic approach to phonics teaching through Read Write Inc., alongside regular practice at home, supports children to be well prepared for the Phonics Screening Check and, most importantly, to develop strong early reading skills.