Reading and Phonics

At Ss. Mary and John Catholic Primary School, we are committed to nurturing confident, fluent readers who develop a lifelong love of reading. Our approach to reading is grounded in the belief that reading is the foundation of learning and opens doors to all areas of the curriculum and beyond.

We aim for all children to:

• Develop a secure understanding of phonics to enable fluent, confident and accurate reading.
• Foster a lifelong enjoyment of reading, finding pleasure in books and the stories they tell.
• Acquire the reading skills necessary to access all areas of the curriculum independently.
• Be able to read a wide range of age-appropriate texts, both fiction and non-fiction.
• Understand and interpret what they read and what is read to them.
• Respond thoughtfully to texts, expressing opinions and justifying their ideas.
• Become immersed in a variety of texts that allow them to explore both real and imagined worlds.

Also see our Reading Policy on our Policies and Documents page.

A School Community of Readers

At Ss. Mary and John, we consider ourselves a community of readers, where reading is actively promoted and celebrated across the whole school. We believe that adults play a vital role in modelling positive reading behaviours and inspiring children to read for both purpose and pleasure.

All staff members are expected to support this ethos by:

• Planning regular story time sessions and designated quiet reading times, where all members of the class enjoy books together.
• Delivering engaging shared and guided reading sessions that develop key reading skills and reinforce the school’s commitment to reading for enjoyment.
• Organising and encouraging participation in a range of school-wide and national literacy events, such as World Book Day, Roald Dahl Day, Poetry Week, and storytelling festivals.

By fostering a rich reading culture within our school, we aim to equip every child with the tools, confidence, and passion to become a successful reader for life.

Our Home Reading Offer

At Ss. Mary and John Catholic Primary School, we believe that regular reading at home is key to developing confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers. We are committed to supporting families in fostering a love of reading and building strong reading habits from the earliest stages. Our home reading offer is carefully tailored to each key stage to ensure children are reading books matched to their ability while also enjoying stories for pleasure.

Reception (EYFS)

In Reception, children begin bringing home a phonic-based reading book once they have learned the first few sounds in the Autumn term. These books contain simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and are closely matched to each child’s phonic knowledge. As children progress through the year, they will take home more complex books that allow them to practise newly learned sounds at home. Please be aware that initially, children may have photocopied resources which focus on CVC words – this is in line with RWI Phonic teaching.

Families can also access additional phonics, reading and storytime resources via the EYFS class pages on our school website to support reading at home.

Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)

Children in Key Stage 1 take home two reading books each week:

• One book is carefully matched to their phonic ability, designed to be read more than once to build fluency and confidence.
• The second book is a ‘reading for pleasure’ text to be shared with a family member. These books are intended to develop comprehension skills through discussion and questioning.

Books are changed weekly, and we ask that parents sign and comment in their child’s reading record to show the book has been read and to share how their child managed with it. Teachers and teaching assistants are available to discuss reading progress with parents informally as needed.

Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6)

In Key Stage 2, children are assigned books based on their assessed reading level. They choose their book from a curated selection and are supported in making appropriate reading choices. Teaching assistants listen to pupils read regularly to assess fluency and understanding, and children take their books home to continue reading with family support.

Parents are encouraged to record reading progress in the reading record, including any comments or observations.

Upper Key Stage 2 – Free Readers

Children in Years 5 and 6 who demonstrate strong reading skills may become ‘Free Readers’. This means they are no longer reading from levelled schemes and instead choose their own books from the class library based on personal interests. These pupils are expected to read independently and continue to share books with an adult at home.

They will be asked to read extracts aloud in school to ensure they are selecting texts they can read fluently and with understanding.

Reading for Pleasure and Library Use

In addition to their reading scheme books, all children are encouraged to borrow a ‘reading for pleasure’ book from the school library. These books can be taken home and should be returned within a week to give others the opportunity to enjoy them.

Online Reading – Serial Mash (Purple Mash)

All children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 have access to the Serial Mash section on our Purple Mash homework platform. Each week, they are assigned a short story or chapter to read, followed by comprehension activities. Teachers monitor participation and provide feedback to support reading development at home.

We greatly value the support of our families in developing confident readers. By working together, we can ensure every child enjoys reading and reaches their full potential.

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Phonics

What is Read Write Inc.?

Read Write Inc. is a systematic phonics programme developed by Ruth Miskin, designed to help all children learn to read at an early age. It is used by thousands of schools across the UK and is proven to be particularly effective in ensuring children make rapid progress in reading. The programme uses a consistent and engaging approach to teach children to:

• Recognise and pronounce individual sounds (phonemes)
• Blend these sounds to read words (decoding)
• Segment words to spell them (encoding)
• Read with fluency, expression and comprehension
• Write confidently using their phonic knowledge

Children are taught in small groups, across Reception and Key Stage One, which are carefully matched to their reading ability, allowing them to learn at a pace that suits them best. Daily sessions are lively and interactive, combining reading, writing, speaking and listening in a fun and purposeful way.

When do we start?

Structured phonics teaching begins on the first day in Reception and forms a crucial part of our early literacy curriculum. As children progress through the programme, they move through different levels of books and phonics knowledge. By the end of Year 1, all children in England take part in the Phonics Screening Check — a short, statutory assessment to ensure they are on track with their phonics development. Our structured teaching through Read Write Inc. ensures children are well-prepared and confident for this check.

How can parents help?

We believe that partnership with parents plays a key role in a child’s success. We encourage parents to practise phonics at home and support reading for pleasure. To help, we provide regular updates, reading materials, and workshops that explain how phonics is taught and how you can reinforce learning at home.

By using the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme, we aim to instil a love of reading from the very beginning, laying a strong foundation for literacy that will benefit children throughout their education.

Read Write Inc. Phonics in Nursery

At SS Mary and John, we gently introduce children in Nursery to phonics using the Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics programme, which is specially designed to give young learners the best possible start in learning to read and write.

How we use Read Write Inc. in Nursery

In Nursery, our main focus is on helping children develop their listening skills, speaking confidence, and early sound awareness in a fun and engaging way. This prepares them for more formal phonics learning in Reception. Through songs, stories, games, and play, children begin to:

• Hear and recognise sounds in the environment and in words
• Say the sounds clearly
• Enjoy rhymes, rhythm and repetition
• Practise speaking and listening in a group
• Develop a love of books and stories

As they grow in confidence, children are gradually introduced to some simple letter sounds from the RWI programme, always at a pace that suits their individual needs.

Why start phonics early?

Early exposure to sounds, words and books helps children become confident communicators and enthusiastic readers. The skills they begin developing in Nursery will support them as they move into Reception, where they will begin the full Read Write Inc. Phonics programme.

At this stage, our aim is simple: to nurture a love of language and give every child a confident start on their reading journey.

Further Information

• RWI Sounds Information for Parents
• Phonics Homework: Set 1
• Phonics Homework: Set 2
• Phonics Homework: Set 3

Find out more about phonics and how to help at home at the Oxford Owl website:

• Oxford Owl: Phonics

Learn how to pronounce all 44 phonics sounds, or phonemes, used in the English language with these helpful examples from Suzy Ditchburn and her daughter Lucy:

• YouTube: Oxford Owl – How to pronounce pure sounds