Phonics & Early Reading
Learning to Read at Norbury Manor
At Norbury Manor Primary School, we want every child to develop the skills, confidence and enjoyment needed to become a fluent and successful reader.
We use Read Write Inc. Phonics (RWI) to support the systematic teaching of early reading. Children are taught to recognise sounds, blend them together to read words and develop increasing accuracy and fluency.
Children progress through the programme according to their developing phonics knowledge and reading skills. Regular assessment helps staff identify what children have secured and where additional teaching or practice is needed.
The videos and guidance on this page have been provided to help parents and carers understand how phonics is taught at Norbury Manor and use the same approaches when supporting reading at home.
What is Phonics?
Phonics teaches children the relationship between spoken sounds and the letters or groups of letters used to represent them.
Children learn that letters and groups of letters represent sounds. They then learn to blend these sounds together to read words.
Developing secure phonics knowledge helps children become increasingly independent readers and provides important foundations for spelling and writing.
This video provides an introduction to phonics and explains how learning sounds helps children begin to read
Saying the Sounds Correctly
How we pronounce sounds is important when children are learning to blend.
Children are taught to say sounds clearly. Using the same pronunciation at home and at school makes it easier for children to recognise sounds and blend them successfully when reading.
Use this video to hear how the sounds are pronounced so that you can practise them with your child at home.
Learning to Blend
Once children begin recognising sounds, they learn to blend sounds together to read words.
In Read Write Inc., children learn to use Fred Talk. Fred can only speak in sounds, so children hear the individual sounds and blend them together to make the whole word.
For example:
c – a – t → cat
With regular practice, children become quicker at recognising and blending sounds until they are increasingly able to read words automatically.
This video demonstrates how children are taught to blend sounds when reading.
How We Group Children for Phonics
Children develop their phonics knowledge at different rates. We therefore regularly assess children's phonics and reading so that teaching can respond to what they need to learn next.
Children may work in Read Write Inc. groups based on their current stage of phonics development rather than simply their age or class.
Groups are reviewed regularly as children develop their knowledge and become increasingly fluent readers.
This video explains how our Read Write Inc. sound groups work at Norbury Manor and how they support children's progress.
Moving on to More Complex Sounds
As children's phonics knowledge develops, they encounter sounds that can be represented by two or three letters working together, as well as different ways of representing sounds within words.
Children are taught these systematically and given repeated opportunities to recognise, read and apply them.
This video demonstrates how more complex sounds are introduced and practised
Reading Books Matched to Phonics
An important part of learning to read is giving children opportunities to apply the sounds they have been taught within books they can successfully decode.
Children therefore read books carefully matched to their developing phonics knowledge.
Red Ditty Books
As children progress through Read Write Inc., they begin reading short texts that allow them to practise their developing skills and build confidence and fluency.
This video explains Red Ditty Books and how they support the early stages of reading.
Reading at Home
Parents and carers make an enormous contribution to children's reading development.
The most helpful thing you can do is provide short, regular and positive opportunities to read and practise.
When reading with your child:
- encourage them to use the sounds they have been taught;
- give them time to blend unfamiliar words;
- praise their effort and perseverance;
- reread familiar texts to develop fluency and confidence;
- talk about the book and check that they understand what they have read;
- continue sharing and reading stories to your child so that they encounter language and books beyond those they can yet read independently.
Phonics and Reading for Pleasure
Learning to decode is only one part of becoming a reader.
Alongside books matched to their phonics knowledge, children should experience a rich range of stories, rhymes, poems and non-fiction.
Children can enjoy books that are beyond the level they can currently read independently by listening to adults read aloud and talking about the stories, characters, vocabulary and ideas they encounter.
Our aim is for children to develop both the skills to read and a love of reading.
How We Know Children Are Making Progress
Children's phonics and early reading development is assessed regularly.
Teachers use assessment to identify:
- the sounds children recognise securely;
- how successfully they can blend sounds to read words;
- their developing accuracy and fluency;
- what needs to be taught or practised next;
- whether additional support is required.
Teaching groups and support can therefore be adapted as children's reading develops.
Find Out More
You can find further information about reading across the school on our Curriculum Subjects page.
Our Curriculum Maps show what children are learning within each year group.