Phonics and Early Reading

Phonics at West Heath Primary is taught following the accredited Read Write Inc (RWI) phonics programme. This is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme which is taught daily in Reception, Year 1 and to meet the reading needs of some children as they move into Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4.

 

The overarching goal of RWI is to help all children learn to read fluently and at speed so that they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension. RWI also aims to teach children to spell effortlessly so that they can focus on composition as they write.

We aim for all children to move into KS2 as well-rounded learners who can: 

  • Decode words and use this skill to read accurately. 
  • Read red words (common exception words) by sight.
  • Demonstrate sound comprehension skills which support children to fully understand what they are reading and what is read to them. 
  • Spell unfamiliar words using their phonics knowledge to segment sounds. 
  • Write letters that are formed correctly.