Early Reading and Phonics

At St Peter’s, we believe that learning to read is the single most important skill children develop in the early years. A strong start in reading gives children the confidence they need to access the whole curriculum, and we are committed to ensuring that every child learns to read quickly, securely and successfully.

Our Phonics Programme: Read Write Inc

We teach early reading using Read Write Inc (RWI), a highly effective and well‑established phonics programme. Read Write Inc is a systematic synthetic phonics approach, which teaches children to recognise sounds, blend them into words, and read with increasing accuracy and confidence.

From the very beginning, children are taught to:

• recognise individual sounds (phonemes)
• blend sounds together to read words
• read words and sentences with growing fluency
• apply their phonics knowledge independently

Phonics lessons are taught daily, are fast‑paced and highly structured, and are carefully matched to each child’s stage of reading development. This ensures that all children are supported appropriately and that no child is left behind.

Reading Practice Books

Children read fully decodable books that are closely matched to the sounds they have been taught. This means they are practising exactly what they know, building confidence, fluency and success. Books are reread to support accuracy and expression, helping children to move smoothly from sounding out to reading with ease.

A Love of Reading from the Start

While phonics is the key to unlocking reading, our aim is not only that children can read, but that they enjoy reading. Alongside phonics lessons, children are regularly read to by adults, helping them develop a love of stories, language and books. This rich talk and story time supports vocabulary development and a positive reading identity from the very beginning.

Working in Partnership with Parents

Learning to read is most successful when school and home work together. We encourage families to read regularly with their child and to celebrate their progress. Further information about how Read Write Inc works and how you can support your child at home is available below.

Click here to visit the Read Write Inc website and find out more