Read Write Inc. Phonics is a DfE-validated systematic synthetic phonics programme with a whole school approach to teaching early reading and writing, designed to ensure progress for every child, in every primary school.

Children learn to read sounds and blend them into words. They apply this phonic knowledge to read and comprehend storybooks that are carefully matched to the sounds they know. Children learn to read these books with a storyteller’s voice.

They also learn how to form letters using mnemonics to help them. They learn to spell correctly using their Fred fingers. And they learn to compose their own writing – drawing upon ideas from the story they’ve just read. Everything knits together: The phonics supports the reading and writing; The reading supports the writing, the writing supports the reading. That’s why Ruth called it Read Write Inc.

We follow the Pathways To Write scheme at St Malachy’s to aid the teaching of writing.

Pathways to Write is a proven methodology built around units of work which develop vocabulary, reading and writing skills through the mastery approach. The units, for use with pupils from EYFS to Y6, provide clear detailed lesson plans and resources, linked to high-quality texts to ensure engaging and purposeful English lessons. Effective teaching strategies to challenge greater depth writers are included within each unit of work.

We use a range of reading schemes to support the teaching of reading here at St Malachy’s:

Reading Detectives, Reading Explorers/Classics, Cracking Comprehension and Collins books are the schemes that we use to aid the teaching of reading. These schemes are further supported by the use of the following teaching strategies.

One Education’s Reading Gem – 

The Reading Gems is essentially an approach to teaching Reading which includes the skills needed to become a fluent and resilient reader. We believe that the teaching of Reading should include more than awareness of the skills needed to get children through the test; they need to develop skills that will last a lifetime. The Reading Gems is an approach which ensures the application of reading skills are fundamental to the understanding of what is being read.