Our Phonics Lead is Mrs. Riordan

At St Edward's Catholic Primary School we have adopted the Read, Write Inc. programme to develop our phonics and reading skills.

What is Read Write Inc?

The Read Write Inc. programme is for primary school children learning to read.  It is a phonics-based programme that helps children learn to read whilst also developing a wide range of vocabulary and encouraging a love of stories. It was developed by Ruth Miskin and more information on this can be found at www.ruthmiskinliteracy.com .

How do we know RWI works?

Schools embedding this programme have been recognised by OFSTED in the HMI ‘Reading by Six Report’ (November 2010) as an example of how the best schools teach reading.

The links and documents on this page will hopefully help you to understand the learning intentions and inform you regarding the content of this scheme.

Spelling

At St Edward’s Catholic Primary School we have adopted an innovative and child-led approach to spelling.  Across the school we have introduced the Spelling Shed and Spelling Frame Programmes across the school.  The new National Curriculum outlines very clearly the continuity and progression of spelling for Key Stage 1 & 2. This resource includes termly spelling lists that follows the National Curriculum, spelling games and a programme of study for every year group which can be shared with parents to ensure that full coverage of all spelling rules and exceptions have been offered.  

Alongside these programmes, the children of KS2 will also use ‘Spelling Boxes’ to personalise their learning of spelling. They contain words that the child needs to learn.  Working with a spelling buddy, a ‘Spuddy’, words are tested daily and progress from being a new word to becoming a learnt word.  All learnt words are then tested by an adult and ticked off of the child’s word list.  These lists are formulated from each year groups' Programme of study (see National Curriculum document).  

The class teacher will set spelling lists to support each child's individual ability.  

Weekly spelling assessments will take place in every year group where the teacher will monitor the progress of each child and provide feedback in any areas of weakness.

In addition to this, the teacher will use a range of strategies and resources to enhance the children's learning of spelling.

Discreet spelling lessons will be delivered to the children on a daily basis in order to learn, practice and perfect accurate spelling.  From the spelling lists set for homework, a weekly test will take place to identify gaps in learning and to inform teachers' planning.  These tests will take place every Friday.

At St Edward's Catholic Primary School our curriculum is based on the work of E D Hirsch and 'Cultural literacy'

We believe  books are very important to cultural literacy. Knowledge of  books referred regularly in our society e.g. "The Gruffalo" should be known by all children at St Edward's Catholic Primary School. They will then all know and talk about the plot, role play it and have enjoyment from reading or listening to Britain's classic books.