Phonics at Hexham First School

At Hexham First School, we aim for all children to become fluent, confident readers who develop a lifelong love of reading. Reading regularly, or being read to, opens the door to countless adventures, ideas, and opportunities.

More importantly, reading equips children with the tools to become independent, lifelong learners.

We promote this by:

• Teaching Read Write Inc. Phonics every day in school.

• Encouraging a love of books by reading aloud daily at home and in school.

• Giving children access to a wide range of high-quality books in class and in our beautiful new library.

What is Read Write Inc.?

Read Write Inc. (RWI) is a high-quality, structured phonics and literacy programme that helps children learn to read quickly, accurately and fluently.

It focuses on:

• Synthetic phonics (blending sounds to read words)

• Reading comprehension

• Vocabulary development

• Spelling and sentence writing

RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin, and more information can be found here:
👉 Ruth Miskin Parent Page

Read Write Inc. at Hexham First

We begin RWI in Nursery and continue teaching it into Key Stage 1 and beyond, until children no longer need phonics support.

Phonics Lessons:

• Daily 40-minute sessions every morning

• Taught in small groups of up to 10, based on reading ability

• Led by RWI-trained teachers and teaching assistants

• Groupings are reviewed every half term based on assessment

What Does RWI Look Like in Each Year Group?

Nursery

• In the summer term, children are introduced to initial sounds in short, fun 5-minute sessions.

Reception

Children will learn:

• The 44 phonics sounds (e.g. sh, ch, ay)

• How sounds are written as letters or letter groups

• To read using Fred Talk (blending sounds aloud)

• To write using sound knowledge and handwriting patterns

• To answer questions and discuss what they read

Year 1 and Year 2

Children continue through more complex sounds (Set 2 and 3) and read longer books matched to their phonics stage.

• RWI continues daily for 45 minutes

A Typical RWI Session Includes:

1. Speed Sounds – learning and reviewing phonics sounds

2. Fred Talk – sounding out and blending to read

3. Story Time – reading matched RWI storybooks

4. Writing Time – spelling, handwriting, and sentence construction

5. Partner Work – children work in pairs to practise reading, talking, and writing

🐸 Meet Fred the Frog!

Fred is our school’s phonics puppet, and he only speaks in sounds.
We teach children to ‘Fred Talk’ words to help them blend sounds and read new words.

For example:

• c-a-t = cat

• sh-o-p = shop

• b-l-a-ck = black

▶️ Watch this video to learn how to blend with Fred

The Five Ps of Read Write Inc.

Every RWI lesson follows five key principles:

1. Purpose – every activity has a clear learning goal

2. Participation – every child is involved

3. Praise – effort is always celebrated

4. Pace – lessons move quickly to keep engagement high

5. Passion – our staff are enthusiastic and passionate about reading!

Here’s a clear and parent-friendly explanation of Step 1: Set 1 Sounds in the Read Write Inc. programme, suitable for your school website, parent guide, or classroom phonics display.

Step 1: Learning Set 1 Sounds

At Hexham First School, children begin their reading journey by learning Set 1 Sounds as part of the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme.

These are the first sounds children are introduced to. Each sound is taught with a matching rhyme, helping children to:

• Recognise the sound

• Hear the sound in words

• Say the sound correctly (pure sounds)

• Form the letter correctly

What Are Set 1 Sounds?

Set 1 Sounds include single letter sounds (like m, a, s) and some special friends (two letters that make one sound, like sh or ch).

Set 1 Sounds and Rhymes

Here is the full list of Set 1 Sounds taught in Read Write Inc., along with the rhymes that support letter formation:

What's Next?

Once children can confidently recognise and blend Set 1 Sounds, they move on to Set 2 Sounds, which introduce more complex vowel sounds and digraphs.

Helpful Videos for Parents

👉 How to say the pure sounds (RWI video)
👉 Blending with Fred Talk (RWI video

Please do not use letter names at this early stage.

Click here to hear how to pronounce sounds correctly.

Children will also use pictures for each sound to help recognise the sound and then form the shape of the sound.

📚 What Your Child is Learning in Reception & Year 1

The children have already started their phonics learning in Reception, so they will be familiar with the routine and sounds they are working on. By the time they reach Year 1, they will build on these foundations to become more fluent and confident readers.

Find Out More About Read Write Inc.

We have a dedicated Read Write Inc. webpage where you can find lots of useful information about the phonics programme and how it supports your child’s learning.

👉 Visit our Read Write Inc. webpage here (insert link).

If you have any questions or need clarification, don’t hesitate to speak to any of the Year 1 staff. We’re happy to help!

Common Questions You Might Have

Here are a few questions parents often ask when they first encounter phonics at home:

• “What on earth are Fred fingers?”
  Fred fingers are a way for children to segment words into individual sounds by using their fingers to represent each sound (e.g., for the word "cat," they would use 3 fingers: “c” – “a” – “t”).

• “Why does my child keep telling me to do Fred in my head?”
  Fred in your head means sounding out a word in your mind before reading it aloud, helping your child blend the sounds together to read a word.

• “What is a super speedy reader?”
  A super speedy reader is a child who can read fluently and quickly, recognizing and blending sounds with ease.

Helpful Resources for Parents

We know reading with your child at home can sometimes be tricky, so we've provided some helpful video resources to support you:

• Ruth Miskin Parent Tutorials & Activities
  Here, you’ll find step-by-step guides for helping your child with phonics at home.
  👉 Click here for Parent Tutorials and Storybook Activities

• Speed Sounds, Pronunciation, Fred Talk & More
  Visit ruthmiskin.com, click on the Downloads & Videos tab, and find videos on topics like:

  • How to pronounce sounds

  • Speed Sounds

  • How to use Fred Talk effectively

Ongoing Assessments & Support

Your child will be assessed every term to ensure they are placed in the right learning group and are receiving the correct support and challenge. This helps us tailor their phonics journey to their individual needs and ensures they make steady progress.

If you ever have questions about your child’s progress or phonics support, please feel free to reach out to us!