Phonics is the gateway to reading and writing, life-long skills that pave the way to success both in school and beyond. It is through phonics that our children learn to decode written letters and spoken sounds.  At Holmer Green, we teach phonics using a scheme called 'Read Write Inc.' (RWI) Fresh Start.

Read Write Inc. Fresh Start is a whole-school literacy programme designed and developed by Ruth Miskin, one of the country’s leading authorities on teaching children to read.  The programme aims to help all children learn to read fluently and at speed, so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. 

When a child joins Holmer Green Junior School, their reading and phonetic ability is assessed within the first few weeks. If the child has gaps in their knowledge of phonics or is struggling to read fluently, these gaps will be taught through either whole class sessions or through individual or group interventions.

At Holmer Green Junior School we have invested significantly in the training of teachers and teaching assistants to carry out the programme effectively with small groups of children. These groups are organised according to their specific needs, and the specific sounds and letters are taught in fun and engaging ways.

As children progress through the levels, they are assessed every half term to ensure they are placed in groups most appropriate for them.

We are delighted to report Read Write Inc. Fresh Start is already making an impact with many children making accelerated progress.

Key sounds taught

Sounds are taught in 3 sets in 'Read Write Inc'.

Set 1 Speed Sounds:

Set 1 Speed Sounds are the first group of sounds, which contain sounds written with one letter:

m  a   s   d   t   i   n   p   g   o   c   k   u   b   f   e   l   h   r   j   v   y   w   z   x

and sounds written with two letters (your child will call these ‘special friends’):

sh   th   ch   qu   ng   nk   

Your child will learn to blend these sounds into words, e.g. 

m–a–t mat, 

f–i–sh fish,

s–p–l–a–sh splash.

If you would like to practise these sounds with your child at home, please watch the following clips:

Set 1 Best Friends

sh https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6osBGYb1/PH7yt0xG

th https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/QKiVCLOv/oUlm9evu

ch https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Hpi3vY9V/qa9L0GqS

qu https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/BCSxvwqW/meDxBVH0

ng https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6mZDWEi8/sC2wD5B5

nk https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/pKoqQYrH/tp0DRs5K

 

Set 2 Speed Sounds:

Once your child has mastered reading Set 1 Speed Sounds, they will then begin to learn Set 2 Speed Sounds. The following are Set 2 Speed Sounds:

ay   ee   igh   ow   oo (zoo)  oo (look)   ar   or   air   ir   ou   oy 

If you would like to practise these sounds with your child at home, please watch the following clips:

ay https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/qzqwiwcq/A9KboVsN

ee https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/anClNsvA/mTnCVBQe

igh https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YrtgjHFL/Mrej8fjN

ow https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7qKgk87z/f79X0eZz

oo (zoo) https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/66Pt3l9Y/B184p13q

oo (look) https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/2HLNatS4/AarrARny

ar https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/dp9lQ2nO/yw6kka2C

or https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/BRzoFxAu/ZLP1j2gK

air https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/NxWTp9qy/E5jfWHtR

ir https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/wbLKHF5n/8qBNBiTx

ou https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/zR0Fkjvn/hXzVSEBB

oy https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/S9qfcrzB/0qEpIOzV

Set 3 Speed Sounds:

The final set of speed sounds that your child will learn are the Set 3 Speed Sounds. These are:

ea           oi            a-e          i-e           o-e         u-e         aw          are         ur            er            ow          ai             oa

ew          ire           ear         ure         tion        tious/cious

If you would like to practise these sounds with your child at home, please watch the following clips:

m https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/xyCb0luH/qAz2zXzK

a https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/0z9cniy0/q4mHvPRZ

s https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6vIxFmv2/8HSkXFcX

d https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/KYe53Zv0/cAq02DYT

t https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YIr0kus8/5jHiejaf

i https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6JtIklTq/Bcub4ws6

n https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/FzqhY6zF/IjqG31LX

p https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/iB1SZkFN/7Y7wqO6D

g https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/mwhfxxLJ/M3mRuf4f

o https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YmT5oC34/AKyKEa7c

c https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7hJQ4T5P/1yM963fC

k https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Ch97eD0T/jNpH2bIw

u https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/bFYVQRB8/XCmuZDwf

b https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/mPDt0MwR/z55y9mlF

f https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/F0FSk6Y5/Fr9YPMJf

e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/bUkYi8qm/YezvwhMr

l https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Qf6s3RLl/IDqOVF6q

h https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/4w1JbnrU/eCAmz9lY

r https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/EaWIRsP1/NAmctqhZ

j https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/ApKvLOtg/mKFxrjyu

v https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YNl2PFLq/ZQv1unmL

y https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/h5tUwbTy/03mYpIT0

w https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/8krJGaFv/SRBlbgOq

z https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/3oK3U750/0KceUk9A

x https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YCb1kcVT/T4ZOgSLY

If you would like to practise these sounds with your child at home, please watch the following clips:

ea https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/dgGTs8gv/2I5EGqEc

oi https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/njca27hi/1d7TzflX

a-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/HVUoLe8T/P5W0QWXo

i-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/FSfwLuXR/MyI8KnsS

o-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vLn3ESzx/j93Ueziz

u-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/LGfQX1ky/qmBeWIjB

aw https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vtsxilsZ/396izdA4

are https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vJca2wUI/FKQaYoJt

ur https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/UuvbDwbT/BLPXyArm

er https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/MfRTLAit/0rIwrJqj

ow https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/W50F7gKL/P1114Oph

ai https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Hiwvoe2g/v6MrAV2E

oa https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/IEk2B5bj/ahjQA2ZH

ew https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/evfQKVux/3d4F6hnT

ire https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/qr9j3pXs/TqcKKLxm

ear https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Rsnzqwww/xqUjvfEi

ure https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/fqKy8iMo/M3JBrts7

tion https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/j7CaxFXq/L0Rg6NzK

tious/cious https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/fe7qsMVQ/THty1Erl