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 HGJS, 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 HGJS, 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 HGJS 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:

m https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/pWWTlFxM/8NDZOrIi

a https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/pWWTlFxM/8NDZOrIi

s https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/FrMd7MoW/pweJfJxg

d https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/y013HerY/VWmQlkQG

t https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/6CIIiu9g/to2r9Wen

i https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/ewPrQONV/Mf0FKrJU

n https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/wng72itT/58jainWc

p https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/3Si6t1gm/MGbYlT3N

g https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/71hJSgDf/OwDqD7W1

o https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7lCS0Kkz/J3fslxUU

c https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/OnUPhyHd/PfI3JbmO

k https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/lqV49vy4/nopMbn6n

u https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/tkUhbYeo/RUwahygj

b https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/mkLqnTlr/jzwkT1yz

f https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/3wx1auvA/oK9RvokA

e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/orZA1VEp/ja1mpxva

l https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Jyk1mXgp/1kQ1DU3M

h https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Z2a0NVKe/gU1ywcMN

r https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Qd0JN1ck/yJW32O6b

j https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/tmXEM3yh/BL3Ifjtj

v https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/yXDGyVOL/HbFWBnbE

y https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Ewy7Mqph/Lrkb2nxV

w https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/jOJISLBf/P3eCmr3t

z https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Fbt6Wh6I/5htsiUde

x https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/GfvhWkHx/mOz8mgWV

Set 1 Best Friends

sh https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/9MEiYER1/RKQfCGwP

th https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/sZoxJ7JA/cclRowOC

ch https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/MbUTkPyZ/gLeWFiP3

qu https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/nKUisVeq/tmH3ftio

ng https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/JWfU7wqX/b4IekL6k

nk https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/JRs7oL99/PnpW8Dkj

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/LWAoiwV8/FEt2xzwp

ee https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/XAgnp2Tb/MU6gdT7B

igh https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/4q5ZPGHR/evDQyDoa

ow https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/RcJJGTjy/usFl7PME

oo (zoo) https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/WJQMuoju/vqyKqRRI

oo (look) https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/81cFd1rJ/7GKTau72

ar https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/4LBHxiyz/4CpkxJNp

or https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/yoS3gSvG/ZFycFWNz

air https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/eL8wCs7o/G4HhUdbW

ir https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/dUEBbZh7/AsPtDLTa

ou https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/fVQ90cO4/0CPFyqGx

oy https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/xsOhKxAI/g98uDoI4

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:

ea https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/yqOCMrJk/f1hDt2pu

oi https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/iePh9CwS/1z7jStvO

a-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/y8n1IpEV/gFzITxjl

i-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/GHEAfcY0/BOhRfcUV

o-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/S8851UqY/UDsNCuv4

u-e https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/PEhXtlFv/PzpYVLXr

aw https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/JRHp44jl/vdKVVNDv

are https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vLFf3i28/BplbZCYe

ur https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Xz5s5SqA/2APf0f31

er https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/FavrLY6J/8y77r0kS

ow https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/07TTf4TU/t1Tl65ec

ai https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/MysHwNTw/8MdXSmQN

oa https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/D4UjUHg0/A0f8hQAS

ew https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YT7WgL43/aCG6zbAK

ire https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/9iXpSvqy/wLlo8yGL

ear https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/vJAdlbfB/Rd9TB7kR

ure https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/RdQ4NIjn/kVkudlMD

tion https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/rmimBq33/9kyLc06r

tious/cious https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/a8uU0WLa/UfdiJumF