Phonics
At Kingsbridge Primary, we teach early reading through Read Write Inc. (RWI), a structured phonics programme that helps children learn the sounds that letters make and how to blend them together to read words. Children take part in daily, fast-paced lessons that develop confidence, fluency and strong early reading skills, while also supporting spelling, handwriting and writing development.
Children are regularly assessed and grouped according to their phonics stage so teaching closely matches their needs. They will bring home decodable reading books that link to the sounds they are learning in school, and we encourage families to read little and often at home to build enjoyment and success in reading.
Reading
At our school, reading is at the heart of everything we do. We want every child to become a confident, fluent reader who understands what they read and can talk about texts with growing accuracy and depth. Alongside our strong early reading provision through Read Write Inc., we teach reading beyond phonics through a clear and consistent approach that develops children’s comprehension skills, builds reading stamina, and supports them to succeed across the curriculum and in end of key stage assessments.
Our reading curriculum focuses on the key skills that make the biggest difference to understanding texts: word meaning (vocabulary), retrieval, and inference. Children take part in structured comprehension sessions each week where they practise reading increasingly challenging texts, answer questions with teacher modelling and support, and develop the pace and stamina needed for longer reading tasks. Alongside this, children continue to enjoy daily independent reading and reading for pleasure opportunities, helping them to grow as confident, enthusiastic readers
Writing
At our school, we teach writing through carefully planned Book Writes, where high-quality texts are used to inspire, engage and develop children’s skills as writers. Each unit is built around a core story, poem or non-fiction text, giving children strong models of language, structure and vocabulary. Through discussion, reading and teacher modelling, pupils learn how authors write for different purposes and audiences, and they apply these skills in their own writing.
Book Writes follow a clear sequence that supports children to build confidence and independence over time. Children explore the text, practise key grammar and sentence structures, and develop their ideas through planning and rehearsal before writing extended pieces. By linking reading and writing closely, children improve both their understanding of texts and their ability to communicate effectively, helping them to become confident writers across the curriculum.