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English

English at St Matthew's is broken down into two interconnected disciplines of reading and writing. Each discipline enables children to communicate widely and bring delight and wonder. Both are intrinsically linked to all other areas of the curriculum.

Reading

At St Matthew’s C of E Nursery and Primary Academy, we believe that speaking, listening, reading and writing are fundamental life skills, which enable children to communicate effectively in all areas of the curriculum and equips them for the challenges they will face in the wider world.

As well as improving their reading skill, we aim for our children to develop a love of reading, appreciating our rich and varied literary heritage and forming a habit of reading widely and often.

Intent

We are determined that:

Every pupil will learn to read, regardless of their background, needs or abilities.
All pupils, including the weakest readers, make sufficient progress to meet or exceed age-related expectations.
Children are able to develop vocabulary, language comprehension, and love of reading through stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction
Children are familiar with, and enjoy listening to a wide range of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction.
St Matthew’s phonics programme (Phonics Bug) matches or exceeds the expectations of the national curriculum and the Early Learning Goals.
St Matthew’s staff have clear expectations of pupils’ phonics progress term by term, from Reception to Year 2.
The sequence of reading books shows cumulative progression in phonics knowledge that is matched closely to the school’s phonics programme.
Teachers will give pupils sufficient practice in reading and re-reading books that match the grapheme-phoneme correspondences they know, both in school and at home.
Reading, including the teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics, is taught from the beginning of Reception.
Ongoing assessment of pupils’ phonics progress is sufficiently frequent and detailed to identify any pupil who is falling behind the programme’s pace. If they do fall behind, targeted support is given immediately.
St Matthew’s staff have developed sufficient expertise in the teaching of phonics and reading.
Re-think reading scheme will be used to systematically improve children’s ability to read and respond to texts.
Children are exposed to a breadth of high quality texts during the writing teaching sequences which includes text analysis and deconstruction.

Intent for developing the love of reading

We give all children the opportunity to enter the magical worlds that books open up to them. We promote reading for pleasure as part of our reading and wider curriculum.

We aim to ensure that:

Children are encouraged to develop their own love of genres and authors and to review their books objectively.
Children gain a deep love of literature across a range of genres, cultures and styles.
We have a reading culture where children are exposed to a range of high-quality texts in a variety of contexts and have opportunities to browse literature, as well as structured reading activities.
Children build preferences in reading and choose to read a variety of texts
Children recognise individual authors and styles of reading that they enjoy
Children engage in book discussion in a range of contexts, alongside both adults and peers
Children are given the opportunity to share and recommend a range of books

Implementation

A well sequenced curriculum (phonetically decodable in YN/R/1, reading scheme in Year 2 (and until needed) and Accelerated Reader in Key Stage 2.
A systematic approach to the teaching of guided reading.
Well chosen and engaging curriculum texts
Annual book fair to promote new books available as well classic texts
Involvement in World Book Day reading activities to share a love of books
Sharing books in assembly
Reading champions to develop opportunities for reading for pleasure
Where possible class visits to the local library
Class book corners
High quality whole class stories
Focus on maintaining high quality, interesting and well-matched books into library
Lunch time reading club
Debate Club
After school reading club

Impact

As a result, we have a community of enthusiastic readers who enjoy showcasing their developing literacy skills. They are confident to take risks in their reading and love to discuss and share their ideas.

Link to Accelerated Reader Quizzes for use at home

Use the links below to explore important documents

Reading Progression

Reading for Pleasure

At St Matthew's we place strong emphasis on reading for pleasure and we have. As part of that, we have developed a reading for pleasure Padlet which is full of staff reviews of high quality texts. This can be used by children or parents when deciding what to read at home.

We have also developed a structured approach to our class readers and each year group has a Padlet that is shared with parents. Click the links below to access each Padlet. YR and YN have books that change so frequently that to create a Padlet would be impossible and so please do speak with the class teachers to find out more about their book choices.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Phonics and Early Reading

Early Reading at St Matthew’s

At St Matthew’s, we believe that reading is everything. It is the foundation for learning across the whole curriculum and plays a vital role in children’s confidence, enjoyment of learning and future life chances. Most importantly, we want children to see reading as something that is fun and rewarding.

Our Phonics Approach – Read Write Inc.

In Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, we teach reading using Read Write Inc. (RWI), a high-quality, systematic, synthetic phonics programme that gives children a strong and confident start to reading and writing.

As soon as children begin school, they continue the reading journey started in pre-school through a clear, structured and supportive phonics approach. Children are taught to match sounds to letter shapes and to blend these sounds together to read words. They also learn to break words down into individual sounds to support accurate spelling and writing.

Phonics is taught and practised daily, with children learning that words are made up of small sounds, called phonemes, and that saying these sounds clearly and correctly is essential for becoming a successful reader. Phonics is used as the main strategy for reading unfamiliar words, helping children to read with confidence, accuracy and understanding.

Through Read Write Inc., we are committed to ensuring that every child learns to read as quickly and successfully as possible, developing the skills, confidence and enjoyment needed to become fluent, independent readers.

Follow the link below for guidance on supporting the correct articulation of the phonemes taught in Read Write Inc.

Articulation of Sounds Guidance Video

What Will Your Child Learn Through Read Write Inc.?

Through the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme, children develop strong reading and writing skills by learning sounds first and using them with confidence.

Children learn to recognise and say the 44 sounds and the letters or letter groups that represent them. They are taught to blend sounds together (using ‘Fred Talk’) to read words accurately and fluently, helping them to focus on understanding and enjoying what they read. Children read lively, engaging stories that closely match the sounds they have already learned and show their understanding through discussion and questions.

Alongside reading, children are taught to write the sounds and words they have learned, using Fred Talk to spell accurately. They begin by writing simple sentences and gradually move on to more complex writing as their confidence grows.

By following the Read Write Inc. programme, children learn to:

Read words confidently by blending sounds together

Spell words accurately using phonics

Read common exception words

Read fluently, with expression and enjoyment

Understand and talk about what they read

Build confidence and independence as readers and writers

This structured approach ensures children develop secure early literacy skills that support progress across the whole curriculum.

How Will Your Child Learn to Read?

Phonics is taught daily in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1

Children work with a partner to practise skills, explain their thinking and support one another

Pupils are grouped according to their current reading progress, ensuring teaching meets individual needs

Children who need extra support receive additional one-to-one or small-group sessions alongside their daily phonics lessons

Regular assessment ensures that teaching is well matched to each child and that progress is closely monitored

At St Matthew’s, we work hard to ensure that all children develop the skills, confidence and love of reading they need to succeed both in school and beyond.

Progression through RWI

Early Stages (Reception)

Set 1 Sounds (s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d...): Learning single letter sounds and blending them orally to read simple words (e.g., cat, sun).

Ditty Books & Red Books: Reading short phrases and simple stories using Set 1 sounds and some "tricky words" (red words).

Green Books: Reading CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and longer words with Set 1 sounds, focusing on fluency.

Developing Fluency (Year 1)

Set 2 Sounds (ay, ee, igh, ow, oo, oo...): Learning new vowel sounds and their common spellings (digraphs/trigraphs).

Purple & Pink Books: Reading books with Set 2 sounds, blending more complex words, and starting to read nonsense words.

Orange Books: Reading words with Set 2 sounds, including longer words and nonsense words, with increasing speed.

Building Fluency & Comprehension (Year 1/2)

Set 3 Sounds (ea, oi, a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e...): Learning alternative ways to write the same sounds (e.g., 'ea' as in 'tea').

Yellow, Blue & Grey Books: Reading longer, more complex stories with all learned sounds, focusing on fluency, comprehension, and tricky words.

Moving Beyond Phonics

RWI Spelling: Once fluent, children move to spelling patterns, learning to segment words for writing, applying grammar rules like capital letters for names/sentences.

RWI Comprehension: Focus shifts to deeper understanding, vocabulary, and critical thinking with more complex texts.

The overall goal is to build confident, fluent readers by teaching sounds (phonemes), the letters that represent them (graphemes), and blending them for reading and segmenting for writing, all within a structured book progression. 

Group	Progress Expectation	To progress into the next group children need to…
Group A	Reception Autumn 1	Read the first 16+ set 1 sounds
Group B	Reception Autumn 1	Read 26+ sounds and blend sounds into words orally
Group C	Reception Autumn 2	Read all set 1 single letter sounds with speed Read words with these sounds in using Fred talk
Ditty Group	Reception Spring 1	Read all set 1 single letter sounds and special friends sounds with speed. Read words with these sounds in using Fred talk (3 sounds in word) Read 3 sound nonsense words using Fred talk.
Red Group	Reception spring 2	Read words with 4 and 5 sounds using Fred talk Read 3 and 4 sound nonsense words with Fred talk
Green Group	Reception end of summer	Read words with 4 and 5 sounds speedily
Purple Group	Year 1 end of autumn 1	Read the 1 st 6 set 2 sounds (ay, ee, igh, ow, oo, oo) speedily Read words with these sounds using fred talk Read words with 4 and 5 sounds speedily
Pink Group	Year 1 end of autumn 2	Read all set 2 sounds speedily Read words with these sounds using Fred talk Read words with 4 and 5 sounds and first 6 set 2 sounds speedily
Orange Group	Year 1 end of spring 1	Read set 2 sounds in nonsense words Read words with set 2 sounds speedily
Yellow Group	Year 1 end of summer 1	Read set 3 sounds ea, oi, a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e speedily Read these sounds in words, including nonsense words Read a passage at 60+ words per minute
Blue Group	Year 1 end of summer 2	Read all set 3 sounds speedily Read set 3 sounds in words, including nonsense words Read a passage at 70+
Grey Group	Year 2 end of Autumn 2	Read all set 3 sounds in nonsense words Read multi-syllabic words speedily` Read a passage at 80+ words per minute
Comprehension Group	Year 2 end of spring 2	Reading fluently with intonation and good levels of comprehension.

How can I support my child with Set One Sounds?

Use pure sounds, not letter names. Watch the ‘how to say the sounds’ parent film on http ://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/.

Watch the ‘Reading the stretchy sounds with your child’, ‘Reading the bouncy sounds with your child’ and ‘Reading the digraphs with your child’ parent films on http ://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/ to see how to teach Set 1 sounds.

Practise reading known Set 1 Speed Sounds cards speedily. If needed, show your child the picture side of the card to help them remember the sound.

We teach children to read and spell using Fred. He is a toy frog who can say the sounds in words, but not the whole word. Children have to help him.

To help children learn to blend, we say the sounds as Fred and then children repeat the sounds and say the whole word.

Here are two ways you can use Fred Talk at home:

play Fred Games together – see Fred Games document on http ://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

speak like Fred throughout the day e.g. time for l-u-n-ch! Let’s p-l-ay!

Watch the ‘Sound-blending’ parent film on http ://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Speed sounds set 1

How can I support my child to learn Set 2 or 3 sounds?

Watch the ‘Set 2/3 tutoring’ film on http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Help your child practise reading known Speed Sounds cards speedily. If needed, show your child the picture side of the card to help them remember the sound.

Speed sounds set 2 and 3

Set 2 Sound	Set 2 Rhyme	Set 3 Sound	Set 3 Rhyme
ay	May I play?	ea	Cup of tea
ee	What can you see?	oi	Spoil the boy
igh	Fly high	a-e	Make a cake
ow	Blow the snow	i-e	Nice smile
oo	Poo at the zoo	o-e	Phone home
oo	Look at a book	u-e	Huge brute
ar	Start the car	aw	Yawn at dawn
or	Shut the door	are	Care and share
air	That's not fair	ur	Nurse with a purse
ir	Whirl and twirl	er	A better letter
ou	Shout it out	ow	Brown cow
oy	Toy for a boy	ai	Snail in the rain
		oa	Goat in a boat
		ew	Chew the stew
		ire	Fire fire
		ear	Hear with your ear
		ure	Sure it's pure

How do I listen to my child read?

Your child has a Storybook matched to the sounds and words they know – a decodable book – so they should be able to read all the words.

Please avoid saying, “This book is too easy for you!” but instead say “I love how well you can read this book!”

‘Special Friends’, ‘Fred Talk’, read the word

Remind your child to read words using ‘Special Friends, Fred Talk, read the word’ (see glossary).

For example ‘ship’: spot the ‘sh’, then Fred Talk and blend to read the word e.g. sh, sh-i-p, ship.

Red Words

Red Words are also known as common exception or tricky words. They occur in stories regularly (said, what, where) but have unusual letter combinations (‘ai’ in the word ‘said’ makes the sound ‘e’).

Remind your child not to use Fred Talk to read Red Words but instead to ‘stop and think’.

Tell them the word if you need to.

Read the same book again and again

Children love reading the same book again and again. Their reading becomes speedier and they understand what they are reading.

Encourage your child to read words using ‘Fred in your head’ (see glossary).

Show your child how to read the story in a storyteller voice.

Share your enjoyment of the story when they read it again and again.

What should I do with library picture books?

One of the most important things you can do at home is share stories with your child. Reading together helps children develop a love of books and builds strong foundations for learning.

Children who enjoy stories are more likely to want to read for themselves. The more they read, the more confident and skilled they become as readers.

Top tips for sharing stories at home

Make storytime feel special – introduce new books with enthusiasm and excitement

Create a calm, cosy time – cuddle up and enjoy some quiet time together

Show interest and curiosity – talk about what the book might be about before you start

Read the story all the way through so your child can enjoy it. If something is tricky, you might say, “I think what’s happening here is…”

Talk naturally about the story – for example, “I wonder why he did that?” or “Oh no, I hope she’s not going to…”

Avoid testing your child with lots of questions about what they remember

Link stories to real life or other books you have shared together

Enjoy favourite books again and again – encourage your child to join in with words or phrases they know

Use different voices and expressions and be enthusiastic

Most importantly, enjoy the book yourself – children learn to love reading when they see you enjoying it too

Sharing stories regularly helps children feel confident, relaxed and excited about reading — and it’s a wonderful way to spend time together.

Phonics & Early Reading Printable Version January 2026

Read Write Inc Parent Information

Writing

Writing Overview

Intent

At St Matthew’s we aim for our children to:-

Write clearly, accurately and cohesively adapting language and style for range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
Develop positive attitudes toward writing.
To be able to write with a proficient awareness of grammar and punctuation.

Implementation

Opportunities, organisation and provision for the teaching and learning of writing are as follows:

Phonics and spelling:

In EYFS and Year 1 We follow the Bug Club phonics programme for our children in Reception to Year 2. For children in Years 2 and above who need extra phonics practise due to not being at expected standard in Year 1 they access interventions.

For children in Year 2 upwards children study their spellings through the Spelling Shed structured programme.

Emergent writing:

In Nursery children are taught correct pencil grip and given opportunities to mark make and form letters.

In Reception children are given daily opportunities to further that learning through daily message centre writing. Over the year, they develop letter formation and how to form simple phrases and sentences. By the end of the year, some children are helped to combine sentences.

In Year 1 upwards we base our teaching of writing on Book Writes sequences (Devon CC). The sequences are based around high quality texts that ensure:

something worth discussing;
rich language to enjoy, learn from, and explore in children’s own writing,
a structure that can be replicated.

The three key writing strategies that children are taught are:

Learning about the text
Practising writing including short burst writing focused on grammar and punctuation
Independent writing

Handwriting:

We teach children joined cursive handwriting once they can form individual letters correctly in print. Teaching pre-cursive writing, where they learn to write the lead in and exit strokes of letters, usually begins in Year 1. We refer to this as 'whoosh in' and 'whoosh out' with the children at the beginning and end of each letter. Once children are secure in this we move on to cursive. All pupils are given weekly opportunities to practice their handwriting. Once they are familiar and fluent with all common joins handwriting is most often done in the context of spelling. In Spring 2025 we subscribed to the Letter-join scheme to support handwriting - links to information can be found below.

Impact

Children will be equipped with a strong command of the written word and acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for writing. Pupils will write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Pupils will make at least good progress from their starting points.

Use the links below to access useful resources

Writing Progression

Early Writing Powerpoint

Pencil Grip Parent Help Sheet

Writing Statement of Curriculum

Writing Sequence of Texts 24-25

Letter-join Handwriting Progression Letter-join Parent Guide

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