Reading and Phonics
"At Holy Trinity, we intend for every child to become a confident, fluent and passionate reader who develops the skills to unlock learning and a lifelong love of books"
In Nursery, we focus on developing pre-reading skills. Children are immersed in a language-rich environment filled with songs, rhymes, storytelling, and listening activities. Children explore sounds through environmental listening, rhythm and rhyme games and oral blending and segmenting games.
This stage develops children’s phonological awareness and prepares them for the systematic teaching of phonics. In the Summer term, children begin to learn their Set 1 sounds using Read Write Inc. (RWI), giving them an early foundation in phonics before Reception.
When children enter Reception, they begin the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme. Through daily, structured lessons, children are explicitly taught Set 1 sounds (pure sounds, avoiding “uh”), oral blending and segmenting to build early word reading, blending to read simple CVC words such as cat, dog, pin, red words (common exception words) that cannot be sounded out, and build fluency by re-reading short decodable books matched to their phonic knowledge.
Children are assessed every half term and placed into groups matched to their phonics knowledge, ensuring teaching is targeted and progress is accelerated. In the Spring term, children in Reception join with Key Stage 1 for some reading sessions, giving them access to books at their level and accelerating progress for early readers.
In Year 1, children continue their RWI journey, progressing through Set 2 and 3 sounds, including digraphs (ai, ee, igh) and alternative spellings. Children are assessed every half term and grouped according to their phonics knowledge, so they are always working at the right level for their stage of learning. Their progress is carefully monitored through daily phonics assessments and supported with targeted intervention groups where needed.
At the end of Year 1, all children take the Phonics Screening Check. This ensures they have a secure knowledge of grapheme-phoneme correspondences and can blend unfamiliar words. Children not yet secure receive tailored support and re-sit the screening in Year 2.
By the end of Key Stage 1, most children complete the RWI programme and are confident, fluent readers. If a child still requires support, they continue with RWI until they are fully secure, regardless of year group, ensuring no child is left behind.
Once children are secure in phonics and reading fluently, they move onto a structured comprehension approach using VIPERS:
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Vocabulary – exploring and clarifying ambitious words.
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Inference – reading between the lines to understand hidden meaning.
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Prediction – anticipating what might happen next.
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Explanation – discussing author’s intent and choices.
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Retrieval – finding explicit information in the text.
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Sequencing/Summarising – ordering events or summarising key points.
Children practise these skills through carefully chosen texts that are diverse, engaging, and challenging.
In Key Stage 2, every class has daily whole-class reading sessions. Here, teachers model fluency and explicitly teach strategies for tackling comprehension questions. Children are guided through high-quality texts, both fiction and non-fiction, and are encouraged to engage in rich discussion and debate.
Children also engage with Testbase resources, where teachers model how to approach different question types, underline key words, and structure answers effectively. This prepares children for the rigour of the Key Stage 2 SATs while deepening their ability to think critically about texts.
We ensure all children, including those with SEND or additional needs, are supported at every stage of their reading journey. Our aim is that every pupil leaves Holy Trinity not only able to read well, but also with a genuine love of reading that will last a lifetime.
At Holy Trinity, reading is at the heart of everything we do, and our beautiful school library provides the perfect space for children to develop a lifelong love of books. Each class has a weekly library slot, giving every child the opportunity to explore and choose a book that truly captures their imagination. Our library offers a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts, allowing children to read for pleasure, discover new authors, and deepen their understanding across all subjects.
Our wonderful team of school librarians, from Year 1 through to Year 6, take great pride in their roles. They support younger pupils in choosing books, share thoughtful reviews and recommendations, and help to keep the library organised and inviting for everyone. Their enthusiasm makes our library a welcoming and inspiring place to read and learn.
We are also proud to have strong community links with Brownhills Library, where each year group has enjoyed a visit to sign up as members and borrow a book of their choice. These visits help our children see reading as something that extends beyond school and into their everyday lives. At Holy Trinity, we believe every child should have the opportunity to experience the joy, adventure, and knowledge that reading brings.
Some useful resources to support your child can be found below:
We believe that reading at home is just as important as reading at school. All children are expected to read daily for 10–20 minutes.
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Children learning phonics should read their phonics books every day to build fluency.
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Older or more confident readers can enjoy a wider range of books, including school reading books, library books, or texts that interest them.
Regular reading at home helps children to:
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Improve fluency and confidence
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Develop a love of books and stories
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Build vocabulary and comprehension skills
We encourage parents and carers to listen to their children read, ask questions about the text, and enjoy sharing stories together.
Have you ever wondered what books to buy for your child or as a present for someone else? This website has excellent ideas for recommended books for all Primary School aged children.
https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/category/reading-lists-for-primary-school-pupils/
