Early Reading and Writing

The government strongly recommend the use of synthetic phonics when teaching early literacy skills to children. Synthetic phonics is simply the ability to convert a letter or letter group into sounds that are then blended together into a word.

Our consistent and rigorous approach to teaching early reading enables children to master the key skills that research suggests is important early on. To do this, we follow the Read Write Inc. programme; this sets out a sequence of lessons that teaches children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension. They also learn to form each letter, spell correctly and compose their ideas step-by-step.

Reading

Your child will:
• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple prompts.
• Learn to read words using sound blending (Fred talk) e.g. c-a-t = cat, sh-o-p = shop.
• Read ‘red words’ these are words that have less common spelling patterns.
• Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out.
• Show that they comprehend the stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It'.

Writing 

Your child will:
• Learn to write the letter/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds.
• Learn to write words by saying the sounds and graphemes (Fred fingers).
• Learn to write simple then more complex sentences.
• Compose stories based on story strips.
• Compose a range of texts using discussion prompts.

Talking

Your child will learn how to:
• Answer questions.
• Practise every activity orally.
• Take turns talking and listening to each other.
• Give positive praise to each other.

Home reading 

While your child is learning to read, they will be given the storybook that they have read in class so that they can practise re-reading it at home- this is done to help them build their confidence and fluency. They will also be given a ‘book bag book’ which will be an exciting text that they will be able to read themselves; this is because they will have learnt all the letters and ‘red words’ already in class, but you can offer some help if they need it. It is really important you listen to your child read at least three times a week. Finally, your child will be given an additional book; this book is for you to read to your child and is crucial for helping them to expand their vocabulary and develop a love for reading.

If you would like to know more about how your child is taught to read, or how you can support at home, ask to speak to our Reading/Phonics Leaders or click on the Parent Booklet links below.

Supporting reading at home

Please find below some useful video links that children can watch at home in order to help them develop their reading knowledge. 

Phonics vision

Phonics in Nursery at Stanley St. Peters

Our Nursery phonics forms the essential foundations for all subsequent reading and writing development. Having a high‑quality phonics introduction ensures children enter formal phonics teaching (in Summer 2/Reception) with the auditory, linguistic, and cognitive skills required to succeed. It aligns directly with expectations around early reading, particularly the emphasis on securing strong phonological awareness, developing children’s spoken language, and ensuring that no child is left behind when formal decoding begins.

A well‑structured pre-phonics curriculum strengthens children’s attention and listening, supports vocabulary acquisition, and develops the early sound discrimination skills that underpin later grapheme–phoneme correspondence. It also contributes to wider curriculum readiness by developing critical communication and language skills.

How the Seven Aspects of Pre-Phonics Secure Strong Early Reading Foundations

1. Environmental sounds

• Builds children’s ability to tune into and distinguish everyday sounds.
• Strengthens auditory discrimination, a prerequisite for identifying phonemes in spoken words.

2. Instrumental sounds

• Develops children’s capacity to compare, categorise, and reproduce sounds.
• Enhances auditory memory, supporting later blending and segmenting.

3. Body percussion

• Encourages awareness of rhythm and pattern.
• Supports syllable awareness, which is essential for early segmentation.

4. Rhythm and rhyme

• Exposes children to patterned language structures.
• Builds predictive skills and phonological awareness, both strong indicators of later reading success.

5. Alliteration

• Focuses children’s attention on initial sounds in words.
• Prepares them for identifying phonemes and linking them to graphemes.

6. Voice sounds

• Encourages children to explore and manipulate the sounds they can make.
• Supports oral blending and segmenting by helping children isolate individual phonemes.

7. Oral blending and segmenting

• Directly prepares children for decoding.
• Ensures children can hear whole words from segmented sounds and break words into phonemes—skills essential for reading and spelling.

Why This Matters:

• Having a strong, cumulative approach to early reading (pre-phonics) ensures children are ready for systematic synthetic phonics by securing the listening and attention skills needed for success.
• Early identification and prevention of reading difficulties. Children who struggle with sound discrimination or oral blending are identified early, allowing targeted intervention before gaps widen.
• Having a language‑rich environment. Our curriculum promotes high‑quality talk, vocabulary development and confident communication—key indicators of effective early years practice.

Teaching and developing pre-phonics skills is a critical component of our early reading curriculum. It ensures children develop the auditory, linguistic, and phonological skills required for successful decoding. Through systematic teaching of the seven aspects, we build strong foundations that enable all children—including those who may be disadvantaged or have SEND—to access and succeed in formal phonics teaching. This early investment leads to improved reading outcomes, greater confidence, and long‑term literacy success.

Information for parents