Reading and Phonics: A Priority at Adelaide
At Adelaide Primary School, reading is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that the ability to read is a fundamental life skill and the key to success in learning and beyond. That’s why we prioritise reading—helping every child become a resilient reader and a confident communicator, able to access the full curriculum and thrive.
Our systematic and rigorous approach to early reading ensures children master the essential skills research highlights as critical in the early years. We follow the Read Write Inc. programme, which provides a clear sequence of lessons to develop accurate, fluent reading with strong comprehension. Alongside this, children learn to form letters correctly, spell with confidence, and build ideas step by step.
How do we teach phonics at Adelaide?
Our children:
- Learn the 44 sounds and their corresponding letters or letter groups using simple, effective prompts.
- Blend sounds to read words (Fred Talk), e.g., c-a-t = cat, sh-o-p = shop.
- Segment sounds to write words (Fred Fingers).
- Read and write ‘red words’—those with less common spelling patterns.
- Enjoy lively stories featuring words they have learned to decode.
- Demonstrate understanding through ‘Find It’ and ‘Prove It’ questions.
- Practise every activity orally, taking turns to talk and listen.
Developing Fluency and Comprehension
To build fluency and deepen comprehension, we provide high-quality adult modelling, targeted support, and opportunities for independent practice. Teachers identify areas for development and deliver focused interventions within lessons.
Across the year, all classes cover the National Curriculum content domains, tackling questions in detail and applying explicit strategies for each focus area. Most children work with the same age-appropriate text—sometimes linked to other subjects—whether fiction, non-fiction, or poetry, with tailored support provided by adults.
How Can You Help at Home?
You play a vital role in your child’s reading journey. Please support them by:
- Listening to your child read every night and signing their Reading Record book.
- Enjoying the popular children’s picture books we send home by reading them aloud together. This helps build vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of stories.
What is the Government's phonics screening check?
All children in Year 1 are required by the government to take the Phonics Screening Check, usually at the start of June. Each child will sit with a teacher they know and be asked to read 40 words aloud. Some of the words they may have read before, and some words will be completely new to them. The test normally takes a few minutes to complete and there is no time limit. The 40 words in the test will be made up of real words and non-words. The test is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.
For a sample test click here.
What are non-words?
Non-words or pseudo words are nonsense words made up of letter sounds. For example: 'vam' or 'jound'.
These words are included in the screening test so they are unfamiliar to the child and therefore test their ability to decode words using phonics.
