English - Reading

At Goldsmith, we are active readers and potential authors...

At Goldsmith Primary Academy, we believe that every child will learn to read and love to read. Our systematic and synthetic approach to phonics, delivered through the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme, ensures that pupils develop strong foundations for fluency, comprehension and enjoyment. Teaching is precise, consistent and cumulative, with clear expectations for progress from Nursery through to Year 2 and beyond. From early sound recognition in Nursery to confident decoding and fluency in Year 2, children are guided through Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 sounds using pure sounds, mnemonics and daily practice. For pupils who need additional support in Key Stage 2, targeted daily interventions ensure that no child is left behind.

As an Apple Distinguished School, we enrich our phonics provision through interactive technology, allowing pupils to practise sounds, record their reading and celebrate progress. Once pupils become fluent, they move seamlessly from Read Write Inc. to Accelerated Reader, supported by regular fluency checks and progress tracking. Alongside phonics, we explicitly teach the reading domains to develop pupils’ comprehension, vocabulary and inference skills. These are taught both discretely and through whole-class reading sessions, where every child has a physical copy of the text from our carefully curated Reading Spine. This shared approach fosters a love of stories, deepens understanding and builds a strong culture of reading for pleasure. By placing reading at the heart of our curriculum, we open doors to learning, imagination and lifelong curiosity.