At our school, early reading is a top priority. We use Read Write Inc. (RWI), a highly successful and nationally recognised systematic synthetic phonics programme created by Dame Ruth Miskin and published by Oxford University Press. It is used in thousands of primary schools across the UK and is proven to help children learn to read fluently and confidently.
Read Write Inc. teaches children to decode words, develop reading fluency, and build strong comprehension and writing skills. It introduces children to the sounds in English, the letters that represent them, and how to form those letters when writing. The programme also includes fully decodable storybooks, which allow children to apply their phonics knowledge successfully as they read.
Children in Reception and Key Stage 1 take part in daily RWI phonics sessions. These lessons follow a consistent structure across the school, ensuring that every child receives high‑quality, systematic teaching.
Pupils are grouped according to their current reading stage, not their age. This means teaching is precisely matched to each child’s level, allowing them to make rapid progress. No child is left behind—those who need extra support receive targeted intervention using the same structured approach.
Children read decodable books that contain only the sounds and words they have already learned. This ensures success, builds confidence, and encourages a love of reading from the very beginning.
Accelerated Reader at Bamford Primary
Accelerated Reader (AR) is an important part of how we nurture a love of reading and support children in becoming confident, fluent, and independent readers. It provides a structured yet motivating way for pupils to choose books, read regularly, and track their progress.
Children begin by completing a short Star Reading assessment, which helps identify their reading range. They then select books that match their level, ensuring they are reading texts that are both accessible and appropriately challenging. After finishing a book, pupils complete a short online quiz that checks their understanding and celebrates their success.
Accelerated Reader helps teachers monitor progress closely, identify next steps, and support children with targeted guidance. It also encourages pupils to take ownership of their reading journey, building confidence and enthusiasm as they see their scores and word counts grow.
What Accelerated Reader Brings to Our School
Personalised reading practice, with books matched to each child’s reading level
Regular comprehension quizzes, helping pupils reflect on and deepen their understanding
Clear progress tracking, supporting teachers in planning next steps
Increased motivation, as children enjoy seeing their scores, word counts, and milestones
A wide choice of books, helping pupils discover new authors, genres, and interests
A culture of reading for pleasure, supported by consistent routines and celebration
Accelerated Reader helps us create a reading‑rich environment where every child can grow as a reader, build confidence, and develop a lifelong love of books.
At our school, we believe that every child can become a confident, capable writer. To support this, we use a carefully designed, whole‑school approach built around three high‑quality programmes: The Literacy Tree, Vocabulary Vines, and Spelling Seeds. Together, these ensure that children develop strong skills in composition, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling from Reception to Year 6.
The Literacy Tree is a high‑quality, book‑based writing curriculum used by thousands of schools across the UK. It is built around carefully chosen, diverse, high‑quality children’s literature, and each unit is designed to teach writing through meaningful, engaging contexts.
Children learn to write through immersive, text‑driven units based on whole books, not worksheets.
Each unit teaches the full writing process: reading, analysing, planning, drafting, editing, and publishing.
Grammar and punctuation are taught in context, helping children understand how real authors use language.
Writing outcomes are purposeful and varied — including narratives, non‑fiction, poetry, and hybrid forms.
The approach ensures progression across year groups, with skills revisited and deepened over time.
This approach helps children see themselves as writers, understand how writing works, and develop a genuine love of literature.
Vocabulary Vines is a structured approach to teaching vocabulary that helps children develop a deep understanding of words, their meanings, and how they connect. It supports children in becoming articulate speakers and expressive writers.
Children explore word families, morphology, etymology, and semantic connections.
Vocabulary is taught explicitly and systematically, not left to chance.
Words are revisited regularly so that children can use them confidently in their writing.
The approach supports both reading comprehension and written expression, helping children choose precise, powerful language.
This ensures that children build a rich and varied vocabulary — a key predictor of long‑term academic success.
Spelling Seeds is a companion programme to The Literacy Tree. It teaches spelling patterns, rules, and strategies through the same high‑quality texts used in writing lessons.
Spelling is taught through meaningful contexts, not isolated word lists.
Children learn spelling patterns, rules, and exceptions using words drawn from the class text.
Lessons include investigation, practice, application, and retrieval, helping children secure long‑term understanding.
See our English policy in the Policy section of the website for further information.
