Reading/Phonics

‘You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book’. Dr Seuss. 

Intent 

At Nexus, the aim of the Literacy Curriculum is to develop the key skills of literacy (spoken language, reading and writing skills) by providing a rich, stimulating language environment in which all of our pupils can be nurtured to become confident communicators.  

Our reading curriculum is designed to: 

• Offer a language rich environment where pupils build foundational early reading skills, enabling them to access texts confidently and gain understanding of their environment.  
• Foster a love of reading by creating opportunities for all of our pupils that are meaningful and personalised. 
• Offer a curriculum pathway that fosters literacy skills that can be enjoyed and shared throughout life; supporting independence, personal development and career related learning. 
• Build cultural capital and engagement, enabling pupils to experience literature, drama and storytelling in ways that develop curiosity, comprehension, and imagination. 

Implementation 

Literacy learning at Nexus is integrated across the curriculum, with communication and interaction at the heart of every lesson.

Pupils are encouraged to express ideas using speech, gesture, AAC devices and signing. 

We use a variety of reading approaches to meet the diverse needs of our pupils including Sounds Write Systematic Synthetic Phonics Scheme. Many of our pupils are following pre-phonics skills and use areas of Engagement as a support. We recognise that not all of our pupils learn using phonics and offer the ‘See and Learn’ Whole Word Reading Scheme as an intervention.  

We enjoy welcoming visitors to Nexus and enabling immersive experiences: authors, rappers, poets and drama specialists enhance engagement and bring learning to life. 

We value our learning being purposeful for our pupils and encourage real life application. Pupils practice reading skills in functional contexts such as following recipes or instructions, supporting their independence. 

Sounds-Write at Nexus 

At Nexus, we teach reading and spelling through Sounds-Write – a highly effective, evidence-based phonics programme validated by the Department for Education.

It follows a structured, step-by-step approach based on the science of reading, helping children understand how sounds and spellings work together. 

We always talk about sounds rather than letter names. For example, we say that letters represent sounds, not that they make or say them. Children begin by learning to hear, blend, and segment simple words like mat. As they progress, they learn about more complex spellings, such as sounds spelled with two letters (e.g. sh in ship) and sounds that can be written in different ways (e.g. ch in church and tch in watch). 

How You Can Help at Home 

1. Say the sounds 
Help your child say sounds clearly – for example, /m/ not “muh”. Watch this short video to hear how each sound is pronounced: 
How to Say the Sounds 

2. Write the sounds 
When practising spelling, encourage your child to say each sound as they write it. Model this for them when writing words together. 

3. Play sound games 
Have fun breaking words into sounds (segmenting) and putting them back together (blending). For example, sat → /s/ /a/ /t/ → sat, or Jack → /j/ /a/ /k/ → Jack. 

4. Read together 
Enjoy books with your child – talk about the story, characters, and what might happen next. When reading their decodable books, encourage them to: 

• Use their finger to track the words 
• “Say the sounds and read the word” 
• Listen carefully as they blend the sounds together 

If they get stuck, help by saying the sounds and asking them to blend them to hear the word. 

Free Parent Course 

Parents and carers can access a free online Sounds-Write course to learn more about supporting reading and spelling at home: 
Sounds-Write Parent Course 

If you have any questions, please speak to your child’s class teacher.