Teaching children to read is a priority at The Willows. As well as recognising reading as being an important life skill, we want our children to become lifelong readers who read for pleasure as well as for academic success. We believe that stories are how we explore and make sense of the world beyond our own experience. We ensure that all learning is supported by carefully selected high quality texts and we teach the skills needed for reading from nursery.   

We use Read Write Inc, a systematic synthetic phonics programme, to teach children a method of learning letter sounds they can blend into reading and writing words. Through daily phonics lessons children can read and re-read books closely matched to their phonological stage. Re-reading helps to build their fluency and develop their understanding of the story.  Regular assessment ensures that children are grouped at the correct challenge point whilst also identifying those needing extra support.