ENGLISH: PHONICS, PRE-PHONICS, READING AND WRITING

At Bishopswood School, we believe that all pupils deserve access to a rich and meaningful English curriculum that develops their ability to communicate, read, and write in ways that are functional, fulfilling, and relevant to their individual needs. Our approach is tailored across pathways to ensure that every pupil, regardless of their starting point, is supported to engage with language, literacy, and communication.

Read Write Inc. (RWI) – Our Phonics Programme

For pupils who are ready to engage with a structured phonics approach, we use Read Write Inc. (RWI), a highly effective, multi-sensory phonics scheme designed to develop:

✔ Phonological awareness – Helping pupils hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken words.
✔ Word reading skills – Teaching decoding strategies to read words fluently and accurately.
✔ Spelling and writing – Enabling pupils to apply their phonics knowledge to develop early writing skills.
✔ Confidence and comprehension – Supporting pupils to understand and engage with text, building early reading fluency.

The RWI scheme is carefully adapted to suit the needs of our learners. Some pupils will follow a structured progression through the RWI programme, while others may engage in a more personalised and practical approach to phonics learning, ensuring that all pupils develop literacy skills in a way that is meaningful and functional.

Pre-Phonics Programmes: Developing the foundations for Early Reading

For pupils working below the level of accessing Read Write Inc., we provide a pre-phonics pathway that builds essential pre-reading and communication skills. This approach ensures that pupils develop key auditory, visual, and motor skills, laying the groundwork for later phonics instruction.

Our pre-phonics programmes include:

✔ Attention and listening skills – Developing focus and engagement through Attention Autism and sensory storytelling approaches.
✔ Environmental sound awareness – Helping pupils to distinguish between different sounds in their environment, building auditory discrimination.
✔ Early sound play and vocalisation – Encouraging exploration of sounds, rhythm, and voice control through interactive activities.
✔ Symbol and picture recognition – Introducing visual cues, symbols, and early sight words to support understanding and communication.
✔ Communication and Interaction – Embedding Makaton, AAC, and total communication strategies to ensure pupils have a functional means of expressing themselves.
✔ Sensory-Based Literacy Engagement – Using multi-sensory experiences such as tactile letters, music, and movement to enhance early literacy skills.

Reading

We strive to instil a lifelong love of reading. Alongside phonics-based books, pupils engage with high-quality texts that develop comprehension, vocabulary, and enjoyment. We provide reading materials suited to individual interests and comprehension levels, ensuring access for all learners. For pupils working beyond phonics, we focus on fluency, pace, and deeper understanding through a variety of engaging texts.  Pupils in the Core pathway and some pupils in the Communication pathway, take home books to share with their families.

Ensuring progression for all learners

Our phonics and pre-phonics provision is designed to be accessible, engaging, and tailored to each pupil’s needs. We track pupil progress carefully, ensuring that each learner:

✔ Moves through the appropriate stage of phonics learning at their own pace.
✔ Receives targeted support to develop their early literacy and communication skills.
✔ Has access to an inclusive and engaging reading environment, with books, symbols, and accessible text suited to their learning style.

At Bishopswood School, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to develop a love for reading and communication, no matter their starting point. By providing a structured, supportive, and multi-sensory approach to phonics, we empower our pupils with the skills they need for a future of communication, learning, and independence.

Writing

At Bishopswood School, we believe that writing is a vital form of communication and self-expression. Our approach ensures that all pupils, regardless of their ability level, develop meaningful writing skills that support their independence, thinking, and engagement with the world around them.

Writing is developed progressively from developing hand-strength, learning to grasp, hold and manipulate objects such as puzzle pieces, lego or shape sorters, to early mark-making and tool manipulation to structured sentence construction and extended writing. Pupils are supported through multi-sensory approaches, technology, and alternative communication methods to ensure that they can express their thoughts, ideas, and needs in a meaningful way.

We have started to use the Talk for Writing approach, a structured method that enables pupils to build confidence in their writing by hearing, rehearsing, and internalising language structures before writing independently. This approach is adapted across our three learning pathways to meet the individual needs of all learners.

Our Writing Approach: Talk for Writing

✔ Immersion in Stories and Texts – Pupils experience books through multi-sensory activities, drama, role-play, and interactive storytelling, ensuring they develop a strong understanding of language and narrative structure.

✔ Imitation and Innovation – Pupils learn key phrases, retell stories with actions or symbols, and gradually adapt these stories to make them their own, ensuring they can apply learned structures in their writing.

✔ Transcription Skills – We provide alternative methods of recording ideas, including mark-making, scribing, assisted writing, and technology-based tools, ensuring all pupils can engage with writing in a way that suits their needs.

Pathway-Specific Writing Development

Sensory Pathway – Pupils engage in sensory stories, tactile mark-making, and cause-and-effect activities, focusing on early pre-writing skills such as making marks, developing fine motor control, and using switches or AAC devices to contribute to storytelling.

Communication Pathway – Pupils develop early writing by engaging in symbol-supported writing, Colourful Semantics, Makaton-supported storytelling, and shared writing experiences to structure their thoughts and develop sentence-building skills.

Core Pathway – Pupils progress to structured sentence construction, story writing, and functional writing skills such as lists, instructions, letters, and diary entries, ensuring they can apply their writing to real-life contexts.

Impact of the English curriculum

Our English curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils leave Bishopswood with the confidence and ability to communicate effectively, access written language, and use literacy skills in their daily lives. Whether through phonics, reading, writing, or AAC systems, we empower every pupil to engage with literacy in a way that supports their independence, confidence, and preparation for adulthood.