Ramsbury Primary shows the way to teach phonics and reading

As a best performing primary school and designated English Hub, Ramsbury Primary School has this year supported over eighty other schools.  The school has run events throughout the year to promote best practice in the teaching of phonics and reading.

On Tuesday 2 July eighteen teachers and Headteachers from twelve primary schools in Wiltshire enjoyed a reading showcase event which focussed on the importance of using phonically decodable books to support the development of phonics and fluency.

Attendees were invited to observe whole-class and group guided reading sessions, as well as phonics intervention.  They were encouraged to review the effectiveness of current book banding (a child moves through the book bands as they learn to read) at their own schools and how this supports the development of phonics. 

As well as a discussion of how phonics, reading and comprehension fit into the new Ofsted Inspection Framework, participants took part in an activity examining how they could improve support for early language learning in their own schools.

Rachel Neville, Head Teacher of Frogwell Primary commented,  “This is my first involvement with the Ramsbury English Hub.  I would like to send the majority of my teachers and teaching assistants to the showcases to give them the opportunity to watch the practical sessions and have their questions answered.” 

Sally Telling is Assistant Head and English/Phonics teacher at Covingham Park:  “Based on today, I will implement the following actions: overhaul guided reading using the Ramsbury template as a guide, overhaul the books which are very out of date and send staff to attend further showcases at Ramsbury.”

Headteacher of Ramsbury, Joanna Price, said, “I am very proud of the success of the English Hub to date and today’s event is no exception.  It has been fantastic for the Ramsbury staff to see their hard work starting to translate into improvements in the way children across the region learn reading and phonics.”

“We have received excellent feedback from the schools who have attended the various events, particularly for the support in developing strategic plans for teaching phonics.  The process has also made us even more aware of the best approach to phonics and reading, so our own pupils at Ramsbury have benefitted from our role as an English Hub.”