The Rose Report and the DCFS guidelines
In order to compile the Rose Report, HMI visited a number of schools using Read Write Inc. and were clearly impressed with their findings. In the report there are many specific references to the successful use of Read Write Inc. and the comments below reflect a clear recognition of good practice witnessed in these Read Write Inc. schools:
- High quality phonic work underpinned by high quality assessment
- Use of simultaneous visual, kinaesthetic and auditory activities
- Lessons with clear objectives, brisk pace, good assessment, feedback and praise
- Excellent in-service training
- Well-trained, experienced managers operating with the full backing of the headteacher
- Decodable books specially designed to incorporate regular text the children can decode using their phonic skills
- Ten-minute tutoring and rigorous assessment and intervention processes
- Homogeneous grouping of children by ability
- Good leadership and management underpinned by quality training
- Value for money in terms of a positive impact on children's progress in reading - every single adult engaged in making sure that all children learnt to read
- Consistent opportunities for children to work in pairs to support each other's learning
- Particular progress noted among children with English as an additional language
The National Primary Strategy has drawn up a list of criteria to help in the selection of a high quality phonic programme.
Read Write Inc. meets all these requirements perfectly:
- RWI is fully compatible with a broad and rich curriculum
- RWI is systematic with a clearly defined and structured progression for learning all major grapheme/phoneme correspondences
- RWI is delivered in discrete daily sessions at a brisk pace
- RWI is underpinned by a synthetic approach to blending phonemes
- RWI makes clear that blending and segmenting are reversible processes
- RWI uses simultaneous visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities (Maisie, mountain, mountain!)
- RWI makes very clear the importance of speaking and listening through its strong focus on talk partners
- RWI offers clear guidance on how to assess progress with detailed advice on assessment and groupings
- RWI offers guidance about adapting the programme for children with special educational needs
The DCFS guidelines also advise teachers to use books that match children's growing phonic knowledge! RWI books embed phonic knowledge systematically and rigorously and can be matched closely to the child.
