At Somerville Rise Primary School, we are committed to giving every child a strong start in reading and writing. We use a systematic synthetic phonics approach, supported by Little Learners Love Literacy resources. By using a structured, evidence-informed approach, we ensure all students develop the strong decoding skills they need — setting them up for long-term reading success.

What is Systematic Synthetic Phonics?

Systematic synthetic phonics is a structured way of teaching students how to read and spell.

• Systematic means skills are taught in a clear, carefully planned sequence.
• Synthetic means students learn to blend (or “synthesise”) individual sounds together to read words.

Children are explicitly taught:

• The sounds letters and letter combinations make
• How to blend sounds to read words
• How to break words into sounds to spell them
• How to recognise common spelling patterns

Decodable Books

We use ‘decodable’ books to support students in learning to read at school and in the home reading program. These books align directly with the phonics sequence we teach at school, so that students practise only the sounds they have already learned. This helps prevent guessing and strengthens real reading skills.

• Practise blending and segmenting sounds
• Read decodable texts matched to their learning
• Build fluency and confidence over time
• Develop the skills needed to become an independent reader

Reading in the Middle and Upper Primary School

When students become proficient in decoding text, reading moves beyond “learning to read” and into “reading to learn.” At Somerville Rise we explicitly teach students how to:

• Understand and analyse a wide range of texts (stories, information reports, persuasive texts and media texts)
• Build vocabulary and word knowledge
• Use comprehension strategies such as predicting, questioning, summarising and clarifying
• Identify themes, main ideas and author purpose
• Think critically about what they read

Teachers model these skills, guide students through practice, and provide opportunities for independent application. Students read a variety of rich, engaging texts to broaden their knowledge and deepen understanding.

Writing in the Middle and Upper Primary School

Writing is taught explicitly and systematically. Students learn how to plan, draft, revise and edit their work across different text types, including:

• Narrative (story writing)
• Informative (reports and explanations)
• Persuasive (opinion and argument writing)

We explicitly teach:

• Sentence structure and grammar
• Paragraph organisation
• Vocabulary choice
• Spelling and punctuation
• Writing for different audiences and purposes

Teachers model writing, think aloud to demonstrate decision-making, and provide structured practice before students write independently.