Sounds-Write Training Schools

St Matthew’s C of E Primary School, Birmingham, UK

Learning to read and reading to learn is a fundamental part of the curriculum at St Matthews. We want our children to become fluent readers who read with agency for pleasure and progress.

Sounds-write is a programme which works for us ; we are a research school with the Education Endowment Foundation so this evidence-based approach to the teaching of reading is something we definitely advocate. Our children are confident readers who will give any word a go! Children in EY and KS1 children are taught the concepts and code knowledge and it is these fundamentals which our children use to help with spelling as they move into KS2.Through the teaching of latin, analysing a word based on it’s etymology is part and parcel of our curriculum – but the sounds write lessons have taken this analysis to another level. Our children are curious and excited by spelling.

Upcoming taster days:

St Matthews Church of England Primary School are hosting taster mornings on the following dates: 28th February 2024 and 12th June 2024, starting at 9:00 am.

See Sounds-Write in action in the classrooms, learn to crack the phonics code, work with our phonics teachers to learn about a successful phonics system, and learn about the clarity and consistency required for excellent phonics outcomes. The session costs £70, and you can sign up by emailing Natalie French here.

Kingswood Parks Primary School, Hull, UK

At Kingswood Parks Primary School we believe in immersing children in a vocabulary-rich environment in which they can become proficient readers and writers. The Sounds-Write training for the teaching of phonics and spelling has upskilled all staff to ensure that all children are able to make the very best progress.

Sounds-Write adopts a mastery approach. Words are grouped and categorised and all lessons include both the reading and writing of vocabulary. Whenever new words are encountered, they are analysed, taking into consideration the sound-spelling correspondences, syllable structure, etymology and morphology of the word as appropriate. We aim to promote a genuine interest and love for exploring words, committing both the meaning and spelling of the word to long term memory. We are very proud to become a Sounds-Write training school!

Upcoming taster days:

Kingswood Parks Primary School are hosting a taster morning on the 29th of February at 9am.

See Sounds-Write in action in the classrooms, learn to crack the phonics code, work with our phonics teachers to learn about a successful phonics system, and learn about the clarity and consistency required for excellent phonics outcomes. The session costs £30 pp, and you can sign up by emailing here.

St George’s C of E Primary School, Battersea, London

We’ve used Sounds-Write at St George’s since 2011 and cannot recommend it highly enough. We are a National Support School, with many visitors from both the UK and abroad every school year. They are always astounded by the phonics and spelling they see.

Our school has the highest deprivation factor in the Borough of Wandsworth—and we’re keen to share what we’ve learned about embedding Sounds-Write in our school-wide phonics approach in this context with anyone who wants to know more.

St Michael’s C of E Primary School, Bishop Middleham, co. Durham

At St. Michael’s C of E Primary School, we believe that being able to read and write are the vital skills that enable us to understand and express ourselves more effectively. These skills open the door to learning.

At St Michael’s, all of our teaching and support staff have been trained in Sounds-Write. The knowledge of sounds and symbols is an important starting point for understanding and using written language and we believe that a strong and consistent approach to the teaching of phonics is vital for our children to begin to access the rest of the curriculum.

Princecroft Primary School, Warminster, Wiltshire

At Princecroft, we teach the skill of reading and writing through our daily phonics programme, Sounds-Write. Sound-Write has been hugely successful at Princecroft since it was introduced in 2016, all members of staff have taken part in a 4-day training course and regular training continues to ensure that we teach phonics to the highest standard.

Selby Community Primary School, Selby, North Yorkshire

Sounds-Write is more than just a scheme for phonics. For Selby Community Primary School it has im­proved pupils’ self-esteem around reading and writing. Sounds-Write has developed stronger spellers and pupils who transfer their phonics knowledge straight into their written work. This has allowed teachers to develop a curriculum with strong links between speaking, listening, reading and writing from the start of their school life.

Ballarat Clarendon College, Ballarat, Victoria

Teachers at Ballarat Clarendon College believe that every child, given the right instruction over the right amount of time, can learn to read. Teaching practices at Clarendon are underpinned by the explicit instruction of foundational knowledge, with ample opportunities for modelling and shared and independent practice. The early reading program at Clarendon is based on Sounds-Write, a linguistic phonics approach that aligns with leading research in how children learn. Sounds-Write’s focus on relating the sounds of spoken English to their symbols, along with the acquisition of blending and segmenting, allow all of our students to make progress in reading, spelling and writing. Teachers at Clarendon are keen to share what they have learnt from Sounds-Write and how it can underpin the teaching of English in primary schools.

Allambie Heights, NSW

Children at our school will be sure to tell you how much they enjoy their Sounds-Write lessons. Its structure and simplicity makes it a program accessible to all learners and helps them to make excellent progress with their reading and spelling.

Sounds-Write promotes the use of multi-sensory engagement with the materials appropriate to the level and abilities of the children being taught. Visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities are at all times combined simultaneously to promote learning. Sounds-Write also enables teachers to differentiate the challenges placed before the learner in order to meet their individual needs.

You can read more about Allambie Heights using Sounds-Write here.

Upcoming taster days:

Allambie Heights Public School are hosting a taster morning on the following dates from 9am until 11:30am – 28th March 2024, 6th June 2024, 20th August 2024, and 12th November 2024.

See Sounds-Write in action in the classrooms, learn to crack the phonics code, work with our phonics teachers to learn about a successful phonics system, and learn about the clarity and consistency required for excellent phonics outcomes. The session is free, and you can sign up by emailing here.

Camperdown College, Camperdown, Victoria

Camperdown College began using the Sounds-Write approach in 2017, with staff embracing the research base and professional stretch. Teachers and education support staff have completed a four-day training course and continue to learn and grow together through a local Sounds-Write cluster, school-based peer observation, mentoring and feedback. Students enjoy the structure and rigour of the daily phonics program which is supporting all learners to get off to a flying start to school. It is a consistent and much enjoyed element of our daily literacy teaching that enables our teachers to equip students with the right skills when reading, writing and spelling. ‘Say the sounds and read the word’ is a very rehearsed and communicated phrase in all of our primary classrooms. Camperdown College provides guidance to other schools commencing their Sounds-Write journey and has recently become one of Australia’s first Sounds-Write training schools.