Banner to say that the title of this page is About RWI Fresh Start in primary schools.

About Fresh Start – primary schools

In a nutshell

Fresh Start is a systematic synthetic phonics programme for struggling readers aged 9 to 13+. In primary schools, it is for children who: 

  • are reading below age-related expectations 
  • have missed schooling or are late arrivals into school 
  • are new to the UK education system 
  • are learning English as an additional language. 

Fresh Start builds children’s reading accuracy, fluency and stamina in just 25 minutes a day. They can make as much as two years’ progress in just two months. 

Let’s rescue these children before they move up to secondary school. It may be their last chance. 

How does Fresh Start help you to rescue struggling readers? 

  • Quick diagnostic assessment ensures you start children at their highest point on the programme for speedy progress, whether this is for accurate decoding or for reading fluency – or both. 
  • Daily phonics lessons are at each child’s ‘challenge point’. Children progress quickly because they learn and review letter-sounds and words at their level. 
  • New motivating age-appropriate Modules reflect children’s everyday experiences and backgrounds. Older readers enjoy applying their new phonic knowledge to engaging matched decodable stories and non-fiction texts. 
  • Teach Fresh Start flexibly depending on the number of children who need it in your school, and the number of staff you have available. 
  • Fresh Start mirrors the DfE’s 2023 Reading Framework. You can be confident you have everything covered. 

If you are a Read Write Inc. school, your Reading Leader already knows what to do. Fresh Start is the ‘grown-up’ version of Phonics. The lessons are similar, just with age-appropriate texts.  

Children make rapid progress when they have individual support from an enthusiastic and well-trained tutor either a teacher or teaching assistant. 

Children make rapid progress when they have individual support from an enthusiastic and well-trained tutor either a teacher or teaching assistant. 

How does Fresh Start help you to rescue struggling readers? 

  • Quick diagnostic assessment ensures you start children at their highest point on the programme for speedy progress, whether this is for accurate decoding or for reading fluency – or both. 
  • Daily phonics lessons are at each child’s ‘challenge point’. Children progress quickly because they learn and review letter-sounds and words at their level. 
  • New motivating age-appropriate Modules reflect children’s everyday experiences and backgrounds. Older readers enjoy applying their new phonic knowledge to engaging matched decodable stories and non-fiction texts. 
  • Teach Fresh Start flexibly depending on the number of children who need it in your school, and the number of staff you have available. 
  • Fresh Start mirrors the DfE’s 2023 Reading Framework. You can be confident you have everything covered. 

If you are a Read Write Inc. school, your Reading Leader already knows what to do. Fresh Start is the ‘grown-up’ version of Phonics. The lessons are similar, just with age-appropriate texts.  

Time required for teaching

Children are taught for 30 minutes each day throughout the programme.  

Children starting later in the programme only need a few weeks’ tutoring; those starting at the beginning need two or three terms.  

To ensure the most struggling readers make speedy progress, they are taught individually for the first 13 Modules. They then move to working in small progress groups.  

Fresh Start works even if you’re short of time and staff – we’re here to help with a solution for every context. 

Assessment at the start of the programme and every half term helps you with grouping and organisation.

Children with SEND

Older children with SEND are sometimes better taught using Read Write Inc. Phonics One-to-one Tutoring. Although designed for younger children, it uses a smaller-step approach and provides a greater amount of practice. 

We can help you make this decision – contact us here.

Home support

The Virtual Classroom has over 600 phonics films to send home and children take home their Fresh Start Module and an Anthology every week. 

Subscribe to Ruth's Teaching Updates