Early Reading and Phonics

We believe that 'every child' can become a reader. We use the DFE validated Synthetic Phonics Programme 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised'  to plan, teach and assess early reading and to ensure that all children receive first quality phonics lessons and targeted support to ensure they make good progress. 

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home. Children who experience the 'joy' of books and support with their reading each day, are far more likely to thrive in all areas of the curriculum. 

The resources on this page will help you understand how your child is taught phonics and early reading at school and how you can support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters. 

The Teaching of Phonics

Our daily phonics sessions are lively, fun and fast paced. They include;

• Revisiting and reviewing phonemes, graphemes and tricky words which have been previously taught
• Learning new phonemes and graphemes
• Learning to segment and blend phonemes and graphemes together to read and spell words
• Learning tricky words which cannot be segmented
• Learning to spell words containing learned phonemes and graphemes
• Reading and writing sentences with words we can segment and tricky words

Reading at School

Your child will participate in a number of different reading opportunities for different purposes, throughout the school day. This may include;

• listening to and engaging with a story or poem read to them by an adult
• learning through facts and information shared from a non fiction texts linked to their learning across the curriculum
• discussing and answering questions on a text which they have read independently or have had read to them to demonstrate their understanding
• 1:1 reading with an adult to assess their fluency and understanding

There are two types of reading book that your child may bring home:

A Reading Practice Book

This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently. 

This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.

Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.

A sharing book.  Your child will not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together.

A Reading for Pleasure Sharing book

In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together. Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!

Our daily phonics sessions are lively, fun and fast paced, made up of;

• Practicing sounds that have been previously taught,
• Learning a new sound
• Blending sounds together to read words
• Learning tricky words which cannot be sounded out
• Reading and writing sentences with words we can decode
• Practicing spellings by segmenting words into sounds before writing them.

Progress and Attainment in Phonics and Early Reading

All children on entry receive a phonic passport which journeys with them through Reception, into Year 1 and beyond. Teachers use formative and summative assessments to ensure children are meeting age related expectations and are making progress in line with Little Wandle's progresssion document. Children who are risk of falling behind may receive additional support within individual and group 'Keep Up' sessions. All children will complete the statutory DFE Phonics Screening Check at the end of Year 1. Children who do not meet the expected standard in Y1 will resit the Screening Check in Year 2 and continue to receive additional support for phonics and reading into Key Stage 2.