In this area we hope you will find everything you need to know about how the children in Foundation and Key Stage 1 are learning to read. Please feel free to contact the school if you have any questions or would like further information. Support for phonics can be found here

We believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why, in June 2022, we trained to all staff members to teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme (SSP). We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide daily engaging phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all of the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing.

Daily phonics lessons in Nursery, Reception and Key Stage 1

Nursery

At Kirmington St Helena’s our children get off to a flying start as we follow the Little Wandle Foundations for phonics which support the provision for ‘Communication and language’ Foundations for phonics sets out the provision that should be in place to ensure children are well prepared to begin grapheme–phoneme correspondence and blending at the start of Reception. Our provision includes a balance of child-led and adult-led experiences. One of the most important aspects of Foundations for phonics is developing an awareness of sound, through activities that develop focused listening and attention, including oral blending.

Reception and Key Stage 1

All Phonics lessons are 30 minutes a day. In Reception, we build from 10-minute lessons, with additional daily oral blending games, to the full-length lesson as quickly as possible.

Each Friday, we review the week’s teaching to help children become fluent readers.

Children make a strong start in Reception with teaching beginning in Week 2 of the Autumn term.

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress:

Children in Reception are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4) with fluency and accuracy.

Children in Year 1 review Phase 3 and 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs with fluency and accuracy.

Year 1 lessons are 30 minutes long.

In Year 2 phonic lessons are taught daily to children where appropriate – following the model of Little Wandle but plugging specific gaps identified through assessment.

In Year 2-Year 6 there are planned phonic ‘catch-up’ sessions following a set model to address specific reading/writing gaps. These are short, sharp sessions lasting 10 minutes in length and taking place at least three times a week.

Daily Keep-up lessons ensure every child learns to read.

Any child who needs additional practice has daily Keep-up support, taught by a fully trained adult. Keep-up lessons match the structure of class teaching, and use the same procedures, resources and mantras, but in smaller steps with more repetition, so that every child secures their learning.

We timetable daily phonics lessons for any child in Year 2 or 3 who is not fully fluent at reading or has not passed the Phonics screening check. These children urgently need to catch up, so the gap between themselves and their peers does not widen. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments to identify the gaps in their phonic knowledge and teach to these using the Keep-up resources – at pace. 

If any child in Year 3 to 6 has gaps in their phonic knowledge when reading or writing, we plan phonics ‘catch-up’ lessons to address specific reading/writing gaps. These short, sharp lessons last 10 minutes and take place at least three times a week.

Teaching Reading: Reading practice sessions three times a week

We teach children to read through reading practice sessions three times a week. These are taught by a fully trained adult to small groups of approximately six children using books that are matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge.

Each reading practice session has a clear focus, so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory. The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:

decoding

prosody: teaching children to read with understanding and expression

comprehension: teaching children to understand the text.

In Reception these sessions start in Week 4. Children who are not yet decoding have daily additional blending practice in small groups, so that they quickly learn to blend and can begin to read books.

In Year 2, we continue to teach reading in this way for any children who are receiving catch up sessions.

Home reading

A decodable reading practice book is sent home each week to ensure success is shared with the family. This may be a physical copy or an eBook from the Collins Big Cat range which are matched to the Little Wandle SSP. Children have their own log in details to access the eBooks at home.

Reading for pleasure books also go home for parents to share and read to children from Reception onwards.

Once the children have become secure in their phonics knowledge, we send home individual reading books three times a week aimed at their reading level and interests. Whole class texts are used to promote reading skills and further develop fluency and reading comprehension.

How do we assess phonic knowledge?

In Reception and Year 1, at the end of each week there is a review session which recaps the learning. There are also whole review weeks (pre-planned and bespoke review weeks to address gaps identified by the class teacher’s ongoing formative assessment).

Children identified in Reception and Year 1 as in danger of falling behind are immediately identified and daily ‘keep up’ sessions are put in place – sessions follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

In Reception and Year 1, the children are assessed at the end of every half term using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessment tracker.

The children in Year 1 sit the Phonics Screening Check in the summer term.

Children who do not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1, will re-sit this in Year 2.

Children who are in Y2-Y6 and need ‘catch up’ sessions are assessed through teacher’s ongoing formative assessment as well as half termly summative assessments.

Additional information can be found at: www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/