Early Reading & Phonics

LITTLE WANDLE LETTERS AND SOUNDS

Phonics is the way to teach children how to read and write.  It teaches children the different sounds (phonemes) made by different letters (graphemes) in the English language. As children build their knowledge they can begin to hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another.  Phonics teaching provides a thorough and systematic approach to children learning to hear the 44 speech sounds, blend them together into words and segment words into sounds for writing.

We are a Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised School.

At Barwick in Elmet Primary school we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds to teach children from Nursery. Please see the Little Wandle Phonics Progression Overview. This is the order and progression that we teach the letters and sounds in Reception and Year 1 classes.

(LINK DOCUMENT FROM LITTLE WANDLE WEBSITE)

When is phonics taught?

Phonics is taught daily in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2*. In Year 2, phonics sessions gradually progress to include opportunities to develop Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling skills (GPS). The length of the sessions steadily builds over time in Nursery. In other classes, discrete phonics sessions last for 15-45 minutes. The daily phonemes taught are displayed on our classroom doors to share our learning with parents, keeping them up to date with the sounds their child is learning.

*if required 

Our Assessment

Children are assessed at the end of each half term by their class teacher. This helps us to quickly identify any children who might need additional support and also ensures reading books are matched at the correct level to the child's phonic ability. 

Nearing the end of Year 1, children complete the statutory Phonics Screening Check. This involves the children using their phonic skills to read 40 words, some which are real and some are made-up.

How is a child supported who is not making expected progress in phonics?

From teaching observations or formal assessment if a child is identified as not making the expected progress in phonics they will be targeted for additional support. This may be delivered in small group or individual sessions. If a child does not reach the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1, they will be targeted for additional support in Year 2 and will repeat the check towards the end of Year 2. If any children don’t meet the expected standard by the end of Year 2 they will be targeted for further support in KS2.

Reading and Phonics

Following the Little Wandle phonics scheme includes using their matched reading books linked directly to the sounds a child has secured. Our formal reading scheme begins in Reception using 'Collins Big Cat'. These books have a strong phonics focus and provide decodable reading books for children to practise and further develop their phonic skills. Children will have 3 reading practice sessions in school each week and then take their book home to practise again.