Phonics and Early Reading

At St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, we believe that learning to read is one of the most important skills a child will develop. We are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader.

We teach early reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, a systematic synthetic phonics programme validated by the Department for Education.

Phonics is taught daily by the class teacher in Reception and Year 1, following the Little Wandle progression. Lessons are carefully sequenced to ensure children build secure knowledge of sounds, blending and segmenting before moving on to more complex reading and spelling.

Children who require additional support are identified through regular assessment and receive targeted keep-up intervention sessions to help them keep pace with the programme. These interventions are carefully planned and delivered to ensure children develop confidence and make rapid progress.

Reading practice books are closely matched to each child’s secure phonic knowledge so that they experience success and develop fluency. Children are also encouraged to share a wide range of high-quality books at home to develop vocabulary, comprehension and a lifelong love of reading.

Parents and carers can find further information about the programme and ways to support reading at home by visiting the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised parent resources.