Intent
At Gusford Primary School, we STRIVE to do our best and for all our pupils to become fluent readers and writers. Our aims are for pupils to:
• Build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.
• Be equipped with the skills to tackle any unfamiliar word as they read.
• Develop their confidence for reading and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure.
• Develop their stamina for reading through regular reading practice.
• Build their understanding of a range of different texts and genres.
• Be taught using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
Impact
We teach a synthetic phonics approach which is a method of teaching reading and writing that involves breaking down words into their smallest units of sound (phonemes) and then blending those sounds together to form words. We teach in a structured and sequential way, building from simple to more complex letter- sound relationships. We start teaching phonics in Nursery/Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression. Our phonics sessions take place in small groups and are taught by fully trained members of staff. Each phonics group teachers a different term or phase and pupils are assessed half-termly to identify which phonics group each child needs to be placed in based on their reading ability. https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/
Foundations for Phonics in Nursery
We provide a balance of child-led and adult-led experiences for all children that meet the curriculum expectations for ‘Communication and language’ and ‘Literacy’. These include:
• Sharing high-quality stories and poems
• Learning a range of nursery rhymes and action rhymes
• Activities that develop focused listening and attention, including oral blending
• Attention to high-quality language
We ensure Nursery children are well prepared to begin learning grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) and blending in Reception through following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised ‘Foundations for Phonics’ guidance. The focus is on daily oral blending and language development through high quality stories and rhymes.
Daily Phonics Lessons in Reception and Year 1
In Reception and Year 1, children follow the progression within Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily and there is a review session on a Friday.
• In Reception, children are taught up to the end of phase 4.
• In Year 1, children are taught up to the end of phase 5.
• Phonics in Reception starts after 4 weeks to ensure the children make a strong start.
• Reception and Year 1 phonics lessons are 30 minutes long, and at the end of every phonics session, 15 minutes of time is spent focused on applying their phonics knowledge to reading matched decodable books.
• In Reception-Year 1 there are planned ‘keep-up’ sessions which support children who need additional practise of their sounds. These are short, sharp sessions lasting approximately 10 minutes in length and take place across the week.
• In Y2-Y6 there are planned phonics ‘catch-up’ sessions following a set model to address specific reading/writing gaps. These are short, sharp sessions lasting approximately 10 minutes in length and take place across the week.
Supporting SEND Pupils
Little Wandle provides SEND programme resources that mirror the core programme and are broken down into small steps to support the graduated approach. Video and picture content have been thoughtfully curated to ensure that pupils with SEND can see themselves in the resources they use.
Reading Practice Sessions
We teach children to read through reading practice sessions five times a week at the end of every phonics lesson. These:
• Use books matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments and book matching.
• 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: segmenting and blending words.
• Prosody: teaching children to read with understanding and expression.
• Comprehension: teaching children to understand the text.
At the end of each week, the book the children have been practising in their phonics sessions is sent home so they can continue to practice their reading independently and with the support of their grown-ups.
Assessment
• 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).
• We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Assessment tracker to regularly keep-track of the children’s phonics progress. We use this data to address gaps in knowledge, target appropriate keep-up and catch-up sessions and ensure that every child is progressing at the right level for them.
• We conduct half-termly assessments to ensure that the children continue to move forward with their phonics and are being taught at the correct phase.
• Children identified in Reception and Y1 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.
• The children in Year 1 and any children who did not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Year 2, sit the Phonics Screening Check in June.
• 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.
If you are a parent and would like more information about how to support your child with phonics at home, please follow this link to find the Reception and Year 1 overview as well as videos of the sound pronunciations, letter formation sheets and other helpful resources.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Impact
At Gusford Primary School, the quality teaching of Phonics results in:
• Pupils at Gusford Primary School being able to master phonics to read and spell as they move through school.
• Pupils becoming confident readers and developing this as a crucial life skill.
• Pupils choosing to independently read for pleasure.
• Pupils have developed their stamina for reading and can read both shorter and longer texts with a developed understanding of its content.