Phonics & Early Reading
The Phonics Subject Leader is: Mrs Wilkinson.
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised
At our school, we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to teach early reading and phonics. This is a complete, systematic synthetic phonics programme validated by the UK Department for Education.
We are passionate about helping every child become a confident, fluent reader – and Little Wandle provides a clear, structured pathway to make that happen.
What is Little Wandle?
Little Wandle is a phonics programme that teaches children how to:
- Recognise letters and the sounds they represent.
- Blend sounds together to read words.
- Segment words into sounds to spell them.
- Build fluency and confidence when reading.
Phonics is taught daily from Reception through to Year 1, with additional support provided in other year groups where needed.
How Phonics is Structured in School
Little Wandle follows a carefully planned progression to ensure children build knowledge step by step.
Reception
- Daily phonics lessons begin in the first weeks of school.
- Children learn new sounds (phonemes) and how to write them (graphemes).
- They practise blending sounds to read simple words.
- They take home fully decodable books that match the sounds they know.
Year 1
- Children continue learning more complex sounds and alternative spellings.
- Reading becomes more fluent and automatic.
- There is daily practice in reading and spelling.
- Children prepare for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check in June.
Keep-up Support
If a child needs extra help, Little Wandle includes short, targeted “keep-up” sessions to help them stay on track. These are delivered quickly and sensitively so that children build confidence.
How Reading is Taught
Reading sessions are carefully structured and happen at least three times a week in small groups.
Each book is:
- Fully decodable.
- Closely matched to the child’s current phonics knowledge.
- Read multiple times to build fluency.
Children practise:
- Decoding (sounding out).
- Prosody (reading with expression).
- Comprehension (understanding what they have read).
We believe reading success builds reading enjoyment – and enjoyment builds lifelong readers.
What Parents Need to Know
We understand that phonics can feel different from how many adults were taught to read. Here’s what is helpful to know:
1. Pure Sounds Matter
We teach children to say “pure sounds” (for example, “m” not “muh”, “s” not “suh”). This makes blending much easier.
2. Sounding Out is Encouraged
If your child is stuck, encourage them to:
- Say the sounds.
- Blend them together.
- Try again.
Instead of telling them the word straight away, give them time to work it out.
3. Re-reading Builds Fluency
Your child will read the same book more than once. This is intentional. Repetition helps:
- Build confidence.
- Improve speed.
- Develop expression.
4. Not All Words Can Be Sounded Out
Some words (like “the”, “said”, “was”) are called “tricky words”. These are taught explicitly in lessons and need to be practised regularly.
How You Can Help at Home
You can make a big difference by:
- Reading with your child every day (just 5–10 minutes makes a difference).
- Listening to them read their Little Wandle book.
- Practising tricky words.
- Celebrating effort, not just accuracy.
- Sharing lots of stories together – even ones they can’t read yet.
Most importantly, keep reading positive. Confidence grows when children feel supported and successful.
Little Wandle has lots of resources to support parents which can be found here:
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
This webpage is designed to give you an idea of what is expected at the phase your child is working within and how their learning can be supported at home.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
In Year 1, children take part in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check. This is a short, statutory assessment that takes place nationally in June.
The purpose of the check is to confirm whether children have learned to decode words using phonics.
What Does the Check Involve?
The check is:
- Completed one-to-one with a familiar adult in school.
- Informal and designed to feel like a normal reading session.
- Made up of 40 words.
The list includes:
- Real words (e.g. wind, storm).
- “Alien” or pseudo-words (e.g. zort, blim).
Alien words are included to ensure children are using their phonics skills to decode, rather than relying on memory or picture clues. These words are shown with a small alien picture to make it clear they are not real.
How We Prepare Children
Children do not need to revise for the check in a formal way. Daily phonics teaching through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised provides everything they need.
In school we:
- Teach phonics every day.
- Practise blending real and pseudo-words.
- Build reading fluency through decodable books.
- Provide additional “keep-up” sessions where needed.
By the time the check takes place, it feels familiar and manageable for the children.
What is the Pass Mark?
The pass mark is set each year by the government once all schools have completed the check.
If a child does not meet the expected standard in Year 1, they will receive additional support in Year 2 and will retake the check the following June.
How Parents Can Help at Home
You can support your child by:
- Listening to them read regularly.
- Encouraging them to sound out unfamiliar words.
- Practising blending sounds smoothly.
If your child gets stuck, gently encourage them to:
- Say each sound.
- Blend the sounds together.
- Try again.
The Phonics Screening Check is simply a way to confirm that children are developing secure early reading skills. It is carried out in a relaxed and supportive way, and most children see it as just another reading session.
If you have any questions or would like advice on supporting your child at home, please speak to your child’s class teacher – we are always happy to help.
