Intent
At Painters Ash Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. 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.
As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Painters Ash Primary School, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.
Daily phonics lessons in EYFS and KS1
At Painters Ash Primary School We teach phonics for 20 minutes a day. In Reception, we build from 10-minute lessons to the full-length lesson as quickly as possible. Children make a strong start in Reception: teaching begins in Week 2 of the Autumn term.
We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress: (Click the tables below to expand)
How do we assess phonic knowledge?
- We deliver a review session at the end of each week which recaps the weeks learning.
- Children who have struggled with part of the lesson are quickly identified and are placed in keep up session the same afternoon.
- Children are assessed at the end of every term using the Little Wandle assessment tracker.
- Gaps in children’s learning are immediately identified from the assessments and keep up sessions are put in place. These short sessions will be specific to individual needs.
- Children who are placed in daily keep up sessions are assessed every three weeks to ensure the gaps have been closed.
- Children in KS2 will continue to receive keep up sessions if needed until they have a secure knowledge of phonic phases 1-5.
- Year 1 children complete the statutory phonics screening check in the summer term.
Home Reading
- All children in EYFS and KS1 are allocated books matched to their secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds revised assessments and book matching grids.
- The decodable reading practice book is taken home to ensure success is shared with the family.
- Reading for pleasure books (sharing books) also go home for parents to share and read to their children.
Reading practice book
This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.
Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! After they have finished, talk about the book together.
Sharing book
In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.
Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!If you are a parent or carer and would like further information on how to support your child with phonics, please follow the link below.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
