Phonics
Little Wandle at Somerville School.
At Somerville, we place a strong emphasis on early literacy skills, and our approach begins with the ‘Little Wandle’ Letters and Sounds phonics programme. This program is designed to ensure that all children develop a solid foundation in reading and writing from the very start of their educational journey.
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is a comprehensive phonics program designed to help children develop early reading and writing skills. It is based on the systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) approach, which involves teaching children the relationships between sounds (phonemes) and their corresponding letters or groups of letters (graphemes) in a structured and sequential manner.
How phonics is taught across the school.
At Somerville School, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is taught daily from nursery through to Year 2, ensuring a consistent and structured approach to phonics education. In nursery, children are introduced to foundational phonics, while reception and Year 1 students engage in daily lessons that build on their phonics knowledge progressively. For children in reception and Year 1 who need additional support, Daily Catch-Up Interventions are provided to address specific learning gaps and reinforce their phonics skills. From Year 2 onwards, children who still require assistance after Christmas benefit from the Rapid Catch-Up program, which accelerates their learning to help them catch up quickly. Additionally, Somerville School implements the SEND program to support children with complex needs, ensuring that every child receives tailored instruction and resources to succeed in their phonics learning journey.
Parent engagement:
At Somerville Primary School, we believe in the importance of involving parents in their children's learning journey. To support this, we offer parent workshops for reception and Year 1 parents, providing them with essential information on how to teach phonics and reading at home. These workshops are designed to be informative and interactive, equipping parents with practical strategies and resources to help their children develop strong literacy skills. During the sessions, parents learn about the phonics program, how to support their child's reading practice, and ways to make learning fun and engaging. By empowering parents with the knowledge and tools they need, we aim to create a collaborative learning environment that extends beyond the classroom and fosters a love of reading in every child.
Useful links
To use the Parental Engagement page on Little Wandle, visit the "For Parents" section to access practical guidance, videos, and downloadable resources that help you support your child's phonics and reading journey at home. https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Reading Practice
In reception and Year 1, Little Wandle reading practice is implemented through structured sessions that take place three times a week, starting from Week 4 in reception. These sessions follow a three reads structure:
- First Read: Focuses on decoding, where children practice breaking down words into sounds and blending them to read.
- Second Read: Emphasises reading with prosody, helping children develop expression and intonation.
- Third Read: Aims at comprehension, ensuring children understand the meaning of the text they are reading
Teachers use decodable books that match the children's secure phonics knowledge, allowing them to apply their learning in a practical context. Little Wandle helps children in reception and Year 1 develop strong reading skills, setting a solid foundation for their future literacy development.
