Phonics

We are a Little Wandle School!

In January 2022 the school implemented a phonics scheme called Little Wandle. The scheme is very robust and based on our previous scheme of Letters and Sounds. Children learn phonics in well paced, interactive daily lessons. If children struggle to retain the sounds then 'Catch up' and 'Keep up' interventions take place.

All staff at school have undertaken training and continue to have regular observations and training to ensure the teaching of the scheme is rigorous and effective.

Our children have high quality reading books linked to the scheme so they are able to practice their phonics, to become confident readers. Reading practise session take place in classes to ensure the phonics teaching sessions are having an impact and to develop fluency, prosody and comprehension skills. Children take their Little Wandle phonics book home to read with adults and 'show off' their excellent reading skills.

We are extremely lucky to be working alongside Teamworks English Hub at Greetland Acameny, an outstanding school in Calderdale. By working with the Hub we are able to access funding and the lastest training. 

Please read the following pages and watch the videos about the scheme and advice for parents and carers on how they can help their children:

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

We have held parents' information evenings about Little Wandle phonics  and reading and the slides for this can be found at the bottom of this page.

Phonics in School

Pre-school/Nursery           

Children who attend our school pre-school and nursery are already being exposed to phonics each day. They cover letters and sing songs and rhymes to help them learn. The children have books read to them and engage in practical activities both indoor and outdoor to support their understanding. Please see the resources list below for further reading on this area.

Reception    

In Reception class the children begin phase 2 and work through the scheme to cover phases 3 and 4. Therefore by the time they each Year 1 the children have learnt and hopefully remembered many sounds and letter patterns. For the full list of letters and spellings patterns learnt in each phase, please see the grapheme mats in the resources section below.

Year 1    

Year 1 Little Wandle covers phase 5. The children spend most of the year learning this large phase to prepare them for the phonics check in June.

PHONICS SCREENING CHECK 2024

Children in Year 1 will be assessed on their phonics ability using the government phonics check. This will take place across the week beginning Monday 10th June 2024. Children in Year 2 who did not pass the phonics check will undergo a retake of the test during this week.

Children will be assessed by their class teacher in the first instance or a teacher they know well. This is on a one to one basis.

Children will be asked to read 40 words supplied by the DfE. In the past, the children have had to read 32 correctly to achieve a pass. 

The children have had practise with this style of assessment in class and there are many examples on-line for you to support your child,

Some words are real and some words are made up. The made up words have an alien next to them so the children know they are 'alien' words. Sometimes these words look like 'real' words but the children must read them as they are written.

Parents can read the guidelines from links to the DfE web-site (www.gov.uk) or google phonics check 2024.

Useful links are below:
https://www.theschoolrun.com/year-1-phonics-screening-check
Phonics screening check (Year 1) - Oxford Owl

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