At Alfriston 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 Alfriston 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.
Find out more and access some super resources on the Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised website.
Why learning to read is so important
- Reading is essential for all subject areas and improves life chances.
- Positive attitudes to reading and choosing to read have academic, social and emotional benefits for children.
How children learn to read
- Phonics is the only route to decoding.
- Learning to say the phonic sounds.
- By blending phonic sounds to read words.
- Increasing the child’s fluency in reading sounds, words and books.
Reading fully decodable books
- Children must read books consistent with their phonic knowledge.
- It is essential not to use other strategies to work out words (including guessing words, deducing meaning from pictures, grammar, context clues or whole word recognition).
- Books must be fully decodable and follow the Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised scheme.
- Children need to read books in a progressive sequence until they can decode unfamiliar words confidently.
The role of parents and carers
- Have a positive impact on their child’s reading.
- Should model the importance of reading practice to develop fluency.
- Reading at home encourages a love of books, along with developing vocabulary and discussion.
- Parents should use voices, expression, discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, talk about the pictures, and predict what might happen next.
- Give positive yet informative feedback and making written comments in their child's reading record.
Click on this link to show how to support your child at home.
Click on this link to show the Programme Overview for Reception and Year 1.
Click on this link to play a video showing how Phase 2 sounds are taught in Reception Term 1.
Click on this link to play a video showing how Phase 2 sounds are taught in Reception Term 2.
Click on this link to play a video showing how Phase 3 sounds are taught in Reception Term 3.
Click on this link to play a video showing how we teach blending.
Click on this video below to show a quick guide to Alien words:
Click on this video below to show how we teach tricky words:
