At Freegrounds Junior School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. Although most children have mastered their knowledge of phonics when they arrive at our school, some still need structured phonics teaching. 

This is why we develop reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children consolidate their 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. 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.

All our developing readers have a decodable reading practice book, which is taken home to ensure success is shared with the family. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised parents’ resources to engage our families and share information about phonics, the benefits of sharing books, how children learn to blend and other aspects of our provision, both online and through workshops. https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

Additionally, parents are encouraged to refer to this helpful video, which demonstrates the pronunciation of all 44 phonemes used in the English language:

Assessment and Moving On

Mini Little Wandle Assessments are used as children move through the phonics phases. When children have completed Phase 5, they remain a focus for individual and small-group reading support. They will read to an adult in school every day as they move through the 'Developing Fluency' book bands (Turquoise, Purple, Gold, White, Lime), before moving onto 'First Chapter Books' and then 'Independent Reader' books.