Phonics (Reading and Spelling)

At Rounds Green, 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 Nursery/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 Rounds Green, 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.

Comprehension

At Rounds Green, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

The National Phonics Screening Check

The National Phonics Screening Check is performed in June of Year 1. The purpose of the screening check is to confirm that all children have learned phonic decoding to an age appropriate standard. The children who do not meet the required standard for the check in Year 1 will be rescreened in Year 2. These Year 2 children will continue to receive phonics sessions to support them with reaching the required standard. Children entering KS2 that still require support with reading and spelling will also be given Little Wandle phonics and reading interventions.

How to support at home

For more information about how you can support your child with their phonics and reading, please follow the link: https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

The resources on this page will help you support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters. There are also some useful videos so you can see how they are taught at school and feel confident about supporting their reading at home.

Find our full Reception and Year 1 teaching programme overview here to see what your child will learn and when. You can also access the guides below to help you with pronouncing each of the sounds children will be learning in each phase.