Phonics
At Kingfield Primary School, Phonics is taught though a highly structured programme of daily lessons across FS/KS1 using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme. This programme sets out a detailed and systematic programme for teaching phonic skills. Children begin with Letters and Sounds phases 1 and 2 in Reception and progress through to phase 5 by the end of Year 1.
How we teach phonics
- In reception and Y1, children follow the progression within Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily.
- Phonics starts in reception at the very beginning of the Autumn term to ensure the children make a strong start.
- By the end of reception, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 4.
- By the end of year 1, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 5.
- Reception lessons start at 10 minutes, with daily additional oral blending – increasing to 30 minutes as soon as possible.
- Y1 lessons are 30 minutes long.
- Once children in Y2 are confident and successful readers they will follow the school’s approach to daily spelling lessons using No Nonsense Spelling and join the Accelerated Reader Programme for reading.
- Any child requiring extra support in Y2 and above will access the Little Wandle ‘Keep Up’ sessions through daily individual intervention.
Reading practice sessions
- Children across reception, year 1, year 2 (and beyond if appropriate) apply their phonics knowledge by using a full matched decodable reader in a small group reading practice session.
- These sessions are up to 30 minutes long and happen three times a week. There are approximately 6 children in a group.
- The sessions follow the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
- The children then take home the same book the following week to ensure success is shared with the family.
How do we assess phonic knowledge?
- In reception and year 1, there are review sessions which recap the learning. There are also whole review weeks (pre-planned and bespoke review weeks to address gaps identified by the class teacher’s ongoing formative assessment).
- Children identified in reception and Y1 as in danger of falling behind are immediately identified and daily ‘keep up’ sessions are put in place – sessions follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
- In reception and year 1, the children are assessed at the end of every half term using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessment tracker.
- The children in Y1 sit the Phonics Screening Check in the summer term.
- Children who do not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Y1, will re-sit this in Y2.
- Children who are in Y2-Y6 and need ‘catch up’ sessions are assessed through teacher’s ongoing formative assessment as well as half termly summative assessments.
Programme Overview for Reception and Year 1
Individual videos to support parents:
Little Wandle page for all videos for parents
Phase 2 sounds taught in Reception - Autumn 1
