St Bridget's Catholic Primary School

From 6th November 2021 we started to deliver the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) in both the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes.

This is a fully comprehensive programme where children start learning single letter sounds in the Autumn Term of their Reception year and it builds in progression throughout Reception and Year One, preparing children for the statutory phonics screening that takes place at the end of Year One.

Phonics is taught every day and children learn to apply their phonics skills in reading practise sessions at least 3 times a week, developing their fluency, prosody and comprehension skills along the way.

• 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.

• 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

• 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 scheme.
• Children need to read books in a progressive sequence until they can decode unfamiliar words confidently.

• Have a positive impact on their child’s reading.
• Should model the importance of reading practice to develop fluency.
• Children take home books they have read at school to re-read at home to build fluency.
• There are two different types of books that pupils bring home: reading practice and books to share for pleasure.
• 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 feed backby using the GO READ APP at least 3 times a week.