Phonics
At Greenacres, we know that reading is the key to success and underpins children's access to the curriculum; we are passionate about developing every child as a reader.
To be able to effectively read , children need to be taught an efficient strategy to decode words - that strategy is phonics.
We follow Little Wandle, a fully validated synthetic phonic scheme validated by the DfE.
Phonic decoding skills must be practised until children become automatic and fluent and reading is established. To ensure this for every child we;
- Immerse our Nursery children in Phase 1 phonics, where our children explore sounds through songs, stories, and play, helping them develop the early skills they need as a strong foundation.
- Teach phonics daily Reception and Year 1 and for children across the school who are not Phase 5 fluent and lack foundational knowledge and skills.
- Revisit Grapheme Phoneme Correspondences (GPCs) and words, daily, weekly and across terms and years, in order to move this knowledge into the children's long term memory.
- Offer a consistent approach to phonics ensuring that children are given the best possible foundation for reading, writing and language skills.
Children need to learn to read as quickly and reasonably as possible, so that they can move from learning to read, to reading to learn, giving them access to the treasure house of reading.
Our expectations of progression are aspirational yet achievable; children who are not keeping up with their peers are given additional practise immediately through keep-up sessions.
On-going assessment of children's progress takes place and the books children read in school and take home to read are fully decodable and matched to children's secure phonics knowledge.
SEND
Little Wandle SEND Programme is designed to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, can access high-quality phonics teaching and make progress in reading.
The programme follows the same systematic, synthetic phonics approach as Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, while offering flexibility, repetition, and additional support to meet individual needs.
Key features include:
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Small steps and overlearning, allowing children to revisit sounds and skills as often confident
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Multi-sensory activities to support different learning styles
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Targeted interventions matched closely to the main phonics programme
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A strong focus on oral blending, segmenting, and language development
The SEND programme supports children to keep up rather than catch up, ensuring they remain included in whole-class learning wherever possible. It also promotes close collaboration between teachers, support staff, and families to provide a joined-up approach to early reading.
Working in Partnership
We recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers to build strong foundations for our children. We are always available if you need to ask us any questions and look forward to welcoming you to our regular phonic open mornings, breakfast is included!
Please see link below for our Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme progression for Reception and Year One.
Little Wandle Phonics Overview