Wilberfoss C of E Primary SchoolEnglish
At Wilberfoss, we recognise the huge importance on developing reading, writing and speaking and listening skills. Reading has a central part in our curriculum, and we believe that children must be proficient and fluent readers in order to succeed in all academic areas.
Reading
Children who read regularly or are read to regularly have the opportunity to open the doors to so many different worlds! More importantly, reading will give your child the tools to become independent life-long learners.
We can achieve this together through:
- Little Wandle is a program to help to your child read at school
- Encouraging children to develop a love of books by reading to them daily, at home and at school
- Giving children access to a wide range of books at school and at home
At Wilberfoss Primary School we place reading at the heart of our curriculum. We aim for all our children to become fluent, confident and passionate about reading.
We use Little Wandle to give your child the best possible start to their reading journey.
Mrs Cartmail is Reading and Phonics Leader at the school, so if you have any questions about Little Wandle, contact school who can refer you to her.
Our Reading River - follow reading through each year group
Suggested Book Lists for each year group:
https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/
https://peters.co.uk/100-books-for-every-year-group-primary
Phonics and Reading
What is Little Wandle?
Little Wandle is a phonics programme which helps children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, we begin the programme in Foundation stage 1 and we will continue teaching Little Wandle to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading.
How will Little Wandle be taught?
Little Wandle phonics is taught as a whole class focusing on children's recognition of the letter sounds and how to read and write these. The children are assessed regularly by our phonics lead teacher and the class teacher to ensure that they are on track and children who need intervention are identified. This allows for complete participation in lessons and supports and extends their individual needs.
Foundation stage 1
When appropriate, children will be introduced to the initial sounds in short sessions and activities linked to the sounds will be in continuous provision throughout the week.
Foundation stage 2
In F2 all children will learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down.
Reading
The children:
- learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts – see below
- learn to read words using sound talk and blending
- read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge
- develop comprehension skills by answering questions about the text
Writing
The children:
- learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases
- learn to write words by using segmenting fingers
- learn to build sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write
Talking
In reading sessions, the children:
- answer every question
- build on what has been said
- practise reading aloud with expression
- develop ambitious vocabulary
Year One & Year Two onwards
Children follow the same format as foundation stage but will work on complex sounds Daily sessions of Little Wandle phonics last for 30 minutes. Once children become fluent, speedy readers they will move off the phonics programme and into fluency reading groups.
Five key principles underpin the teaching in all phonics sessions:
Purpose – know the purpose of every activity and share it with the children, so they know the one thing they should be thinking about
Participation – ensure every child participates throughout the lesson. Partnership work is fundamental to learning
Praise – ensure children are praised for effort and learning, not ability
Pace – teach at an effective pace and devote every moment to teaching and learning
Passion – be passionate about teaching so children can be engaged emotionally.
Please follow the link below to find out more about Little Wandle and access resources you can use to support your child with phonics.
https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Phonics Screening Check - Year 1
The Year 1 phonics screening check is a short, light-touch assessment to confirm whether individual pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard.
It will identify the children who need extra help so they are given support by their school to improve their reading skills. They will then be able to retake the check so that schools can track pupils until they are able to decode.
The screening check takes place in the summer term of Year 1 and is done on a 1-1 basis with the class teacher.
Please read the following information about the phonics screening check for parents.
phonics screening check information for parents.pdf
Useful websites for Parents
Please find a list of websites that you may find useful in helping you and your child learn about phonics. Games and fun activity websites are also included.
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/- online reading books and support materials for parents
http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ - many games to play
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/phonics/play/ - fun games for the children to play
http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html - fun games for the children to play
http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/kentict_home.cfm - fun games for the children to play and information for parents
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/ - fun games for the children to play
http://www.starfall.com/ - fun games for the children to play
http://www.firstschoolyears.com/ - fun games for the children to play
BBC Bitesize - many games to play covering all areas of the curriculum
Writing:
In EYFS children are given opportunities to become immersed in an environment rich in print and possibilities for communication. They use a writing book but mark making is practiced in lots of areas. The children who are reluctant to write are encouraged through immersing in story and provision such as the Message Centre. This allows children to explore mark making but with early letter formation being central, ensuring children love to write but are learning key skills along the way.
At Wilberfoss, we incorporate Talk for Writing and other models into the teaching of writing. In EYFS and KS1 this is particularly well used, ensuring children develop oracy skills that impact on their writing. In KS2 children are taught writing skills through studying a range of both fiction and non-fiction texts including teacher produced models. The teacher as an author, modelling how to write is central to developing the skills of a writer, alongside unpicking class texts at a sentence and word level.
The Writing Process
Writing for each stage