Phonics & Early Reading

 

At Kirkstall Valley Primary, we believe that reading is the master key to the curriculum. We are committed to ensuring every child develops the confidence and skills to become a fluent reader as quickly as possible.

 

Our Approach: Little Wandle

 

We teach early reading using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. This is a DfE-accredited systematic synthetic phonics scheme that provides a rigorous and consistent approach to teaching reading.

How we teach it:

  • Daily Sessions: In Early Years and Key Stage One, phonics is taught in a discrete daily session. These lessons are short, paced, and highly structured.

  • Consistency: We use consistent routines and resources across the school. Children use specific 'mantras' to help them remember rules, and we use 'sound buttons' to help them identify Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences (GPCs)—the vital link between sounds and letters.

  • Application: Phonics is not taught in isolation. Children consolidate their learning during guided reading lessons using Big Cat for Little Wandle books.

 

Reading Books

 

A crucial part of our strategy is ensuring that the books children read match their phonic knowledge.

  • Decodable Books: The books sent home are perfectly matched to the sounds the child has already learned. This ensures they can read fluently and with confidence, rather than struggling to guess words.

  • Reading for Pleasure: Alongside their decodable book, children will also bring home a 'sharing book' from our library to enjoy with you.

 

Keep Up, Not Catch Up

 

We monitor progress lesson-by-lesson to ensure no child is left behind.

  • Same-Day Support: Any child requiring extra practice receives tightly structured, daily intervention to close gaps immediately.

  • Sustained Support: For some pupils in Year 2 and Key Stage Two, we continue to provide small, targeted groups using phonically decodable texts to ensure their foundations are secure before moving on.

For Parents: Please visit the Little Wandle Parent Page for a quick guide to our teaching strategies and videos on how to pronounce the sounds correctly.