Phonics
At St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that learning to read is one of the most important gifts we can give a child. Reading opens the door to learning, imagination and opportunity, and we want every child to become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader.
Our aim is for every child to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to read accurately, fluently and with understanding, while developing a lifelong love of books and reading.
Learning to Read
We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme to teach phonics. It provides a clear, systematic and carefully sequenced approach to learning the sounds and letters that children need to become successful readers and writers.
From the earliest stages, children learn to recognise sounds, blend them together to read words and segment words to support spelling. As their knowledge develops, children apply their phonics skills to increasingly complex words and build a bank of words that they can read automatically.
Our Phonics Journey
The Little Wandle programme follows a carefully structured progression. Children revisit and build on their learning as they move through the phases.
Phase 2 introduces children to their first grapheme phoneme correspondences. Children learn to recognise and pronounce the sounds represented by letters and begin blending sounds to read simple words.
Phase 3 introduces further graphemes and phonemes, including digraphs and trigraphs. Children develop their ability to blend and segment words and begin to read and spell a wider range of words.
Phase 4 focuses on consolidating children's phonics knowledge. Children practise reading and spelling words containing adjacent consonants and apply the graphemes and phonemes they have already learned with increasing confidence.
Phase 5 introduces alternative graphemes and pronunciations. Children learn that the same sound can be represented in different ways and that the same grapheme can sometimes represent different sounds. This helps children become increasingly fluent and flexible readers.
Phase 6 focuses on developing greater fluency and accuracy in reading and spelling. Children continue to develop their vocabulary, spelling knowledge and understanding of word structure as they become increasingly independent readers and writers.
The phases are not simply stages that children move through as quickly as possible. Our priority is that children develop secure knowledge and can confidently apply what they have learned.
The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
In June of Year 1, children take part in the national Phonics Screening Check.
The check is designed to confirm whether children have learned the phonics skills expected for their age and can apply them to decode words. It consists of a series of words that children read to their teacher, including both real words and carefully constructed “pseudo-words”. The pseudo-words are included to check that children are using their phonics knowledge rather than simply recognising familiar words.
The Phonics Screening Check is not a test that children need to prepare for in a stressful way. The children complete it individually with a familiar adult in a quiet and supportive environment.
The check provides useful information for teachers about each child's developing phonics knowledge and helps us identify whether any child may benefit from further support.
Children who do not meet the expected standard in Year 1 continue to receive additional support with their phonics and reading. They will have the opportunity to take the Phonics Screening Check again in Year 2.
Supporting Every Child
We recognise that children learn to read at different rates. Our teachers continually assess children's progress and use this information to identify where additional practice, support or challenge is needed.
Children who require additional support receive carefully planned intervention and additional opportunities to practise their phonics and reading skills. We are committed to ensuring that disadvantaged pupils, vulnerable pupils and pupils with SEND receive the support they need to become confident readers.
Children's progress is carefully monitored through phonics assessments, daily observations and regular review. Where children continue to need phonics support beyond Key Stage 1, appropriate provision is put in place as they move through Key Stage 2.
Reading Books
We want children to experience success and confidence from the very beginning of their reading journey.
In the early stages, children read books that are carefully matched to the sounds and words they have been taught. This enables them to practise their phonics independently and experience the satisfaction of successfully reading a book for themselves.
As children's fluency and comprehension develop, they progress through our reading scheme and increasingly make their own choices from our wide range of books.
Children have access to books in school and at home, including books from our school and class libraries and our online reading resources.
Developing Fluent and Comprehending Readers
As children become increasingly secure with phonics, our teaching places greater emphasis on reading fluently, understanding what they read and responding thoughtfully to texts.
Children develop their comprehension skills through high-quality stories, non-fiction and poetry. They learn to retrieve information, make inferences, explain their ideas, explore vocabulary and discuss characters, events and themes.
Teachers model fluent reading and demonstrate how readers think about and respond to texts. Children are encouraged to share their ideas, listen to others and support their responses with evidence from what they have read.
Reading Across the Curriculum
Reading is at the heart of our wider curriculum.
Children encounter a rich range of books, authors and texts across subjects, enabling them to develop vocabulary and deepen their understanding of the world.
Teachers deliberately introduce ambitious vocabulary and high-quality texts to support children's knowledge and understanding. Reading helps children access learning across the curriculum and gives them opportunities to discover new ideas, cultures, experiences and perspectives.
Reading for Pleasure
We want children to read because they love it.
Our school culture celebrates books, authors and the joy of reading. Children enjoy regular opportunities to listen to stories, share books and recommend favourite reads to one another.
Throughout the year, we celebrate reading through events and activities such as World Book Day, themed reading days, book challenges, author visits and our summer reading challenge.
Our school and class libraries provide a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We regularly refresh our collections and listen to children's recommendations so that pupils can discover books that reflect their interests, experiences and the diverse world around them.
We want every child to find books that capture their imagination and develop the belief that there is a book for everyone.
Reading at Home
The partnership between school and home is an important part of developing confident readers.
We encourage families to read together every day, whether this is sharing a book, listening to a story, reading independently or talking about something they have read.
Parents are supported through phonics workshops, curriculum information and opportunities to discuss their child's reading progress. We provide guidance about how families can support phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension at home.
Even when children become fluent independent readers, sharing stories and talking about books together remains an important way to develop a love of reading.
Our Ambition for Every Reader
By the time children leave St Vincent's, we want them to be confident, fluent and thoughtful readers who can read widely and independently.
We want them to have a rich vocabulary, strong comprehension skills and a genuine love of books. Most importantly, we want children to understand that reading is not simply a school skill. It is a lifelong source of knowledge, imagination, enjoyment and opportunity.
Through our approach to phonics, reading and reading for pleasure, we aim to ensure that every child can achieve, belong and thrive and has the confidence to let their light shine.
