Phonics and Early Reading

Children enter our school with a good level of language and love of books and reading.  We strive to provide the children with a text-rich environment that promotes the love of reading.

It is essential that our approach to teaching phonics and reading is accessible to all learners, regardless of background.

Intent

Phonics (reading and spelling)

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Nursery/Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At St Mary's school, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Comprehension

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Reading in EYFS

Throughout the EYFS, we develop the child's reading skills through the enjoyment of a variety of stories and rhymes using a number of practical, inspiring activities. In addition, all children in Nursery and Reception are encouraged to choose books for themselves from the class reading area. When planning our reading curriculum, we follow the statutory requirements for the teaching and learning of English which are laid in the National Curriculum and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Early Years Foundation Stage: Reading

Two-year olds:

Comprehension and Vocabulary

Recall, retell and sequence:

● I enjoy familiar stories, songs and rhymes

●Give meaning to marks I make and see

●Join in with familiar nursery rhymes and songs

Nursery (3 and 4 year olds) Reading

Word Reading

●Use good phonological awareness including oral blending skills, rhyme, alliteration and syllables

Comprehension

●Talk about stories I have heard

●Retell some familiar stories

●Join in with familiar rhymes and songs (and some patterned stories)

●Use some story language or new vocabulary in my play

Reception Reading

Word Reading

●Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs

●Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound blending.

●Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words

Comprehension

●Demonstrate understanding of what has been read by retelling stories & narratives using own words and new vocabulary

●Anticipate key events in stories.

●Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role play

Policy

Support for parents

At the beginning of each academic year, our Phonics Lead holds a meeting for parents of children in Reception and Year 1 to give them an overview of what their children's learning of Phonics will look like and how best to support their children at home. We have a number of parents who come into school to give children extra support with their reading. If you wish to familiarise yourself with the scheme, you can follow this link and find some useful information of how to support your child with phonics and reading at at home For parents | Letters and Sounds  . 

Phonics and Early Reading

Children enter our school with a good level of language and love of books and reading.  We strive to provide the children with a text-rich environment that promotes the love of reading.

It is essential that our approach to teaching phonics and reading is accessible to all learners, regardless of background.

Intent

Phonics (reading and spelling)

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Nursery/Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At St Mary's school, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Comprehension

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Reading in EYFS

Throughout the EYFS, we develop the child's reading skills through the enjoyment of a variety of stories and rhymes using a number of practical, inspiring activities. In addition, all children in Nursery and Reception are encouraged to choose books for themselves from the class reading area. When planning our reading curriculum, we follow the statutory requirements for the teaching and learning of English which are laid in the National Curriculum and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Early Years Foundation Stage: Reading

Two-year olds:

Comprehension and Vocabulary

Recall, retell and sequence:

● I enjoy familiar stories, songs and rhymes

●Give meaning to marks I make and see

●Join in with familiar nursery rhymes and songs

Nursery (3 and 4 year olds) Reading

Word Reading

●Use good phonological awareness including oral blending skills, rhyme, alliteration and syllables

Comprehension

●Talk about stories I have heard

●Retell some familiar stories

●Join in with familiar rhymes and songs (and some patterned stories)

●Use some story language or new vocabulary in my play

Reception Reading

Word Reading

●Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs

●Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound blending.

●Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words

Comprehension

●Demonstrate understanding of what has been read by retelling stories & narratives using own words and new vocabulary

●Anticipate key events in stories.

●Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role play

Policy

Support for parents

At the beginning of each academic year, our Phonics Lead holds a meeting for parents of children in Reception and Year 1 to give them an overview of what their children's learning of Phonics will look like and how best to support their children at home. We have a number of parents who come into school to give children extra support with their reading. If you wish to familiarise yourself with the scheme, you can follow this link and find some useful information of how to support your child with phonics and reading at at home For parents | Letters and Sounds  . 

Phonics and Early Reading

Children enter our school with a good level of language and love of books and reading.  We strive to provide the children with a text-rich environment that promotes the love of reading.

It is essential that our approach to teaching phonics and reading is accessible to all learners, regardless of background.

Intent

Phonics (reading and spelling)

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Nursery/Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At St Mary's school, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Comprehension

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Reading in EYFS

Throughout the EYFS, we develop the child's reading skills through the enjoyment of a variety of stories and rhymes using a number of practical, inspiring activities. In addition, all children in Nursery and Reception are encouraged to choose books for themselves from the class reading area. When planning our reading curriculum, we follow the statutory requirements for the teaching and learning of English which are laid in the National Curriculum and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Early Years Foundation Stage: Reading

Two-year olds:

Comprehension and Vocabulary

Recall, retell and sequence:

● I enjoy familiar stories, songs and rhymes

●Give meaning to marks I make and see

●Join in with familiar nursery rhymes and songs

Nursery (3 and 4 year olds) Reading

Word Reading

●Use good phonological awareness including oral blending skills, rhyme, alliteration and syllables

Comprehension

●Talk about stories I have heard

●Retell some familiar stories

●Join in with familiar rhymes and songs (and some patterned stories)

●Use some story language or new vocabulary in my play

Reception Reading

Word Reading

●Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs

●Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound blending.

●Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words

Comprehension

●Demonstrate understanding of what has been read by retelling stories & narratives using own words and new vocabulary

●Anticipate key events in stories.

●Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role play

Policy

Support for parents

At the beginning of each academic year, our Phonics Lead holds a meeting for parents of children in Reception and Year 1 to give them an overview of what their children's learning of Phonics will look like and how best to support their children at home. We have a number of parents who come into school to give children extra support with their reading. If you wish to familiarise yourself with the scheme, you can follow this link and find some useful information of how to support your child with phonics and reading at at home For parents | Letters and Sounds  .