Intent

At Pendock, we believe every child can become a confident and fluent reader and writer.

We strive to equip all children with the foundational skills necessary for reading and writing. We employ the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, which provides a systematic approach to phonics instruction. This programme emphasises the importance of phonemic awareness, blending, and segmenting sounds, enabling children to decode words effectively. Our aim is to foster a love for reading through engaging activities and high-quality texts, ensuring that all learners achieve fluency and confidence in their literacy skills. We are committed to continuous assessment and tailored support to meet the needs of all children.

Further information is available to families through the For parents page on the Little Wandle website.

Implementation

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression to ensure children build their skills step by step:

• Preschool: Children develop phonological and phonemic awareness through fun, engaging games and nursery rhymes.

• Reception: Children learn to read and spell using Phase 2 and 3 GPCs and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4), developing fluency and accuracy.

• Year 1: Children revisit Phases 3 and 4 and learn Phase 5 GPCs so they can read and spell more confidently.

• Year 2: Children begin the Autumn term with daily phonics to recap previous learning before moving into a Spelling and Fluency programme, helping children enter Year 3 with a secure understanding of spelling patterns.

Impact

The impact of the Little Wandle Phonics programme is closely monitored through regular assessment.

Class teachers in Reception and Year 1 make ongoing, informal checks each day to see how children are getting on and use this information to plan future sessions. More formal assessments take place every six weeks for children working through the programme to ensure progress is being made and any support needed is quickly identified.

At the end of Year 1, children take part in the statutory Phonics Screening Check during the Summer term. This checks how well children can use phonics to read unfamiliar words.

Any children who do not meet the expected standard in Year 1 are given additional support and retake the check in Year 2.