Belton All Saints Church of England Primary School

The ability to read is within the reach of every child.  The most direct route to reading for the vast majority of children is through systematically taught, 'synthetic phonics'.  At Belton All Saints we teach phonics discretely and systematically as an approach to reading, where children learn to decode (read) and encode (spell) printed words quickly and fluently by blending and segmenting letter sounds.

We are just starting to use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised (June 2022) to plan and provide daily or twice daily engaging phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all of the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing. Our phonics teaching starts in Nursery and follows a very specific sequence that allows our children to build on their previous phonic knowledge and master specific phonic strategies as they move through school. As a result, our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words that they might discover. We also model these strategies in shared reading and writing both inside and outside of the phonics lessons and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on the development of language skills for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Additional information can be found at: www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

How we teach phonics.

• In the nursery, children follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised ‘Foundations for Phonics’ guidance. The focus is on daily oral blending and language development through high quality stories and rhymes.
• In Reception and Y1, children follow the progression within Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily and there is a review session on a Friday.
• Phonics starts in Reception in week 2 to ensure the children make a strong start.
• By the end of Reception, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 4.
• By the end of year 1, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 5.
• Reception lessons start at 10 minutes, with daily additional oral blending – increasing to 30 minutes as soon as possible.
• Y1 lessons are approximately 30 minutes long.
• In Y2-Y3, phonic lessons are taught daily to children where appropriate – following the model of Little Wandle but plugging specific gaps identified through assessment. In Y2-Y6 there are planned phonic ‘catch-up’ sessions following a set model to address specific reading/writing gaps. These are short, sharp sessions lasting 10 minutes in length and take place at least three times a week. Daily ‘No nonsense spelling’ lessons also take place which focus on the teaching of spelling, which embraces knowledge of spelling conventions – patterns and rules. Children in Key Stage Two continue to have individual reading books aimed at their reading level and interests. Whole class texts are used to promote reading skills and further develop fluency and reading comprehension.
• Examples of Enunciation  https://youtu.be/shlSQrleibs

​Reading practice sessions in Reception and Year 1

Our new reading sessions will begin towards the end of the Summer Term and this is how we will run them:

• Children across reception, year 1 (year 2 and beyond if appropriate) apply their phonics knowledge by using a fully matched decodable reader in a small group reading practice session.
• These sessions are 15 minutes long and happen three times a week. There are approximately 6 children in a group.
• The sessions follow the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
• The children then have access to the same book at home as an e-book for the following week to ensure success is shared with the family.
• In reception these sessions start in week 4 of Autumn Term 1. Children who are not decoding, do a little blending lesson, following the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sound Revised.

How do we assess phonic knowledge?

• In Reception and year 1, at the end of each week there is a review session which recaps the learning. There are also whole review weeks (pre-planned and bespoke review weeks to address gaps identified by the class teacher’s ongoing formative assessment).
• Children identified in Reception and Y1 as in danger of falling behind are immediately identified and daily ‘keep up’ sessions are put in place – sessions follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
• In Reception and year 1, the children are assessed at the end of every half term using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessment tracker.
• The children in Y1 sit the Phonics Screening Check in the summer term.
• Children who do not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Y1, will re-sit this in Y2.

Children who are in Y2-Y6 and need ‘catch up’ sessions are assessed through teacher’s ongoing formative assessment as well as half termly summative assessments.

Phonics screening check- Year 1

Each year, all children in Year 1, in all schools, must take the phonics screening check.  Some children in Year 2 are also required to take the screening check either because they did not take it in Year 1 or because their Year 1 score did not meet the required standard.

The check happens in June every year.

The check will be kept as low key and comfortable as possible for the children and will provide important information about their early reading development. 

We send out a letter explaining the check and confirming when it will happen. Examples of the kinds of words your child will need to read and how you can support your child at home before the screening takes place can be obtained from your child’s teacher or downloaded from the PDF below.

For more information the following link will take you to a website which explains things in more detail:

http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/home/reading-owl/expert-help/the-year-1-phonics-screening-check

Parents and carers play a key role in helping their child read. If children read at home, they are more likely to be successful learners at school. At Belton, we encourage children to read every day at home and expect reading journals to be checked and signed by a parent/carer.

 Early Years/Key Stage 1

 Ensure that you set aside a quiet time every night to spend time looking at your children’s books.

 Make reading a very positive and enjoyable experience through lots of praise.

 Children begin to read using their phonics knowledge which means that they will use sounds rather than say the letter name. 

Talk about the books that you have read. Being a good reader is more about understanding what you have read than being able to just being able to read the words.

Look at the pictures and discuss what is happening, do they like a character, what might happen next, what was their favourite part?

 The most important thing you can do is to talk to your child and listen to them when they are talking to you. Try to extend their vocabulary range and their skill at talking in increasingly more complex sentences. For example, try to teach them alternative words for ideas, or nouns they already know.

Key Stage 2

 Your child may now be a fluent reader and prefer to do some of their reading independently, however it is still important that they are encouraged to discuss what they have read.

 You can help keep your child’s comprehension skills up to speed by asking lots of where / how / what / when questions about facts in the book. Children also need to develop their inference and deduction skills - these can be developed through the use of questioning E.g. How do you think this character is feeling? What might happen next?

Give your child plenty of praise for demonstrating dedication to reading and answering comprehension questions.

TOP TIPS FOR READING WITH YOUR CHILD

1) CHOOSE A QUIET TIME

Set aside a quiet time with no distractions. 10 to 15 minutes is usually long enough.

2) MAKE READING ENJOYABLE

3) MAINTAIN THE FLOW

4) SUCCESS IS THE KEY

5) VISIT THE LIBRARY

Encourage your child to use the public library regularly. Remember our school library is open after school

6) REGULAR PRACTICE

Try to read with your child every day. Little and often is best.

7) COMMUNICATE WITH THE SCHOOL

8) TALK ABOUT THE BOOKS

9) VARIETY IS IMPORTANT

Below please find some questions, in the VIPERS style we use in school, that you can use to question your child when reading together at home.

There are many websites available for parents giving resources or ideas for helping your child read at home these include Oxford Owls