Phonics

“Learning to decode words using phonics is an essential element of early reading instruction.”

Hulme, C. & Snowling, M.J

Phonics is a key approach to teaching children to read and supports early writing development. It focuses on developing children’s phonemic awareness – the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Children are taught the relationship between these sounds and the written letters or letter groups (graphemes) that represent them. This enables children to decode unfamiliar words by sounding them out and blending sounds together, building strong foundations for fluent reading.

At Wintringham, phonics is taught through a clear, systematic and progressive programme based on Little Wandle. Children begin their phonics journey in Pre-School with Phase 1, developing essential listening and speaking skills. This progresses into Phase 2 phonics when children start Reception, where they begin learning letter–sound correspondences and blending for reading.

All staff who teach phonics are fully trained in the delivery of synthetic phonics to ensure consistency and high-quality teaching across the school. Children’s progress is assessed regularly through ongoing formative assessment and at planned summative assessment points. This allows staff to quickly identify any children who may be at risk of falling behind, so that targeted support and timely catch-up can be put in place.

In Year 1, children continue to follow the phonics progression appropriate to their age and stage. Regular assessment ensures they remain on track, with additional small-group or individual interventions provided where needed. In the summer term of Year 1, children take the statutory Phonics Screening Check (PSC), which assesses their ability to decode words using phonics and provides valuable information to support next steps in learning.

Through this structured and supportive approach, we aim to ensure that all children develop the phonics knowledge and confidence they need to become successful, fluent readers.

Reading

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss

At our school, reading sits at the heart of the curriculum and underpins everything our children do. We aim to develop confident, fluent readers who enjoy reading widely and can apply their skills across all areas of learning.

From the very start of Reception, children take part in daily, systematic phonics sessions following the Little Wandle programme. This continues through Year 1 and, where needed, into Year 2 and beyond as targeted catch-up, ensuring that all children are supported to become secure early readers.

From Year 2 through to Year 6, children participate in regular whole-class reading sessions. These sessions use high-quality extracts from a wide range of genres and text types to develop key reading skills, including retrieval, inference and deduction, vocabulary development, and understanding authorial choice. Children are encouraged to think deeply about texts, discuss ideas and justify their responses.

Reading and writing are closely linked across the school. Our writing curriculum is built around high-quality texts that are shared and explored together, providing rich models and meaningful contexts for writing. All children are read to every day, ensuring that they experience language-rich texts beyond their independent reading level.

Children read daily in school using level-appropriate books, matched to their age and stage of development through Little Wandle and Accelerated Reader, and take books home to practise and enjoy with their families. Opportunities are provided for children to read aloud, discuss their books with adults and develop confidence and fluency.

We actively promote a love of reading in all its forms. Children are encouraged to read widely and share what they read, whether that is a story, a recipe, a football match report or a favourite bedtime book. Staff model positive reading habits by sharing books they are reading and recommending texts through assemblies and “What I am reading…” displays. Families are also supported through recommended reading lists for each year group.

Children’s progress in reading is carefully monitored. Ongoing formative assessment is used throughout the school, alongside key assessment points in line with Little Wandle. Children are formally assessed each term in KS1 and KS2, with Star Reader assessments used in KS2 to support accurate book matching and progress tracking.

Through this consistent, structured and enthusiastic approach, we aim to nurture confident readers who read for pleasure, understanding and success.

Writing

“You can make anything by writing.”

C.S. Lewis

Writing is developed progressively across the school, beginning with strong foundations in the Early Years and building towards confident, purposeful writing for a range of audiences by the end of Key Stage 2.

In Reception, children are given daily opportunities to develop fine motor skills, pencil control and correct letter formation. Alongside phonics taught through Little Wandle, children learn to write using a ‘Drawing Club’ approach. This allows them to respond creatively to high-quality texts through drawing and mark making, which then systematically progresses to forming taught letters, words, phrases and sentences, also in line with the Little Wandle progression. Children are supported and encouraged to apply these skills during independent play, with a wide range of writing opportunities provided in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments.

In Key Stages 1 and 2, the school follows a bespoke writing structure designed to support the development of confident and skilled writers. This approach draws on elements of CLPE Power of Reading and The Write Stuff, and is centred around children responding to carefully selected, high-quality texts. Through these texts, children are taught key writing skills and given regular opportunities to apply them for different purposes and audiences.

A range of scaffolds and interventions are used to support children who need additional help, including phonics catch-up, Writing Recovery and Widgit. These supports are used both within the classroom and, where appropriate, as targeted interventions.

Assessment of writing is ongoing and carried out by class teachers. From midway through Year 1, children complete work in their Exciting Writing books on a two-week cycle. The first week focuses on an independent write linked to current learning in English, while the second week is dedicated to editing and improving their work. These books travel with the children through the school and demonstrate progress over time.

Teachers use a range of evidence to make secure judgements about writing attainment, including Exciting Writing books, English books and other cross-curricular writing, ensuring a holistic view of each child’s development as a writer.