Phonics

At Christ Church C of E Primary School we believe that for all our children to become fluent readers and writers, phonics should be taught effectively through a systematic and structured phonics programme.

Phonics and Early Reading Policy

Link to Phonics and Early Reading Policy

We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide 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.

Click here to download the programme overview

Phonics Workshops

Throughout the year, families of children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are invited to participate in a Phonics Workshop to learn all about how your child is learning to read. Our regular newsletters will inform you of when these workshops will take place throughout the year.

Click here to view the Phonics Workshop Powerpoint

Supporting your child with reading at home

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home.

There are two types of reading book that your child may bring home from school:

•  A reading practice book.

This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.

Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.

We use the Little Wandle Big Cat reading scheme and supplement this with Bug Club, Floppy Phonics and Oxford Reading Tree Songbirds  reading books that are carefully aligned to the progression of our phonics programme.

•  A sharing book.

 In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. You shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone, the sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.

Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a nonfiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!

If you would like more information about how to support your child with phonics at home, please follow this link to find the Reception and Year 1 overview as well as videos of the sound pronunciations, letter formation sheets and other helpful resources.

 https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/