Little Wandle Phonics
Phonics and Early Reading
At Abbey Lane Primary School, we want all of our children to get the very best start in life & this includes learning to read! We want every pupil to enjoy reading, be inspired by it & be able to do it brilliantly!
Reading, quite literally, changes children's lives. There is nothing more important in education than helping learners of all ages to develop as readers. At Abbey Lane Primary school, we want all our children to become fluent and confident readers as early as possible. Our aim is for all pupils, irrespective of their starting points, to leave our school as inquisitive learners who recognise themselves as readers, know how to read with purpose and choose to read for enjoyment.
We’re very proud of our practice in early reading & follow the ‘Little Wandle Letters & Sounds’ Phonics scheme which is accredited by the DfE.
What is Phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write & helps them hear, identify & use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language.
Written language can be compared to a code, so knowing the sounds of individual letters and how the letters sound when they are combined helps children to decode words as they read. Understanding phonics also helps children know which letters to use when they are writing words.
Phonics involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters.
Teaching children to blend the sounds of letters together helps them decode unfamiliar or unknown words by sounding them out.
For example, when a child is taught the sounds for the letters t, p, a and s, they can start to build up the words: “tap”, “taps”, “pat”, “pats” and “sat”.
Little Wandle Letters & Sounds:
Your child will learn the different sounds we have in the English Language. Please watch the videos on the site below to support your child with the correct pronunciation. To access the full site, please go to https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/#SupportForPhonics
Phonics is taught as a daily 30-minute lesson in Reception, Y1 &Y2. Pupils who need additional support with their phonics in Key Stage Two also attend regular phonics sessions.