At Newtown Primary School we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds to teach Phonics in Early Years and KS1.

In Nursery, children engage daily in Phase 1 activities. These activities support the children to learn new vocabulary and to develop speaking and listening skills.

In Reception and Year 1, phonics is taught daily for 25-30 minutes. Each lesson includes an opportunity to review previously learned skills, practise oral blending and teach new phonemes/graphemes to support children to read new words.

Phonic assessments are made half termly in Reception and Year 1.

In the Summer term, children in Year 1 will sit the Phonics Screening Check

What does the phonics curriculum look like?

The document below outlines the skills and knowledge that will be taught each half term in Reception and Year 1.

How can parents help at home?

Follow the link below to the parent’s section of the Little Wandle website. Here you will find further information to help you support your child with their phonics at home.

Take a look at our grapheme sheets. They contain useful information about how to pronounce the sounds as well as catchphrases that help the children embed them into their long term memory. 

In KS2, we identify children’s phonic gaps, and they are addressed through small group interventions using the Little Wandle Keep Up program.

Home Reading

Children are encouraged to read at home at least three times a week using our Little Wandle Phonics reading books. These books have been carefully matched from recent assessments in school; supporting children’s phonic knowledge and gaps.