Phonics

At St Martin’s CE Primary School, we are deeply committed to nurturing a love of reading in every child. We believe that becoming a confident, fluent reader is the foundation for lifelong learning and success. From the very beginning of Nursery, we use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme to ensure children develop strong early reading skills. This systematic, synthetic phonics approach supports all learners, helping them to decode words accurately and build fluency.

Through daily phonics sessions and regular reading practice, we aim to empower every child to read with confidence, enjoyment, and understanding.

At St Martin's, Phonics is more than a subject—it’s a gateway to confident reading, clear communication, and a love of language.

Intent

Our intent in implementing Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is to ensure every child becomes a confident, fluent reader through a systematic, synthetic phonics programme that is inclusive, ambitious, and rooted in the latest research on how children learn to read. Our goal is to close the word gap early, enabling all pupils—regardless of background or starting point—to access the full curriculum and develop a lifelong love of reading.

Our goal is for all children to:

Develop rapid decoding and encoding skills through consistent phonics instruction.
Build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.
Build a love of reading by accessing fully decodable texts matched to their phonics stage.
Achieve age-related expectations and beyond in reading fluency and comprehension.
Be equipped to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read.
Close the gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners through targeted support and inclusive teaching.

Implementation

Phonics is taught daily across EYFS and KS1 using the Little Wandle progression, which is carefully structured from simple to complex grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs).

Key features of our implementation include:

Fidelity to the Little Wandle scheme, with lessons following the sequence: Revisit/Review, Teach, Practise, Apply, Assess.
Daily phonics lessons in EYFS and KS1, starting with short sessions in Nursery and building to full-length lessons in Reception and Year 1.
Keep-up sessions: Children identified as needing additional support receive daily interventions that mirror the main lesson structure but with smaller steps and more repetition.
Rapid Catch-Up programme: For children in Year 2 and above who have not met expected standards, short, focused lessons help close gaps quickly.
Delivery of reading practice sessions, 3 times each week, using fully decodable Big Cat books, matched precisely to each child’s phonics phase, to reinforce decoding, prosody, and comprehension.
Regular assessment and monitoring, including practice for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, to ensure progress and inform targeted support.

All staff receive ongoing training to ensure fidelity, consistency and high-quality delivery across the school.

Impact

The impact of our phonics provision is evident in the outcomes and confidence of our learners:

Children become fluent readers by the end of KS1, able to decode unfamiliar words and read with increasing accuracy and speed.
High attainment in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, reflecting strong foundational skills.
Improved spelling and writing outcomes, as children apply their phonics knowledge across the curriculum.
Rapid progress for those receiving catch-up support, narrowing the gap between them and their peers.
Positive attitudes toward reading, with children choosing to read independently and engaging with a wide range of texts.
Effective support for disadvantaged pupils, with targeted interventions narrowing the attainment gap.

Children leave KS1 equipped with the phonological skills needed to decode unfamiliar words, read with expression, and write with accuracy.

Big Picture

The Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme is built on a systematic, synthetic phonics approach that ensures all children learn to read with confidence and fluency. It follows a carefully sequenced progression of sounds and tricky words, with daily lessons and regular review to embed learning. The curriculum is underpinned by high expectations, inclusivity, and early intervention, ensuring no child is left behind. Decodable texts matched to taught phonics support reading practice, while a strong focus on language development and comprehension helps children transition from decoding to understanding, laying the foundation for lifelong literacy.

Content

The Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme teaches phonics through a structured sequence of phases. Children learn phoneme-grapheme correspondences (GPCs), blending and segmenting skills, and tricky words in a systematic order. Each phase introduces new sounds and words gradually, with daily lessons and regular review to reinforce learning. The scheme includes reading practice using fully decodable books matched to the taught GPCs, ensuring children apply their phonics knowledge in context. Regular assessments track progress and identify children needing additional support. The content is designed to build secure foundations in early reading, leading to confident, fluent, and independent readers.

Sequencing

The Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme is carefully sequenced to ensure children build secure phonics knowledge step by step. It begins with Phase 1 in Nursery, focusing on listening and sound discrimination. From Reception onwards, children progress through Phases 2 to 5, learning phoneme-grapheme correspondences (GPCs), blending, segmenting, and tricky words in a structured order. Each phase introduces new sounds gradually, with regular review and consolidation. The sequence is designed to support cumulative learning, ensuring children master each stage before moving on. This systematic approach enables confident decoding, fluent reading, and strong foundations for spelling and writing.

Oracy and Vocabulary

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised places strong emphasis on developing children’s spoken language and vocabulary alongside phonics. Daily lessons include opportunities for children to articulate sounds clearly, practise oral blending, and engage in structured talk. Teachers model precise pronunciation and encourage children to use new vocabulary in context. Through repeated exposure to key words and sentence structures, children build confidence in speaking and listening. The use of matched decodable books also supports vocabulary growth, as children encounter and discuss words linked to their phonics learning. This integrated approach strengthens oracy, comprehension, and overall language development.

Assessment of Pupils

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised includes regular assessments to track children’s progress in phonics. Teachers assess knowledge of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), blending, segmenting, and tricky words using the Little Wandle assessment tracker. In Year 1, children are prepared for the statutory Phonics Screening Check through consistent practice and review. Those who do not meet the expected standard receive targeted support in Year 2, with tailored keep-up sessions to strengthen their phonics knowledge and fluency. This ensures they are well-prepared for Key Stage 2, with secure foundations in reading and the confidence to access the wider curriculum.

Reasonable Adjustments for Pupils with SEND

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised is designed to be inclusive and accessible for all learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The programme provides clear, consistent routines and visual prompts to support understanding. Lessons are delivered at a steady pace with repetition and overlearning to reinforce key concepts. Children with SEND benefit from targeted “keep-up” sessions tailored to their individual needs. Resources are adapted where necessary, and staff use ongoing assessment to identify barriers and adjust teaching accordingly. This ensures every child can access phonics learning and make progress towards confident, fluent reading.

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