New Pasture
LanePhonics and Early Reading.
Our approach to Phonics
At New Pasture Lane our aim is to help children become effective, reflective readers.
Early reading is taught following the DFE approved Little Wandle programme using synthetic phonics, which all classes in Early Years and Key Stage 1 participate in. Pupils are taught the phonemes (sounds), how to blend these sounds through the word for reading and how to segment the sounds in order to spell words with accuracy and independence. They are also taught tricky words and common exception words which do not completely follow the phonic rules.
We implement this by all children in Early Years and Year 1 taking part in daily twenty-minute phonics sessions which build on their previous learning using the revisit, teach, practice and apply cycle. Keep-up sessions and targeted interventions for children needing additional support are delivered by trained adults using Little Wandle resources. Our phonics sessions are designed to be fun and interactive, and every childs achievement is carefully and frequently tracked, ensuring all children, including those with SEND, keep up with their peers. In Year 2 we teach the Little Wandle spelling programme, which links to the core programme building on the alphabetic code, teaching children how to spell with confidence. The programme can continue into Year 3 if required.
The impact of our phonics approach is that all children make strong and sustained progress in phonics from their starting points, enabling children to become strong, fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1.. The teaching of reading throughout school is designed to build on this, providing opportunities for children to learn and practise comprehension and fluency skills, using the National Curriculum as our framework. Reading books are regularly monitored and pupil voice discussions show the children's improved confidence and enjoyment in reading.
This systematic and consistent approach ensures that no child is left behind and that reading is placed at the heart of our curriculum.
