Reading and Phonics

At Greenhill, we lay a strong emphasis on the teaching of reading. The ability to read well is a vital skill that needs to be taught from Nursery. Children in EYFS and Year 1 follow the Little Wandle phonics scheme as well as take home an Little Wandle Big Cat reading book that matches their phonics stage and a book for pleasure. Children in Year 2 up to Year 6 take part in Accelerated Reader which is a programme that aims to foster independent reading in all children of primary age. All books in our Oxford Reading Tree Scheme, our school library and our class libraries are labelled with a ZPD. This allows the children to choose a reading book based on their reading level which is identified after taking a Star Reader Test.   

In school, we teach reading through both shared reading and comprehension. As well as this, all classes plan in time for ERIC (Everyone Reads in Class) daily, for 25minutes. This is time for the children to engross themselves in their chosen reading book and read to an adult or to their peers. In addition, we also offer reading support for those children who find reading challenging through interventions such as The 5 Minute Box, Reading Recovery and Little Wandle intereventions taken from the scheme. We also offer those children extra 1:1 reads a week with an adult.

Wandle Phonics

Children from Nursery to Year 2 follow the ‘Little Wandle' phonics scheme and have daily discrete phonics sessions. In our Pre-School provision, the children are taught pre-phonics through following Letter and Sounds Phase 1 aspects 1-6 such as identifying environmental sounds and making sounds through body percussion. 

All phonic lessons have four parts which are interactive, well-paced and structured so that the children are revisiting, learning, practising and applying their skills.

Children in KS2 also continue to learn phonics if necessary and all children receive spelling lists to learn weekly. 

Click on to the Little Wandle Logo above for more information. 

Assessment

Phonic knowledge is assessed half termly through the appropriate phonic assessment package based on the Little Wandle assessment criteria.

Phonic knowledge is assessed during Year 1 through the statutory phonics screening check. It also be repeated during Year 2 to monitor progress and identify those children in need of intervention.