Intent

 

At Ilchester Community Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Nursery/Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression (see appendix 1), which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Ilchester Community Primary School, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Comprehension

At Ilchester Community Primary School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have Reading Leaders who drive the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Entitlement

Our children deserve a phonics curriculum which:

· Enables them to gain a progressive understanding of the phonetic structure of the English language.

· Allows them to apply their phonic knowledge to decode unfamiliar words accurately.

· To read confidently to apply what they have learnt across all other subjects.

· A phonics approach which creates articulate, confident speakers, fluent readers and willing writers.

Allows them to develop a life-long love of reading.

‘Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s success.’ (OECD 2002)

For parents | Letters and Sounds