At St Dominic’s Primary School, we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. We start teaching phonics in EYFS and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

Foundations for phonics in Nursery

• In Nursery, your child will experience Phonics through a mixture of child-led and adult-led experiences. These include:

  • sharing high-quality stories and poems

  • learning a range of nursery rhymes and action rhymes

  • listening and attention activities including oral blending

We ensure Nursery children are well prepared to begin to recognise letters and blend words in Reception.

Phonics lessons in Reception and Year 1

• In Reception and Year 1, we teach phonics for 30 minutes each day. These are fast-paced and interactive sessions. Each Friday, we review the week’s teaching to revise pupils’ learning and help children to become fluent readers.

• Children in Reception are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and 3 letters and sounds, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4) with fluency and accuracy.

• Children in Year 1 review Phase 3 and 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 letters and sounds with fluency and accuracy.

Phonics Screening Test​​​​​​​

During the summer term in Year 1, children nationwide are tested on their phonic knowledge. This test helps us to identify children who have gaps in their phonic knowledge and may need support in Year 2 to develop reading and writing skills. Parents are informed as to whether their child has achieved the national expectation within the child’s end-of-year report.

You can find out more information about our Phonics Curriculum by reading our Phonics & Early Reading Policy.