Phonics
At Hetton Lyons Primary School, we believe that for all children to become fluent readers and writers by the time they leave us in Year 6, phonics must be taught through a systematic and structured programme from the very beginning.
INTENT
At Hetton Lyons Primary School, we aim for all children to become fluent, confident and enthusiastic lifelong readers. Reading is a crucial life skill and underpins success across the curriculum and beyond school life.
By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning, enjoy reading for pleasure and have the skills to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.
We believe that high-quality phonics teaching is essential for developing strong reading and writing skills. Therefore, phonics is taught through a systematic and structured programme to ensure all children build secure foundations for reading success.
IMPLEMENTATION
We use the government-validated systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme Little Wandle: Letters & Sounds Revised. This programme is designed to teach children to read from Reception to Year 2 through decoding and blending sounds to form words.
The programme provides a clear progression through all commonly occurring grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), moving from simple to more complex sounds and taking into account their frequency in commonly encountered words.
Phonics teaching is fast-paced and interactive. All children are encouraged to actively participate and take ownership of their learning, ensuring high engagement and progress.
Daily phonics teaching
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Phonics is taught daily in Reception and Year 1.
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Teaching begins in Week 2 of the Autumn term in Reception.
We follow Little Wandle expectations of progress:
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Reception: Children are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and Phase 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4), with increasing fluency and accuracy.
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Year 1: Children revisit Phase 3 and Phase 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs with fluency and accuracy.
Assessment and keep-up support
Children are assessed through daily observations and more formal assessments every 3–6 weeks, depending on their phase. These assessments allow staff to quickly identify children who need additional support.
Any child requiring extra practice receives daily keep-up sessions, delivered by a fully trained adult. These sessions mirror the structure, language and resources used in whole-class teaching, but are delivered in smaller steps with increased repetition. Support may be delivered 1:1 or in small groups.
Children who do not meet the expected standard in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, or who are not yet fluent readers, receive additional phonics teaching to ensure gaps in learning are addressed swiftly and effectively.
Ensuring consistency and progress
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Phonics is taught by fully trained adults using Little Wandle strategies and resources.
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Consistent language, routines and resources are used across the school to reduce cognitive load.
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Weekly content grids clearly map learning across the programme.
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Lesson templates, prompt cards and training videos support consistent teaching practice.
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School leaders regularly review phonics assessments
IMPACT
By the time children leave Hetton Lyons Primary School, they are confident, fluent readers who enjoy reading across a wide range of genres, including poetry. They can discuss books, recommend texts to others and read with understanding and pleasure.
Our systematic approach to phonics teaching, combined with high expectations and timely intervention, ensures strong reading outcomes for all pupils.
For information on how to pronounce sounds correctly, please visit the Little Wandle page for parents, where you will find useful resources.
If you require any further information or support, please contact Mrs Williams.