We have a carefully considered and sequenced approach to early reading. 

This enables children and young people who are working at Early Development level to build essential pre-reading knowledge, understanding and skills. These include early visual, auditory and motor skills; focus and attention skills; early communication skills; and memory and sequencing skills. These are developed by providing children and young people access to high quality books and poetry, supported by concrete experiences. 

For children and young people working at Emergent Concept level, foundations for reading are established through a clear focus on developing language comprehension and word recognition skills. This includes a focus on developing vocabulary, language conventions and background knowledge alongside phonological awareness. This is achieved through sharing high-quality stories and poems; learning a range of rhymes and simple poems; and activities that develop focused listening and attention, including Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics, focusing on Phase 1. 

Children and young people working at Basic Concept and Applying Knowledge levels who have established pre-reading and foundations for reading skills are supported to become effective early readers. Children and young people are supported to develop a love of reading through accessing a wide range of texts and genres and there is a continued focus on developing language comprehension skills alongside more formal decoding and automatic word recognition skills.  

We use the ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds' systematic synthetic phonics programme to ensure children and young people build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. Alongside our phonics programme, we use carefully matched ‘Big Cat’ decodable reading books in order for children and young people to apply their phonics knowledge and be able to access high quality texts and read for pleasure later on.  

reading at home

One of the most powerful ways to support your child or young person’s reading journey is by sharing the joy of stories together. Snuggling up with a book, exploring the pictures, using different voices, and talking about the story helps develop a love of reading and strengthens language and comprehension skills. These special moments build curiosity, imagination, and a deeper connection with books, which adds so much value to the education of our children and young people. Rather than focusing on phonics or decoding, we encourage you to enjoy stories together, visit libraries and help your child or young person see reading as a source of comfort, excitement, and adventure.