Phonics and Reading
"It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading." Katherine Patterson
English Team: Miss E McGovern (English Lead), Miss N Hall (Phonics and Early Reading Lead), Miss J Ryan (Oracy Lead), Mrs A Power (English Lead).
Our Purpose (based on the National Curriculum)
At Rack House Primary School, phonics is the foundation of our early reading curriculum, taught from the very beginning of our two-year old provision. We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, a rigorous and systematic synthetic phonics scheme that ensures children learn to decode words accurately and fluently. Through daily, consistent phonics teaching, children build secure knowledge of the alphabetic code and develop the skills to read unfamiliar words confidently and independently. High-quality teaching and regular assessment allow us to identify children who need additional support and provide timely, targeted intervention.
Our approach to reading is fully aligned with the expectations of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework. We recognise that reading consists of two key dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. While phonics gives children the tools to decode, language comprehension begins from birth and is nurtured through high-quality talk, shared stories, and rich experiences with rhymes, poems and non-fiction texts. These early experiences are vital in building the background knowledge and vocabulary needed for later reading success.
Reading for pleasure sits at the heart of our school’s purpose. We are committed to fostering a lifelong love of reading in every child. Children read fully decodable texts matched to their secure phonics knowledge and take part in structured reading sessions that focus on decoding, prosody (intonation, rhythm and stress), and comprehension. As pupils grow in fluency and confidence, they are taught explicit strategies to understand unfamiliar vocabulary, including using contextual clues and word morphology.
As children move through school, our reading curriculum evolves to reflect broader aims: to support cultural capital, critical thinking, and personal identity. Through carefully chosen, high-quality texts, we ensure that children encounter stories that reflect their own lives and introduce them to diverse perspectives- a commitment inspired by the principles of Reflecting Realities. These texts act as mirrors, windows and doors: they help pupils see themselves, understand others, and explore worlds beyond their own.
At Rack House, we are passionate about developing readers who are fluent, thoughtful, and deeply engaged. Through high-quality phonics teaching, meaningful book experiences and a strong culture of reading for pleasure, we ensure every child leaves our school not only able to read—but inspired to read.
National Curriculum link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study
Phonics at Rack House
Phonics at Rack House
Foundations for Phonics in Buddies and Nursery
At Rack House Primary School, we begin laying the foundations for phonics in our two-year-old provision. Our youngest learners are immersed in a language-rich environment where high-quality interactions, stories, songs, and rhymes foster the communication and listening skills essential for early reading success. A core feature of our provision is sharing love of reading texts- engaging stories chosen to spark curiosity, language, and enjoyment.
In Nursery, children engage in activities that develop phonological awareness, such as rhyme, alliteration, syllable recognition, oral blending, and sound discrimination. Dedicated Rhyme Time sessions and focused opportunities for tuning into sounds are key parts of this provision, helping to develop vocabulary, listening, and children's confidence to talk- setting the stage for confident decoding in Reception and fostering a love of reading from the very beginning.
Phonics in Reception
From the very start of Reception, children are taught daily phonics through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Lessons begin at 10 minutes and build up to 30 minutes, with additional oral blending games. Children learn Phase 2 and 3 grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) and apply them in reading and spelling. They progress through Phase 4 to read words with adjacent consonants. Regular review lessons support retention and fluency.
Phonics in Year One
In Year 1, children consolidate Phases 3 and 4 before learning Phase 5 GPCs, including alternative spellings and pronunciations. Phonics continues to be taught daily for 30 minutes, ensuring full coverage and consistent pace. Children learn to read and spell multi-syllable words, suffixes, and common exception words.
Daily Keep-Up in Phonics
To ensure all pupils keep pace, we provide daily Keep-up sessions for any child who is not secure in the content taught. These are delivered by trained staff and follow the same Little Wandle routines and progression, but in smaller steps with more repetition to secure learning. Keep-up is immediate, consistent, and based on careful assessment for learning.
Phonics and Spelling in Year Two
At the start of Year 2, children are assessed to identify any remaining gaps in phonics knowledge. Where needed, children continue with daily phonics teaching until the Little Wandle programme is complete. A five-week Phase 5 review secures understanding of the more complex GPCs and alternative pronunciations. Once children have secured Phase 5, we teach the Bridge to Spelling sequence to support the transition from phonics to spelling. This is followed by the Spelling units, which build on phonics knowledge and develop spelling strategies for more complex words and patterns.
Rapid Catch-Up in Phonics
For children who need significant support, we implement the Rapid Catch-up programme. This structured, daily intervention lasts 15–20 minutes and is designed specifically for pupils in Year 2 and above who did not meet age-related expectations or who did not pass the Phonics Screening Check. Children are assessed every four weeks to monitor progress and ensure swift movement toward reading fluency.
Reading at Rack House
Teaching Reading: Reading Practice Session (Reception until Year Two)
From Reception until each child becomes a fluent reader, pupils remain on the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics scheme and access structured reading practice sessions. These sessions are delivered in small groups by trained adults and are carefully designed to reinforce phonics knowledge and develop confident, fluent readers.
Each session focuses on a specific reading skill:
- Decoding – applying phonic knowledge to read words accurately
- Prosody – reading with rhythm, stress, and expression
- Comprehension – understanding and discussing the meaning of the text
Books used in these sessions are fully decodable and precisely matched to each child's secure phonic knowledge, as identified through regular assessments. Teachers use data from the Little Wandle assessment tracker to carefully align each child’s reading book with the phonics they have securely learned. Children read the same book across sessions, allowing them to build fluency, reinforce vocabulary, and deepen comprehension. From these sessions, children develop phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and positive book behaviours that support their ongoing success as readers.
Once pupils demonstrate fluency- typically reading at an appropriate speed with 90%+ accuracy- they exit the phonics programme and progress to the Accelerated Reader programme. This next step continues to develop reading stamina, accuracy, prosody, and comprehension through a wide range of high-quality texts tailored to each child's reading level.
Shared Reading at Rack House (Year One until Year Six)
Key Stage One
In Key Stage 1, while teachers lead phonics groups to support children’s fluency and prosody through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, teaching assistants deliver structured whole class reading sessions. These sessions are underpinned by the key reading comprehension skills of prediction, vocabulary, retrieval, inference, making connections and language choice.
Children are taught to use reading strategies such as activating prior knowledge, visualising, asking questions, and summarising meaning. Key skills- including prediction, vocabulary building, and retrieval-are practised daily, with one skill given focused attention each week to deepen understanding and ensure progression.
Whole class reading in Key Stage 1 incorporates a range of reading approaches, including teacher modelling reading, paired reading, and individual reading. These techniques are embedded not just to keep children active and engaged, but to systematically and effectively support the development of fluency, pace, and understanding. By combining different strategies, all children can participate, regardless of their reading ability.
These sessions draw on a wide range of carefully selected high-quality texts that include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and texts that reflect the diversity of our world and our community. Texts have been selected in line with the CLPE Reflecting Realities guidance to ensure that every child can identify themselves in the literature they read throughout their time in school. This approach not only builds reading comprehension but also develops children's motivation to read, spoken language, and confidence to engage with books.
Key Stage Two
In Key Stage 2, class teachers lead daily whole class reading sessions, teaching reading comprehension explicitly to ability-based groups across the school. The approach continues to focus on the key skills of prediction, vocabulary, retrieval, inference, comparison, summarising, structure, and organisation.
Teachers use a broad repertoire of reading comprehension strategies- such as questioning, clarifying, activating prior knowledge, and summarising- to help children become strategic, independent readers. Whole class reading includes a variety of reading types, including teacher modelling reading, paired reading, and independent reading, to develop fluency, confidence, and engagement. These approaches provide regular opportunities for pupils to practise reading aloud with accuracy and expression, improving prosody and deepening comprehension.
Texts are chosen for their quality, challenge, and relevance, ensuring they develop both reading skill and reading for pleasure, with opportunities to encounter and apply Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary across subjects. Our reading overview has been thoughtfully curated with the Reflecting Realities research in mind, ensuring that children across the school encounter a wide range of characters, cultures, and experiences. This means every child can see themselves reflected in the texts they read, while also gaining insights into lives different from their own.
Reading instruction includes explicit modelling, guided practice, and structured discussion to deepen understanding and support fluent, expressive reading. Dialogue-rich sessions also develop critical thinking, language comprehension, and cultural literacy- preparing pupils for the increasing demands of the curriculum and life beyond primary school.
Home Reading
Whilst they are learning to become fluent readers, children take home two books:
- A fully decodable reading practice book, previously read in school, to build fluency and confidence.
- A Reading for Pleasure book, chosen by the child to share and enjoy with their family.
This dual approach fosters both reading skill and enjoyment. Children gain confidence and fluency through structured, familiar texts while also developing a love of reading through self-selected, engaging stories. Families are supported in this process through workshops, newsletters, and access to Little Wandle’s online parent resources, ensuring a strong home-school partnership in early reading development.
Once pupils demonstrate fluency- typically reading at an appropriate speed with 90%+ accuracy- they exit the phonics programme and progress to the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme. This next step continues to develop their reading stamina, accuracy, prosody, and comprehension through a wide range of high-quality texts tailored to each child's reading level.
Accelerated Reader is a widely used reading program that supports independent reading practice. While it does not teach reading skills or strategies directly, it helps teachers to track pupils’ reading habits, progress, and comprehension through regular quizzes. AR guides pupils to choose books that match their individual reading ability, enabling struggling readers to enthuse reading across a range of genres in order to inspire a love of reading. The aim is to encourage children to read regularly, independently, and with increasing confidence and enjoyment.
The Results of Our Approach
By the time they leave us, pupils will:
- Read fluently, confidently and with prosody, applying secure phonic knowledge and decoding strategies.
- Demonstrate secure comprehension skills including retrieval, inference, summarising, prediction and vocabulary understanding.
- Engage with a wide range of high-quality, inclusive texts for both learning and pleasure.
- Apply reading strategies independently to access and understand increasingly complex texts across the curriculum.
- Articulate personal responses to texts, reflecting on character, theme, authorial intent and language choices.
- Recognise themselves and others in literature, showing empathy, curiosity and cultural awareness through diverse reading experiences.
The impact of our phonics and reading curriculum is evidenced through:
- Reading Fluency and Accuracy: Pupils develop fluency and automaticity in reading, measured through regular termly NFER assessment, Little Wandle tracking, and the use of Star Reading assessment. By the end of KS1, most pupils meet or exceed national expectations in the Phonics Screening Check.
- Comprehension Proficiency: Through structured whole-class reading and guided reading practice, pupils show a strong grasp of comprehension strategies. Pupil work, discussion and assessment outcomes demonstrate accurate retrieval, thoughtful inference and vocabulary confidence.
- Inclusive Reader Identity: Pupils talk positively about their reading experiences and identify with characters and contexts across a wide range of texts. Our Reflecting Realities-informed text selection ensures children see themselves in books and encounter diverse perspectives.
- Independence and Engagement: Pupils read regularly and widely, selecting books matched to their level and interests through our Accelerated Reader programme. Reading journals, quizzes and pupil feedback show increasing independence, motivation and enjoyment.
- Home-School Reading Partnerships: Families are actively involved in reading, supported by decodable home reading books, reading-for-pleasure texts, workshops, and Little Wandle parent resources. Home reading records reflect consistency, support and engagement.
- Progress Across Key Stages: Children who begin on the Little Wandle phonics programme make strong progress and transition successfully to independent reading. Assessment and tracking show that pupils who required Rapid Catch-up or Keep-up support close gaps effectively and leave school as competent, confident readers.
Useful links :
Little Wandle for Parents:
https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
BBC Bitesize:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zgq8r2p#zn3scxs
National Literacy Trust:
