Phonics

Phonics at Colley Lane Primary Academy

At Colley Lane Primary Academy, we use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP). You can find out more about Little Wandle on their website. 

Our children begin their reading adventure in nursery where they develop their knowledge of rhyme through taking part in daily rhyme time lessons. Children then progress onto foundations for phonics lessons where children explore individual sounds in more detail.  In reception and year 1 our children will build upon their knowledge through daily phonics lessons. These 30 minute lessons will focus on revising known sounds, learning new ones, blending for reading, segmenting for writing, and practising tricky words. By year 2, most children will be secure with their phonics learning, with the focus shifting to supporting children to become more fluent readers and more accurate spellers. Children who still need support with their Phonics learning in year 2 and beyond, take part in regular ‘keep up’ support sessions.

Children’s progress in Phonics is tracked through regular assessments. These assessments are carried out by a member of the phonics team. The class teacher and phonics team then meet to discuss next steps and anyone who would benefit from keep up sessions. This support is organised in small groups or 1:1 sessions which take place in addition to the daily phonics lesson.

The Phonics Screening Check:

Children in Year 1 sit the Phonics Screening Check which aims to test children’s word reading ability. During the Phonics Screening check, children are asked to use their phonics to read (decode) 40 words. Most of these words are real words, but others are pseudo-words, which are made up. These words are identified with an image of an alien and as a result are referred to as Alien Words.  Children who do not pass the check in Year 1 will retake the check in Year 2.

Home Reading using the Little Wandle Phonetically Aligned books or Little Wandle Fluency books.

Children will be given a reading book matched to their phonetic ability. Once they have rehearsed this book three times during their weekly reading sessions, they will then bring this book home to share and read at home. These sessions focus on decoding, prosody and comprehension. As they grow in confidence reading this book, they will develop in automaticity and accuracy. In year 2, those who have completed the phonics programme will move onto the Little Wandle fluency programme.