At Gastrells, we have high expectations for all children to become ‘life-long’ readers, and we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds to give children the skills they need to learn to read.

Following the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds scheme ensures consistency in the teaching of phonics, and as a result our Synthetic Phonics Programme (SSP) is high quality and robust in its purpose. With a clear structured route, it allows for an inclusive approach where all our pupils can meet or exceed the expected standard.

Through our phonics teaching, we encourage children to challenge themselves in their reading of fully-decodable matched readers and write utilising their phonics across the curriculum. Through our teaching of phonics, children are also encouraged to use the correct terminology when talking about their phonics learning.

The books we use are underpinned by rigorous phonics progression to build our pupils reading confidence and alongside the decoding and blending, the children are encouraged to talk, develop a rich vocabulary and ultimately build a strong foundation for learning to read. 

We aim for all our children to have a love of reading and writing and by supporting them with their phonics journey we aspire for all the children to feel successful, positive and confident in demonstrating their excellence with their phonics.

Our Curriculum Intent in Phonics at Gastrells

What do we expect to see, do and experience in Phonics