Phonics and Early Reading Curriculum Statement  

Our School Vision:  

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:25)

Bishop Chavasse Church of England School Policies are all underpinned by our school parable ‘The Wise and the Foolish Builder.’

Jesus is at the heart of Christianity. As a church school we believe that, like the wise man, those who are guided by the word of God in the Bible and trust in him will become wise, compassionate and honest; be empowered to weather all storms, help one another flourish and make a difference in the world.

Bishop Chavasse School knows and values every wonderfully and uniquely created child and adult. Supported by faith, we establish firm foundations for our children to become resilient, curious, confident, community minded courageous advocates who flourish and thrive. We build on and support the development of the whole person in a safe, happy Christian environment. We inspire everyone to fulfil their potential through our high expectations and a broad, creative and inspirational curriculum; rich in opportunity to develop culture capital, have fun and partake in adventures. Everyone will develop an everlasting love of learning. Our dedicated, passionate staff, supported by parents, Governors and the Tenax Schools Trust are committed to nurturing our community to achieve excellence together in an environment where everyone is wise, trustworthy and compassionate. Pupils will make everlasting friendships and exciting life-long memories.

Phonics at Bishop Chavasse 

Phonics is an approach to teaching reading, and some aspects of writing, by developing learners’ phonemic awareness. This involves the skills of hearing, identifying and using phonemes or sounds patterns in English. The aim is to teach the children the link between these sounds and written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them. Phonics emphasises the skills of decoding new words by sounding them out and combining, or ‘blending’, the sound-spelling patterns. In all subjects at Bishop Chavasse CE Primary School, we live by our school vision of no child being left behind and no hand left un-held: 

Intent 

At Bishop Chavasse, we value reading as a key life skill and believe that every child should become a fluent reader and writer. The systematic teaching of phonics through a clearly structured programme is a high priority throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Interventions in Key Stage 2 are used to support children who are assessed as requiring additional phonics teaching.

We have implemented Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, a complete systematic synthetic phonics programme, to support the planning and delivery of carefully sequenced daily phonics lessons. Through this programme, children develop the skills of blending sounds to read words and segmenting words for spelling. We also value and encourage reading for pleasure, recognising that this begins with secure foundations in phonics and early reading.

The knowledge and skills taught in phonics lessons are reinforced through shared reading, guided reading, writing activities and across the wider curriculum. As a school, we place a strong emphasis on the development of language because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills that underpin success in reading and writing across all subjects.

Implementation 

Phonics teaching begins in the Early Years Foundation Stage, following the progression and expectations set out in the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily in Reception and Year 1 through engaging, interactive lessons that build children's knowledge and confidence step by step. Children then move onto the Little Wandle spelling programme in Year 2. Children in Year 2 and Key Stage 2 who require additional support receive targeted phonics interventions to help them catch up quickly.

In every Early Years and Key Stage 1 classroom, phonics resources are displayed to support children in recalling and applying their phonics knowledge independently. These include grapheme charts, sound mats and other visual prompts that reflect the progression of the Little Wandle programme.

Children are taught to recognise grapheme-phoneme correspondences in a clearly defined sequence. They learn to blend sounds to read words and segment words into sounds for spelling. As children progress, they are taught alternative pronunciations and spellings for known phonemes, enabling them to read and spell increasingly complex words with confidence and accuracy.

Reading practice sessions are carefully matched to children's phonic knowledge. Children in Reception and Key Stage 1 take part in regular reading practice sessions using fully decodable books aligned with the Little Wandle progression. These sessions focus on three key reading skills: decoding, prosody (reading with expression) and comprehension. Each child takes home a reading practice book that is matched to their current phonic knowledge so that they can experience success and build confidence as readers.

Alongside their decodable reading book, children are encouraged to share and enjoy a variety of high-quality texts with their families to foster a lifelong love of reading. Further support for parents is available through information workshops and guidance materials.

Impact 

Through the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics, our aim is for children to become confident, fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. Through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, children develop secure decoding skills, enabling them to read unfamiliar words accurately and confidently. As their fluency develops, they are able to focus increasingly on comprehension and enjoyment of reading.

Children's progress is carefully monitored through ongoing formative assessment, Little Wandle assessment materials and the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check. Outcomes are analysed to ensure all children receive the support they need to succeed. Children who do not meet the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check receive additional support in Year 2 and beyond where required.

Our ultimate aim is to foster a lifelong love of reading. By providing children with a secure understanding of phonics and rich opportunities to engage with high-quality texts, we equip them with the skills and confidence needed to become enthusiastic, successful readers and learners.

For more information please visit the Little Wandle Parents Page