Phonics and Early Reading

Intention Statement

Phonics & Early Reading Lead: Miss Hargrove

Phonics

At St Marys we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Programme Overview Reception And Year 1 June 2025 (1) which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At St Marys, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Comprehension

At St Marys we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose. Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Implementation

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, phonics and early reading are delivered with fidelity to our chosen systematic, synthetic phonics programme to ensure all pupils become confident, fluent readers and writers. Our implementation of phonics and early reading includes the following key features:

Systematic Daily Teaching: Phonics is taught daily from Reception onwards using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme, ensuring the structured progression of phonemes, graphemes and reading skills as children move through school.
Progressive Skill Development: Lessons follow a carefully sequenced overview that builds pupils’ knowledge of the alphabetic code, enabling them to decode and spell with increasing accuracy. High-quality modelling of phonics is integrated into shared reading and writing activities inside phonics sessions and across the wider curriculum.
Language and Reading Across the Curriculum: Teachers reinforce language development, recognising its importance for reading comprehension and expressive communication in all subjects.
Focused Support & Monitoring: Progress is regularly monitored by the Reading Lead, who supports staff to maintain programme fidelity and identifies pupils who need additional practice or intervention. Targeted support is provided to ensure pupils keep up with the pace of learning.
Reading for Pleasure and Comprehension: Beyond decoding, reading is taught as a life-long skill. Pupils are exposed to rich, meaningful texts and encouraged to read for both pleasure and purpose, building confidence in comprehension and vocabulary.
Leadership and Professional Development: The Reading Lead oversees the phonics and early reading programme, ensuring high-quality teaching through ongoing professional development and consistent implementation across year groups.

Impact

The consistent and systematic implementation of our phonics and early reading curriculum ensures that pupils at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School make strong progress in reading from the very start of their education.

As a result of high-quality, daily phonics teaching delivered with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme:

Pupils become confident, fluent readers. Children develop secure decoding skills, enabling them to read accurately and independently. This foundation supports success across the wider curriculum.
Progress is closely monitored and gaps are quickly addressed. Regular assessment and targeted interventions ensure that pupils who need additional support are identified early and helped to keep up with their peers.
Outcomes in phonics are strong. The majority of pupils meet or exceed age-related expectations, including success in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, demonstrating effective teaching and learning.
Pupils develop a love of reading. Exposure to high-quality texts and consistent reading practice fosters positive attitudes towards reading, with pupils reading for pleasure as well as for learning.
Vocabulary, language and comprehension improve. Strong early reading skills support pupils’ spoken language, writing development and understanding of texts across all subjects.
Staff confidence and consistency are high. Ongoing professional development and strong leadership ensure that teaching is consistent, inclusive and responsive to pupils’ needs.

Overall, our phonics and early reading provision equips pupils with the essential skills they need to become lifelong readers, enabling them to flourish academically, socially and spiritually.