Phonics at Sellincourt
Phonics at Sellincourt
Please click here to see our Phonics Screening Check Guide for Parents
At Sellincourt, we aim for all our children to become fluent, confident readers who are passionate about reading. Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read material that is more challenging. A child who can read material that is more challenging is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.
Here at Sellincourt Primary School 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 synthetic phonics programme. We introduce Little Wandle Foundations in our Nursery and then, from Reception, we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, 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, our children will be able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read.
For more information on Little Wandle, please see: https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
How We Teach Phonics and Early Reading
Nursery: Building Strong Foundations
In Nursery, we use the Foundations for Phonics guidance, which focuses on:
- Daily oral blending – helping children hear and combine sounds in words.
- Language development – through high-quality stories, songs, and rhymes.
Reception and Year 1: Systematic Daily Phonics
From Week 2 in Reception, we begin daily phonics lessons using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
- Reception children start with short, 15-minute lessons and additional oral blending each day. These lessons build up to 30 minutes as the year progresses.
- By the end of Reception, children will have learned up to the end of Phase 4.
- Year 1 children have 30-minute daily phonics lessons and review what they’ve learned each Friday. By the end of the year, they will have covered up to the end of Phase 5.
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Year 2: Consolidation and Support
- In Year 2, we review and fill any gaps in phonics knowledge during the Autumn Term.
- Children who need extra support continue to receive help through tailored sessions.
Reading Practice Sessions
To help children apply their phonics knowledge, we have small group reading sessions:
- These are 15-minute sessions, three times a week, with about 6 children per group.
- Children read books that match their phonics level, helping build confidence and fluency.
- The same book is sent home the following week, so children can proudly read it with family.
- These sessions begin in Week 4 of the Reception programme. If a child is not yet blending sounds, they will take home a wordless book to share and talk about.
How We Assess Phonics Progress
We closely track how children are progressing to ensure no one falls behind:
- Weekly review sessions help to consolidate learning.
- We also have pre-planned review weeks to address any gaps.
- If a child is at risk of falling behind, they receive daily ‘Keep-Up’ sessions following the Little Wandle programme.
- Formal phonics assessments are done every half term in Reception and Year 1.
- In Year 1, children take the Statutory Phonics Screening Check in the summer.
- If a child does not meet the expected standard, they will re-take the check in Year 2, and continue receiving support.
Reading for Pleasure: Encouraging a Love of Books
Alongside teaching phonics, we want all children to develop a love of reading. We do this in many ways:
- Daily story time to enjoy books together.
- Whole class reading sessions using a wide range of engaging, age-appropriate books.
- Classroom book corners with carefully chosen books, including those by authors we focus on in class.
- In Nursery, we use the Foundations for a Love of Reading stories from Little Wandle.
- Children also bring home two types of books:
- A decodable phonics book matched to their reading level.
- A reading for pleasure book – a book to enjoy with an adult, even if it's above their independent reading level.
As children build up their knowledge of sounds they are able to apply their decoding skills to any unfamiliar word may it be real or nonsense. To prepare for the screening check, children will practice their decoding skills by sounding out the letters in ‘ nonsense words’. This is an important part of the Phonics Screening Check, which children complete at the end of year 1.
For more information on the Phonics Screening Check, please click the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKGLJPp6ww&list=PLDe74j1F52zSCiOMSn3zQDSzgu9TrbQ1c&index=10
How to help at home:
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-pupils/pupil-home?current_page=rwipupils_ebook_pupils
Pupil Login Details
Username: sellincourt
Password: phonics
Parent Login Details
If parents wish to sign up, please click 'Not Registered Yet! Join Us', tick the 'Parents' box, and enter your details - you will be able to set up a password here.
Phonics Screening Check
As children build up their knowledge of sounds they are able to apply their decoding skills to any unfamiliar word may it be real or nonsense. During lessons each day children will practice their decoding skills by sounding out the letters in ‘Alien words’. This is an important part of the Phonics Screening Check, which children complete at the end of year 1.
For more information on the Phonics Screening Check, please click the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKGLJPp6ww&list=PLDe74j1F52zSCiOMSn3zQDSzgu9TrbQ1c&index=10
How to help at home: