At Berkswich, we believe that all of our children can become fluent readers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. The children's phonics jounery begins from the very start in nursery and carries through to Year Two. We follow the 'Little Wandle Revised Letters and Sounds' progression, which ensures that 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 of our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Berkswich CE, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lessons 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. 

How is reading taught? 

Once children have learnt the first 8 initial sounds in Reception (s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d) and how to blend these together to make words (cat, pin, dip) they begin to practise these skills in reading groups. 

Reading practise session occur 3 times a week, with each having a particular learning focus. 

1. Decoding- where the children will read the book and focus on decoding the words for the first time or decoding any unknown words. 
2. Prosody- where the children will practise reading with expression and intonation. Using their story teller voice.
3. Comrehension- by this session the children should be recognising most words with fluency and not having to decode. Here they now focus on understanding the story. 

What books will my child bring home?  

The Reading Practice book (sent home on Wednesdays):

It is the school’s role to teach reading. However, we know parents/carers play a vital role, too. It is important that children have plenty of practise reading at home in order to become fluent, confident readers. Parents’ or carers’ support is needed to help your child practise reading and develop fluency with a book they have already read at school. This book is matched to their phonic stage and is fully decodable. To ensure that reading at home is an enjoyable experience, we will send home reading practice books in which the child can read 95% of the words. It does not have to be a different book every time; it may need to be the same book if the child still needs to develop fluency.

The children should be able to read the practice book with developing confidence and fluency without any significant help. Your role is to listen with interest and, most importantly, to encourage and praise, enthusiastically acknowledging the child’s achievement (even if, at the early stages, this is only small). They do not need to read the whole book at one time. Practise is still a practise if only for 1 or 2 pages. After the child has read the book, it may be helpful to talk about the book, but only so far as the child is interested. Please keep the experience positive and avoid turning it into a test. 

The Sharing Book (sent home on various days of the week):

If children are to become lifelong readers, it is essential that they are encouraged to read for pleasure. The desire of wanting to read will help with the skill of reading. To help foster a love of reading, children will take a book home that they can share and enjoy with you. Involving the children in the choice of this book is important. These books offer a wealth of opportunities for talking about the pictures and enjoying the story. We will ensure to offer a variety of books, including non-fiction, so they can enjoy a range of writing. Please do not expect your child to read this book independently and do not try to get your child to do so. The book is for you to read to or with your child. Again, it is good to talk about the book with your child, but important not to turn the discussion into a test. The goal is enjoyment.

For Reception, parents have the opportunity to choose  books with children from the Reading Shed, which is located in the EYFS outdoor area. 

Please use your child's reading record to comment on what you have read together and anything important that you have noticed about your child's reading. Comments should be as positive as possible. 

We would very much appreciate if you could visit the following website so that you may gain a better understanding of how you can support phonics and early reading and how we teach phonics in school. There are lots of useful videos that you can find here too. 

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/