At Yaxley Infant School, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking learning across the curriculum and fostering a lifelong love of books. We are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a confident, fluent reader through high-quality teaching, regular practice and a rich reading culture.

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised

We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, a highly structured and systematic synthetic phonics programme, to teach early reading and spelling from Reception through to Key Stage 1.

Through Little Wandle, children:

• Learn new phonemes and graphemes in a clearly sequenced programme.
• Practise blending sounds to read words and segmenting words to spell.
• Develop fluency through daily phonics lessons and regular review sessions.
• Read carefully matched decodable books that allow them to apply their phonics knowledge successfully.
• Build confidence, independence and enjoyment as readers.

Children who require additional support receive timely Little Wandle 'keep up' interventions. These short, targeted sessions ensure that any child who is falling behind is identified quickly and supported to keep pace with their peers. Our aim is that all children become confident readers and that no child is left behind in their reading journey.

Reading Practice Sessions

Children take part in regular reading practice sessions using books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. These sessions focus on:

• Reading with accuracy
• Developing fluency
• Building comprehension and understanding

Reading books are carefully matched to each child's current phonic stage, ensuring they can practise and apply the sounds they have been taught while experiencing success and developing confidence.

Developing a Love of Reading

Alongside our phonics programme, we are passionate about developing enthusiastic readers who read for both purpose and pleasure. Children enjoy a wide range of high-quality texts throughout their time at school, including stories, poetry, non-fiction and traditional tales. Teachers carefully select books that broaden children's vocabulary, imagination, knowledge and understanding of the world.

Our school promotes a love of reading through:

• Daily story times
• High-quality class texts
• Celebrations such as World Book Day
• Author and reading-related events
• Inviting and engaging book areas in every classroom
• Opportunities for children to discuss and recommend books
• Regular visits to the school and local library

Reading Across the Curriculum

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Children regularly apply their reading skills across all subjects, enabling them to access new learning, deepen their understanding and develop a rich and varied vocabulary.

Supporting Reading at Home

We recognise the important role that parents and carers play in helping children become successful readers. We work closely with families to ensure that children receive consistent support at home and at school.

We support families through:

• Reading workshops and information sessions
• Guidance on Little Wandle phonics and pronunciation
• Home reading books and reading records
• Advice and resources shared through our website and newsletters

We encourage children to read regularly at home and celebrate their reading achievements.

Little Wandle Resources for Parents

Parents and carers can access additional support through the Little Wandle website, including videos demonstrating the correct pronunciation of phonemes and guidance on supporting reading at home. These resources help ensure consistency between school and home and enable families to confidently support their child's reading journey.

Assessment

Children's phonics progress is assessed regularly through the Little Wandle programme to ensure teaching is closely matched to their needs. In Year 1, children complete the Phonics Screening Check, a national assessment which measures their phonic decoding skills. Children who do not meet the expected standard receive additional support and retake the check in Year 2.

Reading progress is monitored carefully throughout the school. Teachers assess children's decoding, fluency and comprehension skills to ensure that teaching and support are matched to individual needs. Where additional support is required, intervention programmes are put in place to help children make rapid progress.

Through our strong partnership with families, our commitment to reading for pleasure and our consistent use of the Little Wandle programme, we strive to ensure that every child leaves Key Stage 1 as a successful, enthusiastic and confident reader.