Early Reading & Phonics at St. Ignatius
At St Ignatius Catholic Primary School, reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We want every child to become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader who develops a lifelong love of books.
We teach phonics through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, alongside our wider Growing Readers approach, which promotes rich language, high-quality books, reading for pleasure and a strong reading culture across school.
Nursery
In Nursery, children develop the foundations for reading through songs, rhymes, stories, listening activities, oral blending and rich conversations.
The focus is on developing language, phonological awareness and a love of books so children are well prepared for formal phonics teaching in Reception.
Reception and Key Stage One
Children begin daily systematic phonics teaching in Reception through Little Wandle.
They learn to:
- recognise sounds and graphemes;
- blend sounds to read words;
- read tricky words;
- build accuracy and fluency;
- and apply their phonics independently when reading.
Children continue through the Little Wandle progression in Year 1. Where children need further support in Year 2 or beyond, systematic phonics teaching continues according to their individual needs.
Assessment is used regularly to identify gaps and provide targeted Daily Keep-up support.
Reading Practice
Children take part in Little Wandle Reading Practice sessions using books carefully matched to their secure phonic knowledge.
Sessions develop:
Decoding – reading words accurately
Prosody – reading with expression and fluency
Comprehension – understanding and discussing what has been read
Children also enjoy a wide range of stories, poems and non-fiction texts that develop vocabulary, imagination and a love of reading.
Growing Readers
Our Growing Readers vision sits alongside Little Wandle.
Across school, children experience:
- daily story time;
- carefully chosen books;
- Books of the Week;
- poetry, songs and rhyme;
- inviting reading spaces;
- library opportunities;
- rich discussions about books;
- and adults who model enthusiasm for reading.
Our aim is for children not only to learn how to read, but to see themselves as readers who choose to read for pleasure.
Supporting Every Reader
We are ambitious for every child.
Children who begin to fall behind receive targeted support using the same Little Wandle routines and approaches taught in class.
Children with SEND may receive additional repetition, smaller teaching steps or adapted provision so they can make progress from their individual starting points.
Working with Parents and Carers
Families play an important part in helping children become successful readers.
We encourage parents to:
- listen positively to their child’s matched reading book;
- give children time to blend unfamiliar words;
- share stories together regularly;
- talk about characters, pictures and new vocabulary;
- and continue reading more challenging books aloud for enjoyment.
Little Wandle also provides helpful videos and guidance for families, including support with pronunciation, blending, tricky words and reading at home.
Useful parent links:
Little Wandle Parent Help Centre
Impact
Through Little Wandle and our Growing Readers approach, we want children to:
- read accurately and increasingly fluently;
- apply their phonics independently;
- understand and talk confidently about books;
- develop a rich vocabulary;
- enjoy reading;
- and see themselves as successful readers.
At St Ignatius, our aim is simple: every child grows into a confident reader who can flourish through reading and learning.