Phonics

Phonics at Springfield Academy

At Springfield Academy, we are committed to ensuring every child becomes a confident, fluent reader. Reading sits at the heart of our curriculum because it opens the door to success in all subjects and supports children to thrive socially and academically.

At Springfield Academy, we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to teach early reading. This ensures every child receives a consistent, highly structured approach to phonics from Nursery through to Year 6. Our aim is for all children to become confident, fluent readers who enjoy reading for pleasure and purpose.

Phonics at Our School

Phonics in Nursery

In Nursery, children follow Little Wandle: Foundations for Phonics. Our focus is on developing strong early language and listening skills through:

Daily oral blending
High‑quality stories, rhymes and poems
Listening and attention activities
Rich communication and language experiences

Phonics in Reception and Year 1

Phonics teaching begins in Reception from Week 2, giving children a strong start.

Reception lessons begin at around 10 minutes (with daily oral blending) and build to 30 minutes.
Year 1 phonics lessons are taught for 30 minutes every day.

We follow the full Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression:

Reception: Phases 2, 3 and 4
Year 1: Phase 5

Children take part in a Friday review session each week to consolidate learning and strengthen fluency.

Phonics in Year 2

At the start of Year 2, we assess children to check if they have completed the full Little Wandle Year 1 progression. Any gaps are addressed through daily phonics lessons until all content is secure.
Once Year 1 content is taught and assessed, children complete a five‑week Phase 5 Review to secure the trickier GPCs and apply them confidently in reading and spelling.
We assess children before and after the Phase 5 Review to identify who may need further support as teaching continues.
When Phase 5 is secure, children move into Bridge to Spelling, supporting a smooth transition from phonics into the Year 2 spelling curriculum.

Reading Practice Sessions (Reception–Year 2 and Rapid-Catch-up)

Children take part in three reading practice sessions each week. These sessions:

Are taught by trained staff
Use fully decodable books matched precisely to each child’s secure GPCs
Develop decoding, prosody (expression) and comprehension

We use:

Collins Big Cat for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised
Collins Big Cat 7+ for older pupils who still need decodable books

In Reception, reading practice sessions begin by Week 4, starting with wordless books before progressing to fully decodable texts.

Support for All Learners

Our phonics provision is designed to meet the needs of all learners. It is inclusive, supportive and responsive, ensuring every child receives the teaching and intervention they need to make strong progress.

Daily Keep-Up (Reception & Year 1)

Children at risk of falling behind receive daily Keep-Up sessions by a trained reading teacher that:
Target individual phonics gaps
Use the same routines and language as whole-class teaching
Provide small, manageable steps with repetition and overlearning

Rapid Catch-Up (Years 2–6)

For children in Years 2–6 who need further support with reading, we provide short, focused daily sessions based on the Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up programme.

These sessions are:

Delivered daily by a trained reading teacher
Tailored to each child’s assessed needs
Delivered 1:1 or in small groups for 15–20 minutes
Supported by Collins Big Cat 7+ decodable books, offering age‑appropriate texts

This ensures that older readers access high‑quality phonics teaching matched to their reading stage.

Matched Reading Books

Every child reads a book fully matched to their secure phonics knowledge, ensuring success, confidence and rapid progress.

Assessment

Assessment takes place regularly to ensure children keep up with the phonics progression.

Daily Assessment for Learning

Teachers assess throughout each lesson and provide immediate support.

Weekly Review Sessions

Every Friday, children revisit GPCs, tricky words and spellings.

Half‑Termly Little Wandle Assessments

Reception. Year 1 and Year 2 complete formal Little Wandle assessments every half term.

More Frequent Assessment for Children Not on Track

Children who are not secure are assessed using Little Wandle assessments every three weeks (or sooner) to ensure:

Early identification of gaps and targeted support
Swift access to Keep-Up or Rapid Catch-Up
Accelerated progress

Rapid Catch-Up Assessment Cycle (Years 2–6)

Children on Rapid Catch-Up are assessed every four weeks to monitor progress and identify when they are ready to exit the programme.

Phonics Screening

The children in Year 1 sit the Phonics Screening Check in the Summer Term.
Children who do not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1, will re-sit the check in Year 2.

Supporting Reading at Home

Parents can access pronunciation videos, letter formation guides and helpful resources via the Little Wandle website:

👉 Little Wandle Parent Resources

For parents | Letters and Sounds

Please find below our Phonics and Early Reading Policy, the full progression for our phonics programme, and a range of useful documents to help you support phonics learning at home. If you need any further support or information regarding phonics and early reading, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher or our Phonics Leader, Mrs Lawrence.