Phonics
At Red Oaks, we are passionate about ensuring that every child becomes a confident, fluent reader and writer. We believe that all children can learn to read with the right teaching, support, and encouragement. Reading sits at the heart of our curriculum because it opens the door to learning, imagination, and future success.
Our Phonics Programme: Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised
We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme—an effective, systematic, synthetic phonics scheme trusted by schools nationwide. It provides a clear, progressive approach to teaching phonics from Early Years onwards, ensuring that children build strong foundations in:
- Recognising phonemes (sounds)
- Blending and segmenting
- Decoding words
- Developing reading fluency
- Spelling with increasing accuracy
Little Wandle supports every child to keep up rather than catch up, with daily teaching, consistent routines and additional support where needed.
Why Phonics Matters
Phonics helps children unlock the alphabetic code and become fluent, confident readers. Strong phonics skills enable children to:
- Read for pleasure
- Access learning across the curriculum
- Build vocabulary and understanding
- Develop independence as writers
When children can read with ease, they can truly enjoy books, stories, and information—building a lifelong love of reading.
Supporting Reading at Home
Little Wandle provides a wealth of resources for families. These include helpful videos, pronunciation guides, and information sheets so you can support your child’s reading journey with confidence. We encourage parents and carers to explore these useful materials.
Visit the Little Wandle parent's page
You will also find resources at school to help you understand how reading books are carefully matched to your child’s phonics stage, ensuring success and confidence.