Phonics at The Haven
At The Haven, we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised – a highly regarded systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) used by many schools across the country.
This programme is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest research, ensuring we deliver the very best practice in phonics teaching.
Why do we use Little Wandle?
We chose Little Wandle because it:
- Provides a clear and consistent approach to phonics teaching across the whole school.
- Helps children learn to read and spell by recognising the sounds (phonemes) that letters and groups of letters make.
- Supports all learners, including those who need extra help, through daily practice and regular assessment.
- Builds confidence and fluency in reading from the very start of Reception.
How does it work?
- Children are taught phonics every day, beginning in Reception and continuing into Year 1 and beyond if needed.
- They learn GPCs (grapheme-phoneme correspondences) – the link between letters and sounds.
- They practise reading fully decodable books that match the sounds they’ve been taught.
- Regular assessments help us identify children who need extra support, which is provided through targeted interventions.
How can parents help at home?
- Read with your child every day – even just 5–10 minutes can make a big difference!
- Use the wordless and decodable books sent home to practise the sounds your child has learned in school. These books are first shared in small group sessions at school, so your role at home is to celebrate and build their confidence with a book they already know.
- Encourage your child to sound out words when reading or writing.
- Look out for phonics workshops and resources we share to support you in helping your child at home.
