Reading underpins children’s access to the curriculum, and it clearly impacts on their
achievement. There is considerable research to show that children who enjoy reading and
choose to read benefit not only academically, but also socially and emotionally too. At Saltaire Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every child is able to read fluently with accuracy and understanding by the time they leave our school.
We know that when children start their reading journey they need to be taught an efficient strategy to decode words. Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, ensures children are taught with rigour and our fidelity to the programme gives children the best start. The progression and pace builds in a cumulative way, without adding too many elements of new learning at any one time. Children practice, consolidate and revise reading skills through direct phonics teaching and reading practice sessions.
As children grow in confidence and complete the Phonics programme, we introduce the Little Wandle Fluency programme which focuses on prosody. We know teaching prosody helps children to understand the text at a deeper level and connect to language – it makes the meaning of the words come alive for them as readers. When children have become more confident readers, they are introduced to the Accelerated Reader programme which they use for independent reading, and they continue to use this through Key Stage 2 alongside regular guided reading sessions, read-aloud texts and reading for pleasure.
The following document provides further detail about how we teach our children to read.