Phonics Parent Workshop

On Wednesday 17th September, we welcomed parents to our Phonics Information Workshop.

At Raynsford Academy we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, a systematic, synthetic phonics (SSP) programme that supports children in learning to read and spell.

You can find out more information regarding our Phonics Scheme here

Key information form our Phonics Workshop

📖 What is phonics?

Children begin their reading journey by recognising names, logos and print in their environment.
Phonics teaches children how to link sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes) and blend them to read words.

🔤 What children learn in Reception

We start teaching phonics from Week 2 of Reception.
This term we are teaching Phase 2 sounds, with the aim that all children can blend by Christmas.
Children then move into Phase 3, where they learn vowel digraphs and trigraphs, and start to read longer words using “chunking.”

📝 Tricky words

Some words can’t be sounded out easily (e.g. the, was, he). These are taught systematically.
Reception children begin with Phase 2 tricky words such as: is, I, the, put, pull, full, as, and, has, his, her, go, no, to, into, she, push, he, of, we, me, be.

✍️ Spelling and handwriting

Children practise spelling every day, using the graphemes they have been taught.
They practise writing simple sentences dictated by the teacher.
Handwriting is taught separately but links closely with phonics learning.

📚 Reading at home

Children take part in small-group reading practice sessions in school, led by trained staff.
Books are carefully matched to each child’s phonics stage.
Your child should be able to read their phonics book mostly independently. Please listen to them read, talk about the story, and celebrate their success!
Alongside this, you will also receive a “shared book” for you to read aloud to your child. This develops vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of stories.

📝 Reading Logs

Each child has a reading log to record their phonics book and any other books you enjoy together (bedtime stories, library books, magazines, etc.).
Please ensure your child brings their book and log to school every day.

🌟 Why reading matters

Research shows that children who are regularly read to develop stronger vocabulary, comprehension, and long-term reading skills.
“One of the greatest gifts adults can give is to read to children.” – Carl Sagan

🔗 Further resources
You can find more information and resources for parents here: Little Wandle website