Reading and Phonics

“Once you learn to read, You will be forever free” – Fredrick Douglass

Reading Road Map 25-26

For parents | Letters and Sounds

📖 Reading Curriculum at Tebay Primary School

At Tebay Primary School, we are passionate about developing confident, fluent, and enthusiastic readers who have a lifelong love of books. Our reading curriculum is built upon the accredited Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised scheme, ensuring a consistent, evidence-based approach to early reading and phonics.

We believe that reading is the gateway to all learning, and our carefully structured progression supports every child in becoming a skilled and independent reader.

📚 Our Curriculum Structure

Reading at Tebay Primary School is delivered through a sequenced, whole-school approach that follows three key stages of development:

1️⃣ Early Reading and Phonics (EYFS & KS1)

• We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme to deliver daily, systematic phonics lessons.
• Children learn to decode accurately, blending sounds to read words with growing confidence.
• Every child reads fully decodable books that are carefully matched to their individual phonic level, ensuring success and progression.
• Reading practice sessions take place three times a week, focusing on:
  1. Decoding – applying phonic knowledge to read words accurately.
  2. Prosody – reading with expression and understanding.
  3. Comprehension – developing understanding of what has been read.

2️⃣ Transition to Fluent Reading (Lower KS2)

• As children become fluent decoders, they move into Bridge to Spelling, which consolidates key phonics knowledge and supports accurate spelling and vocabulary development.
• Pupils continue to practise fluency through guided reading sessions using the Little Wandle Fluency scheme, where they revisit the three reading focuses of decoding, prosody, and comprehension in increasingly complex texts.

3️⃣ Reading for Meaning and Pleasure (Upper KS2)

• In Key Stage 2, reading lessons focus on comprehension, inference, vocabulary development, and critical thinking.
• Pupils explore a wide range of texts from diverse authors and genres, deepening their understanding of language and literature.
• Regular fluency and comprehension sessions continue to ensure all children read with accuracy, pace, and enjoyment.

🧠 Implementation: How We Teach Reading

To ensure consistency and progression, all reading lessons follow a clear structure:

1. 🔁 Revisit & Review – Revising previously taught sounds, vocabulary, or comprehension strategies.
2. 📘 Model & Practise – Teachers model reading aloud, demonstrating fluency and expression.
3. 👂 Guided Reading – Pupils read in small groups or individually with targeted support.
4. 💬 Discuss & Deepen – Children engage in purposeful discussion about texts to build comprehension and inference skills.
5. ✅ Reflect & Record – Pupils respond to reading through discussion, journaling, or short written activities.

🎯 Impact: What Our Pupils Gain

By the end of their time at Tebay Primary School, pupils will:

• Be fluent, confident, and independent readers.
• Use phonics knowledge accurately to decode unfamiliar words.
• Read with understanding, expression, and enjoyment.
• Develop a wide vocabulary and appreciation of literature.
• Have the skills and passion needed to continue reading for pleasure and purpose throughout their education and beyond.

🐣 Reading in the Early Years (EYFS)

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, reading is introduced through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Children engage in daily phonics lessons, shared story times, and small-group reading sessions using decodable books matched to their phonics ability. These experiences foster early reading confidence, a love of stories, and secure the foundations for successful reading in Key Stage 1 and beyond.