“Books shouldn’t be daunting. They should be exciting, funny and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” – Roald Dahl

At Herne Infant School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching the foundation skills for phonic learning in Nursery and follow the Little Wandle progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Herne Infants, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

At Herne Infants, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Useful Websites:
Little Wandle:  https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/
Oxford Owl Library: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/
Little Wandle Parent Guide: https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Big Cat eBooks: https://ebooks.collinsopenpage.com/