Children in the EYFS follow a systematic, synthetic phonics approach, using the ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ programme.  It is an approach to teaching phonics in which sounds, (phonemes) made by individual letters or a combination of letters (graphemes), are blended and segmented to form words.

Daily phonics sessions start in Nursery, where the Foundations for Phonics are introduced through phase 1 learning activities and daily oral blending.  Language is further developed through daily high-quality stories, rhymes and poems.

Our daily phonics sessions across EYFS are engaging and involve active participation and interactive teaching. Children learn to use their phonic knowledge for reading and writing activities and in their independent play in the continuous provision.

Parents are informed about supporting their child’s learning at home, including detail about the academy’s method of teaching phonics and reading, and how to help their children learn to read.  This is delivered through workshops, 'Stay and Play' sessions, and 'Watch Me Learn' sessions.