English

Reading at Ninfield

At Ninfield CE Primary School, we value the unique starting points of all of our children. We have high aspirations of all our children, including SEN. We have created a language rich environment which aims to inspire a love of reading in all children.

We want all children to be able to:

Speak clearly, audibly and with confidence in ways which take account of their listeners.
Listen with concentration in order to be able to identify the main points of what has been heard.
Develop their abilities to reflect on their own and others’ contributions and the quality of language used.
Develop their imaginative and expressive use of language by taking an active part in role play and drama.
Read fluently and accurately, with understanding and enjoyment, a wide range of texts, using appropriate reading strategies.
Develop their responses, both personal and critical, and enable him/her to evaluate and appreciate wider meanings within different texts.

Phonics

What is Phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching children to read and write by helping them understand the link between letters and the sounds they represent. It teaches children to hear, recognise and use the different sounds (called phonemes) that make up words. By learning which letters or groups of letters make each sound, children can “decode” new words when reading and know which letters to use when spelling.

In phonics lessons, children learn to:

Recognise sounds in spoken words.
Match sounds to letters (known as grapheme‑phoneme correspondence).
Blend sounds together to read words (e.g., /c/ /a/ /t/ → “cat”).
Segment words into sounds to help with spelling (e.g., “shop” → /sh/ /o/ /p/).

Phonics is taught in a systematic, structured sequence, starting in Reception. As children learn more sounds and letter patterns, their reading becomes more fluent and confident. Phonics gives children the essential tools to “crack the code” of written English and develop strong early reading skills.

Phonics Teaching at Ninfield

At our school, we teach early reading using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, a DfE‑validated systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme. Little Wandle is built on the latest research into how children learn to read and has been developed by literacy experts and English Hubs to ensure a clear, consistent and highly effective approach to phonics teaching.

Little Wandle Phonics Lessons

Little Wandle provides children with:

Daily, carefully structured phonics lessons, taught in a consistent order across Reception and Year 1.
Clear teaching of phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (the letters that represent them), with built‑in opportunities to revisit and practise previous learning.
Regular ‘keep‑up’ sessions for any child who needs extra practice, ensuring that all children progress confidently.
Fully decodable reading books matched precisely to children's current phonics stage, helping them experience immediate success as growing readers. Children are expected to read books that align directly with their taught sounds, building fluency and confidence.

Little Wandle places strong emphasis on ensuring every child is reading by the end of Year 1. It provides high‑quality resources, clear routines, and supportive home‑learning materials so parents can easily understand how phonics works and how to help at home.

Parents can find further guidance, videos and pronunciation support on the official Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised website.

Little Wandle for Parents

Phonics Screening Check

The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into 2 sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words.

Pseudo-words are words that are phonically decodable but are not actual words with an associated meaning. They are included in the check specifically to assess whether your child can decode a word using their phonics skills.

All pseudo-words in the check are accompanied by a picture of an imaginary creature. Children are taught that when a word has a creature next to it, it is a pseudo-word. This ensures that they are not trying to match the pseudo-word to a word in their vocabulary.

The check is designed to give teachers information on how your child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether your child needs additional support at this stage, so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.

Little Wandle Reading Skills (KS1)

As part of our Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme, children take part in three small‑group reading practice sessions each week. Each session has a clear focus, helping children become confident, fluent readers who understand what they are reading. All reading books are carefully matched to the sounds (phonemes and graphemes) your child has already learned, ensuring they can practise reading successfully at the right level.

Session 1: Decoding – “Saying the Sounds and Reading the Words”

In the first session, children focus on decoding, which means using their phonics knowledge to sound out and blend the words in the book. This helps them recognise new words and strengthens their ability to read unfamiliar words independently. The reading books are fully decodable and aligned to their current phonics stage, ensuring your child can read them successfully using the sounds they know.

Session 2: Fluency – “Becoming Smooth and Confident Readers”

The second session builds fluency—the ability to read with accuracy, speed and confidence. Children re‑read the same book to practise reading words more automatically. Repeated reading helps them move away from slow, effortful sounding‑out towards reading that feels natural and efficient. Children are encouraged to read sentences smoothly and with growing confidence.

Session 3: Prosody and Comprehension – “Making the Reading Sound Like Talking”

The third session focuses on prosody (reading with expression) and comprehension (understanding what they have read). Children practise adding meaning, intonation, rhythm and phrasing to their reading—skills that bring the story to life and help them become expressive, thoughtful readers. They also discuss key questions about the book, helping them develop deeper understanding, make predictions and talk about characters and events. These discussions promote real enjoyment of reading as well as strong understanding.

This three‑session structure means children are not just learning how to read but also developing the skills needed to be fluent, expressive and thoughtful readers. Because the books are matched precisely to the sounds your child knows, they experience success—building confidence and a real love of reading.

Reading in KS2

In Key Stage 2, reading is taught through Book Club.
There is a focus on reading skills as outlined in the national curriculum using a wide range of texts which develops the children’s love of reading and application of the skills required to become a competent reader.
It involves daily sessions incorporating whole class modelling prior to the children applying these skills through paired reading.
It focuses on teaching the children specific reading skills in a systematic way, and also teaches the children collaborative learning behaviours, supporting each other in reading conversations.
The skills focused on are summarising, clarifying, predicting, evaluating, questioning, inferring and making connections.

Reading at Home

Reading at home every day is one of the most powerful ways families can support their children’s learning. Even just 10 minutes a day makes a real difference. Research shows that regular reading practice builds children’s confidence, fluency and understanding, helping them become strong, enthusiastic readers. A secure foundation in reading also supports learning across the whole curriculum and improves long‑term outcomes.

At school, your child is taught to read through our Little Wandle phonics and reading practice sessions. These sessions help children develop the skills of decoding, fluency, expression and comprehension, but reading at home gives them the extra practice they need to truly embed these skills. Fully decodable books are matched to the sounds they already know, so reading at home offers them the chance to feel successful and confident

Reading at home also nurtures children’s love of stories, vocabulary development and imagination. Sharing a book together—whether your child is reading to you or you are reading aloud to them—helps them understand ideas, make connections and enjoy the magic of books. Positive reading experiences at home have been shown to benefit children socially, emotionally and academically.

How You Can Support at Home

Listen to your child read their fully decodable book each day. This helps them practise the sounds and words they have been learning in school.
Enjoy a sharing book together, even if it is too challenging for your child to read alone. Hearing stories read aloud builds vocabulary, understanding and enjoyment.
Celebrate success—praise effort, not perfection.
Talk about the story: What happened? How did a character feel? What might happen next?

By reading regularly at home, you are giving your child a gift that lasts a lifetime: the confidence, skills and joy of being a reader.

Writing at Ninfield

The Teaching of Writing at Ninfield CE Primary Schooo

At Ninfield, writing is a high‑priority, aspirational subject. We want every child to become a confident, capable and creative writer. Through a carefully sequenced curriculum, high-quality texts and expert teaching, pupils develop strong skills in transcription, composition, vocabulary, grammar and authorial style.

A Literature-Rich, High Quality Curriculum

Children learn through a rich diet of fiction, non-fiction and poetry chosen to inspire ambitious writing. Texts are explored deeply so pupils understand language, structure and meaning, which strengthens both reading and writing.

Purposeful, Creative Writing Opportunities

Each writing unit leads to meaningful outcomes—stories, reports, explanations, letters and more—so pupils understand why they write and who they write for. Sentence-level work, drama, oracy and vocabulary teaching all support pupils to craft high-quality writing.

Strong Comprehension & Vocabulary Instruction

Pupils discuss texts, explore unfamiliar vocabulary and learn how language choices shape meaning. We teach new vocabulary explicitly and expect pupils to use it purposefully in their writing.

Grammar, Punctuation & Authorial Voice

Grammar is taught in context and embedded within real writing. Pupils learn how authors create impact and how to apply these techniques independently. Across the school, pupils develop their own intentional writer’s voice.

Editing, Redrafting & Publishing

Children are taught how to improve, refine and present their writing. Editing is a key strength and publishing celebrates excellence—building pride and motivation.

Early Writing in EYFS

Early writers develop strong foundations in handwriting, phonics, mark-making, storytelling and vocabulary, ensuring a smooth transition into Key Stage 1.

Assessment, Moderation & High Expectations

Regular assessment and moderation ensure consistency and accuracy. Pupils at risk of falling behind are identified early and supported through targeted intervention so every child can succeed.

Handwriting

Each child will be taught handwriting that culminates in a joined cursive script that is a neat, fluent and legible style of handwriting.
They will develop an awareness of the importance of clear, neat presentation and how to set out work, giving attention to presentation and layout.
The use of our cursive script provides a structured approach to learning how each letter is formed.
Squiggle me into a writer used within EYFS.

Spelling

Spelling patterns are taught daily across KS2 and taught as part of the phonics lesson in KS1.
Weekly spellings for home learning which focus on a different rule, include subject specific vocabulary and common exception words.