Reading
Phonics Scheme:
St Teresa's uses Little Wandle Phonics.
Intent
St Teresa's puts reading at the heart of our school. Reading is delivered through an enjoyable and engaging curriculum which allows children to establish a deep love of reading at all stages of their learning journey. By the end of their time at St Teresa's, we intend that our pupils will be independent, reflective readers, who can read fluently, with confidence, and demonstrate critical thinking in all subjects. Using high-quality texts, and tiered vocabulary, we set high aspirations for what pupils can achieve in reading, developing strong communication skills. At St Teresa's, we take every opportunity possible to expose our children to a range of texts, from different genres, that have been written by authors from a wide range of backgrounds. Through this, we aim to enhance the cultural capital of our learners and equip them with the knowledge and experiences needed for society.
At St Teresa’s, reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We believe reading opens the door to learning, enriches vocabulary and imagination, and forms the foundation for future success. We aim to ensure every child becomes a confident, fluent reader who reads for both pleasure and information.
Working together with parents and carers, we expect all children to:
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Speak clearly and listen with understanding
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Read fluently, confidently and with enjoyment
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Develop strong comprehension skills
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Build a rich vocabulary through exposure to high-quality texts
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Talk about books and express opinions about what they read
Early Reading and Phonics
Early reading begins in Nursery and Reception through our systematic synthetic phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
Nursery
Children follow Little Wandle Foundations, developing early phonological awareness through:
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Environmental sounds
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Rhyme and rhythm
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Stories, songs and music
Reception
Children are introduced to phonemes and graphemes, learning to:
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Blend sounds to read
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Segment sounds to spell
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Read fully decodable books that match their current phonics stage
Year 1
Pupils learn alternative spellings and pronunciations for known sounds and continue to read matched decodable books.
They also complete the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
Year 2
Children consolidate their phonics knowledge and begin working through the
Little Wandle Fluency programme, which develops:
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Accuracy
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Prosody (expression)
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Stamina
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Early comprehension skills
They also follow the Little Wandle Spelling sequence to support secure application in reading and writing.
Reading Practice Sessions (EYFS & KS1)
Across Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, pupils take part in daily reading practice groups.
These sessions focus on:
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Decoding
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Prosody
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Comprehension
Books are carefully matched to each child’s phonics stage to ensure success and build confidence.
Reading in Key Stage 2
From Year 3, children move onto Accelerated Reader, which supports independent reading. It ensures pupils read books at an appropriate level of challenge and allows staff to monitor progress closely.
Children:
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Read daily at school
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Take quizzes to demonstrate understanding
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Choose from a wide range of books within their reading level
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Are encouraged to select books that interest and inspire them
As fluency develops, pupils are supported to explore more complex texts and engage in deeper discussions about what they read.
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension lessons are taught through The Literacy Tree, using high-quality, diverse and engaging texts.
These lessons develop:
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Vocabulary knowledge
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Retrieval and inference skills
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Prediction and summarising
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Understanding of character, theme and structure
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Confidence discussing and analysing texts
This approach ensures progression across the school and supports children in developing a deep understanding of literature.
Reading for Pleasure
We believe that reading for pleasure is essential in nurturing lifelong readers.
We promote a vibrant reading culture through:
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A well-stocked, inviting school library
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Class reading corners designed for comfort and inspiration
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Daily story time in every class
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Book recommendations and book talk
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Access to a wide range of high-quality texts
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Opportunities to read independently and with peers
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Carefully curated library stock informed by the CLPE Core Texts list
Children are encouraged to read at home every day. In the early stages, pupils may take home wordless books to promote storytelling and book talk before moving on to decodable books matched to their phonics level.
Our Reading Schemes
At St Teresa’s we use:
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Little Wandle Letters and Sounds
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Little Wandle Foundations (Nursery)
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Little Wandle Fluency (Year 2)
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Little Wandle Big Cat Decodable Books (EYFS & KS1)
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Accelerated Reader (Years 3–6)
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The Literacy Tree Reading Curriculum for whole-class comprehension
This consistent, structured approach ensures that every child moves confidently from early decoding to fluent reading and deep comprehension.
