At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, we teach a systematic programme of phonics as outlined in Little Wandle - Letters and Sound Revised, which supports speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Phonics teaches children what sound each letter makes – this is the first step in children learning how to read. Children will begin to recognise letters and the sounds they make, which they then use to blend sounds together for reading, and segment them when writing. We strive to ensure that all children become successful and fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. We believe this is achievable through a combination of strong, high quality, discrete phonics teaching combined with a literature-rich approach that promotes a ‘reading for pleasure’ culture.

We aim for all of the children at Gedney Church End Primary Academy to leave school at the end of Key Stage 2 with a genuine passion for reading and to have obtained all of the skills they need to tackle books of their choosing. High quality interventions are delivered to children in both KS1 and KS2 who are not fully secure with their phonics knowledge. Phonics interventions are tailored and targeted according to individual need and children are identified through our close monitoring and assessment system. Teachers and Teaching Assistants work with small groups throughout the year to boost progress and to extend children’s learning.