At St Dominic’s, we believe that every pupil can become a fluent reader and writer. We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised—a systematic, synthetic phonics programme—to teach early reading in a structured and supportive way.
While some pupils are confident readers by Year 3, phonics teaching continues throughout Key Stage 2 to support all learners. Phonics sessions take place daily in the afternoons, and guided reading is delivered three times a week. Pupils are grouped according to their phonics phase and follow the Little Wandle progression, helping them build on their knowledge of the alphabetic code and develop confidence in both reading and spelling.
Reading at home is a key part of our approach. Pupils are supported with a combination of print and digital reading books, and reading is tracked through reading records in Key Stage 2 and Year 7. These records help maintain strong communication between home and school and encourage regular reading practice.
We are also proud of our Lower School reading space, which has become a vibrant and welcoming area that promotes a love of reading. It forms an important part of our whole-school reading ethos, encouraging pupils to engage with books in a calm, enjoyable environment and helping to foster positive reading habits from an early age.
For pupils in Year 7 and beyond who still need phonics support, targeted intervention is available in small groups or one-to-one sessions. All staff are fully trained in the Little Wandle programme, enabling them to support pupils’ reading development at every stage of their journey at St Dominic’s.
We are especially proud of the outcomes achieved by our older pupils. In the most recent academic year, 70.6% of our Year 11 and Sixth Form students achieved a grade 4 or above in GCSE English Language, or the equivalent Functional Skills English Level 2 qualification. These strong results reflect the positive impact of our whole-school commitment to literacy and the personalised support provided throughout each key stage.
Video resources on how we say sounds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZtjFIvA_fs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDu3JAjf-U0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvOuc7cWXxc
Video resource on blending:
If you are a parent and would like more information about how to support your child with phonics at home, please follow this link to find the Reception and Year 1 overview as well as videos of the sound pronunciations, letter formation sheets and other helpful resources.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
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