At Stanwix School, we believe reading is the foundation of all learning, unlocking imagination, curiosity and confidence. Our vision is to nurture a lifelong love of reading in every child through a rich reading environment and high-quality teaching. We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, a systematic synthetic phonics programme introduced in Reception. This structured approach enables children to build securely on their knowledge of the alphabetic code, developing the skills to read and spell with confidence as they move through school.

We are committed to developing fluent, enthusiastic readers who can fully access the curriculum and experience the joy of reading. Our close links with Carlisle Library, and the many opportunities children have to explore and enjoy books of all kinds, help to foster a deep and lasting love of reading across our school.

Phonics

In Reception and Year 1, our pupils are taught Phonics for around 20 minutes each day. We also support any children who need additional practise with short Keep Up Sessions throughout the week.

The resources on this page will help you support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters. There are also some useful videos so you can see how they are taught at school and feel confident about supporting their reading at home.

Rapid Catch-Up

Phonics teaching continues into Year 2 and KS2 for any children who need more time to develop their phonic knowledge and reading fluency. To ensure that our Phonics teaching matches the needs of these older children, we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Rapid Catch-Up Programme and use matched reading books written especially for children who are aged seven or above.

Resources to support your child at home:

The following videos show you how to pronounce the sounds. Notice how the children don’t add an ‘uh’ sound at the end, so they say: ‘t’ not ‘tuh’.