READING AT FENSTANTON
At Fenstanton Primary School, we are committed to developing confident, fluent readers who read for both pleasure and purpose. Our approach ensures that children build strong foundations in early reading and progress to becoming thoughtful, independent readers by the end of Key Stage 2.
Our approach to Reading
Reading is taught through a structured, progressive approach that includes:
-
Systematic phonics teaching in the early years and Key Stage 1
-
Daily opportunities to read and be read to
-
Explicit teaching of comprehension skills
-
A strong focus on reading for pleasure
-
Targeted support for pupils who need additional help
We aim to foster a lifelong love of reading alongside the skills required for academic success.
Early Reading & Phonics (Nursery - Year 2)
We begin developing reading skills as soon as children start school.
Phonics
At Fenstanton, we teach phonics using a structured programme (Little Wandle). Children learn to:
-
Identify and discriminate between sounds
-
Link sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes)
-
Blend sounds together to read words
-
Segment words into sounds for spelling.
Phonics is taught:
-
Daily in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 (and into Year 2 where needed).
-
Through clearly structured phases (e.g. Phase 2–5).
Little Wandle Programme Progression
The program is designed to get children to read fluently by the end of Phase 5 in Year 1, preparing them for the Phonics Screening Check.
Phase 1 (Nursery)
Focuses on listening, oral blending, and sound awareness.
Phase 2 (Reception, Autumn 1-2)
Introduction of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), blending for reading, and segmenting for spelling.
Phase 3 (Reception - Spring
Completion of single sounds and introduction of simple digraphs/trigraphs.
Phase 4 (Reception, Summer)
Consolidation of sounds, focusing on adjacent consonants.
Phase 5 (Year 1, Autumn - Summer)
Learning new graphemes for phonemes, alternative pronunciations, and spelling patterns.
Phase 5/Bridge to Spelling (Year 2)
Review of Phase 5 and transition into the Little Wandle Spelling programme.
Children are taught to read using decodable books that match the sounds they have learned, helping them develop accuracy and confidence.
Developing Fluent Readers (Key Stage 1)
As children move through Years 1 and 2, they:
-
Continue to apply phonics to read increasingly complex words
-
Build fluency through regular reading practice
-
Develop comprehension through discussion and teacher-led sessions
Reading sessions include:
-
Frequent small-group reading with decodable or book-banded texts.
-
Structured teaching of comprehension skills, such as predicting and explaining understanding.
Reading in Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6)
In Key Stage 2, children transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
We use Destination Reader, a structured approach to teaching comprehension.
Destination Reader
This approach focuses on:
-
High-quality texts across the curriculum
-
Explicit teaching of reading strategies
-
Discussion and oracy as central to learning
-
Developing independent, reflective readers
Children are taught key strategies, including:
-
Predicting
-
Inferring
-
Questioning
-
Clarifying
-
Evaluating
-
Making connections
-
Summarising
Lessons follow a clear structure with teacher modelling, partner discussion and independent reading.
Reading for Pleasure
We believe that fostering a love of reading is essential.
Across the school, children:
-
Enjoy daily story time
-
Have access to a wide range of high-quality texts including a well stocked school library and outdoor reading area
-
Take home reading for pleasure books each week
-
Participate in regular timetabled reading for pleasure sessions.
Research shows that reading enjoyment has a significant impact on achievement and lifelong learning
Supporting Every Reader
We ensure all children succeed through:
-
Targeted intervention programmes, including phonics catch-up.
-
Regular 1:1 or small group reading support.
-
Close tracking of progress to identify next steps
And for identified pupils:
-
Volunteer 1:1 reading
-
Twice weekly 1:1 online bookmark reading intervention
-
Twice weekly literacy lab reading and writing intervention
A stage appropriate approach ensures all pupils are able to access learning appropriate to their individual stage, which may be different to their age. This is particularly important for our many EAL pupils or pupils newly arrived, SEN pupils and those that have gaps in their schooling. Examples of this in practice are:
-
KS1 pupils accessing catch up phonics interventions
-
KS2 pupils accessing KS1 phonics teaching
-
KS2 pupils accessing small group reading and oral comprehension practice in book band sets
Children who need additional help receive frequent, tailored support to help them keep up and catch up.
Working in Partnerships with Parents
Parents and carers play a vital role in supporting reading. We encourage families to:
-
Read regularly at home
-
Practise phonics sounds
-
Talk about books and vocabulary
-
Encourage confidence and enjoyment in reading.
Our Aim
By the time children leave Fenstanton, we aim for them to be:
-
Fluent, confident readers
-
Thoughtful and independent thinkers
-
Motivated readers who read for pleasure and purpose
