Our approach to the teaching and learning of Phonics
at Everton Nursery School
At Everton Nursery School, we engage children in their learning
through their interests. Teachers use these interests to plan
active and creative learning experiences that develop children's
listening and attention skills.
Teachers use guidance from ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised’ to underpin teaching and learning. Teachers provide a balance of child-led and adult-led experiences for all children that meet the curriculum expectations for ‘Communication and language’ and ‘Literacy’. These daily experiences include:
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Sharing high-quality stories and poems
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Learning a range of nursery rhymes and action rhymes
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Activities that develop focused listening and attention (including oral blending)
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Modelling high-quality language during daily interactions.
Phonics
For children who are more confident in linking sounds to letters and who are at the early stages of reading,
we challenge their learning through the introduction of more age and stage appropriate learning opportunities
both indoors and outdoors. We read and share a broad range of books with the children that focus on both
fiction and non-fiction text. We challenge children's phonetical knowledge through the introduction and
engagement of different writing genres so that children gain a deep and secure understanding of letters, sounds, words, text and information.
Children in the Nursery School classes engage in daily ‘Teacher led sessions’ through which concepts such as rhythm and rhyme are developed further. Throughout the indoor and outdoor learning environments, children have the opportunity to explore a range of high-quality resources to continuously develop their knowledge of letters and, in turn, their sounds.
Experiences such as ‘In Harmony’ and ‘Tuning In’ with the Philharmonic musicians on-site and Music and Movement with the Nursery Staff also support children’s ability to tune in to sounds. Children experience a rich repertoire of nursery rhymes and action rhymes that include multi-sensory experiences, such as action rhymes in which children have to add claps, knee pats or foot stamps, or move in a particular way.
For more information about Little Wandle Letters and Sounds please visit:
Please see the Little Wandle Nursery yearly plan that Everton Nursery School children mostly follow apart from that we do not expose children to Little Wandle 'picture cards' as the planning states. We do not use the Little Wandle picture cards as not all children will continue the Little Wandle Journey into reception so our approach is responsive to this knowledge.