Phonics at Shaftesbury Park 

Welcome to the beginning of the most wonderful journey in which your child, whatever their starting point, will become a fluent, confident reader who loves books!

Teaching children the skills of reading will increase their will to read. Reading develops children’s vocabulary, understanding of the world and empathy.

As parents, we all want our children to develop strong reading skills, and phonics plays a crucial role in that journey. To develop a love of reading, children must have the skills to read, which is why we teach them using phonics.

We use a phonics program called Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, a structured approach to help children decode words by connecting sounds with letters. But why is it so important?

Phonics teaches children the essential skills they need to read fluently and confidently. It helps them understand how letters form sounds and how these sounds blend together to make words. Children not only learn these sounds but also apply them in fun, interactive ways, reinforcing their knowledge in real-life contexts.

Phonics also builds a strong foundation for spelling and writing. As children master phonics, they begin to recognise patterns in words, making them more independent readers and writers.

Phonics is not about teaching letters and sounds—it’s about empowering children to become confident readers, ready to explore the world around them.