Early Years
Reading
In our nursery, reading is delivered through a rich and engaging environment that fosters a love of books and storytelling. Children enjoy daily storytime sessions where they listen to a wide range of high-quality texts read aloud by adults, helping to develop their vocabulary, comprehension, and imagination. Books are carefully chosen to reflect children's interests, broaden their experiences, and introduce them to new ideas. Reading areas are inviting and accessible, encouraging children to explore books independently and with peers, laying the foundations for future reading success
In Nursery, phonological awareness is taught through the Litte Wandle Foundaions for Phonics scheme. Moving into Reception, children begin to learn reading through the core Little Wandle programme. More details of this can be found on our Phonics and early Reading pages.
Writing
In Reception, writing and spelling are taught through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Children learn to form letters correctly as they are introduced through daily phonics sessions, which build their understanding of the relationship between sounds and letters. As they progress, children begin to segment spoken words into individual phonemes and use these to write simple words and captions. High-frequency words and tricky words are also taught systematically, helping children to spell common words accurately and apply their skills in early writing tasks.
Drawing Club
In Early years, we use the principles of the 'Drawing Club' approach to developing early writing. Drawing Club invites children to express their ideas through art as a first step toward written communication. Each session begins with a creative prompt—such as a scene from nature, a character in motion, or a mysterious object—encouraging children to sketch freely and with enthusiasm. While they draw, teachers engage them in conversation about their artwork, prompting them to describe what they’ve created, think about what might happen next, and explore emotions or actions within their scenes. Once the drawings are complete, children can choose to add captions, labels, single words, or full sentences that match their pictures. This flexible, child-led approach supports confidence and creativity, helping each student make meaningful connections between images and words. Over time, portfolios showcase how children’s abilities grow from expressive pictures and simple captions to more detailed storytelling, celebrating progress at every stage.
