Phonics

We recognise the vital importance of early reading in a child’s education. To support children in making the best possible progress in phonics, we use the Anima Phonics programme as the foundation of our teaching.

Anima Phonics is a government-validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme. It is carefully designed to support children in developing the decoding skills they need to become fluent, confident readers.

The programme aims to “captivate children and make phonics the highlight of every day.” By doing so, it helps children to establish strong foundations and fosters a lifelong love of reading.

Each new sound is introduced through an engaging song or poem, alongside a memorable mnemonic action and a captivating animal mascot. This multisensory approach supports children in recalling sounds effectively and applying their knowledge with confidence.

For more information – please see the links below. 

Reading

Intent

At Great Waltham C of E Primary School, we aim to develop fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers. We believe reading is essential for learning, imagination and future success.

We promote a strong reading culture where all pupils read for pleasure and purpose. Our approach combines Anima Phonics for early reading with our Ready Steady Write curriculum, recognising the importance of talk in developing reading and writing.

Our curriculum ensures pupils:

• Develop fluency and accuracy in reading
• Understand and enjoy a wide range of texts
• Build vocabulary and comprehension through talk
• Think deeply, including making inferences
• Access learning regardless of starting point

Implementation

Reading Culture

• Teachers actively model a genuine love of reading.
• Independent reading is encouraged, valued and celebrated.
• Our Recommended Reads offer high-quality, diverse texts to inspire every reader.
• Reading is embedded and promoted across the wider curriculum.
• Daily reading opportunities nurture a lifelong enjoyment of books.
• Buddy reading and ‘E.R.I.C’ (Everyone Reading in Class) foster a shared reading culture within school and at home.

Learning to Read

• Anima Phonics supports early reading
• Focus on decoding, fluency and word recognition
• Additional support is provided where needed.

Comprehension and Talk

• High-quality texts are used.
• Dialogic talk supports understanding and discussion.
• Links to Ready Steady Write allow pupils to rehearse ideas before writing.
• Complete Comprehension resources used in taught reading lessons. 

Teaching Approach

• Teachers model fluent reading and thinking.
• Vocabulary is explicitly taught.
• Pupils practise prediction, retrieval, inference and summarising.
• Sentence stems support pupils’ responses.

Independent Understanding

• Pupils show understanding through talk, writing and drama.
• Reading supports writing across the curriculum.

Impact

• Pupils read fluently and with confidence.
• Children enjoy reading and do so regularly.
• Pupils understand texts deeply and explain their thinking.
• Vocabulary and communication skills are strong.
• Writing outcomes improve through strong reading links.
• All pupils, including those with additional needs, make good progress.
• Pupils leave Great Waltham as skilled, confident readers ready for the next stage of their education.