Little Wandle review by Sal

Date: 05.05.2022

Review subject: Phonics

Phase: Primary

Reviewer: Sal, Teacher

Review rating:

Average rating across all Little Wandle reviews: 3.6/5

Better SSP schemes out there that are also dfe approved

How well does it match the curriculum?

Reasonably: It’s good enough for the money, but needs some additional resources

Awkward planning and flash cards

How well does it support your school’s inclusion/diversity/equal opportunities policy?

Reasonably: There is some representation of minorities and no real stereotyping

Some gaps in sentence construction

How well does it support differentiation for the full range of the classes you use it with?

Reasonably: Need to have lots of sessions as there is cognitive overload

Ok for differentiation

How well does it engage and motivate pupils?

Badly: Pupils don’t really enjoy using it

Pupil voice supports learning via technology

How well supported is it by accompanying formative assessments?

Reasonably: There is some formative assessment included, but its usefulness is a bit limited

Assessments are ok

How well does it support planning?

Reasonably: Mostly we can use it without an unreasonable amount of effort or additional resource requirement

Some gaps in sentence structure

How well does it support home use / independent learning?

Badly: It’s not really suitable for home use or independent learning

Children need to be monitored with resources

How would you rate it for value for money compared to similar resources?

Badly: It really isn’t worth investing the time or money in introducing this resource at a school like mine

Expensive scheme which has been rushed through. Quality of materials has got worse I.e. thinner paper and card