Willow Dene is a Little Wandle Champion School. This initiative comprises of a network of schools across the country, which model exemplary practice in the teaching of phonics and reading and provide information and support for Little Wandle members.  

Being a Champion School involves sharing the work we are doing in the teaching of early reading and phonics to children with SEND, and having other schools come to see Little Wandle in action at Willow Dene. Willow Dene is currently the only special school in this network, so our Live Events are always popular, with both special schools and mainstream schools supporting children with increasingly complex needs.  

On March 7th, we hosted our first ‘in-person’ Live Event of the year, with 25 delegates that included headteachers, deputy heads, reading leaders, teachers and SENCOs, as well as training leads in the Little Wandle network. As always, we focused on sharing how we develop a love of reading and access to high quality texts and books, alongside practical examples of delivering Little Wandle Foundations, Phonics and Reading Practice sessions for children with SEND.  

We aim for our Live Events to answer all sorts of questions about early reading for children with SEND, including ‘Can non-verbal children learn to read with a phonics-based approach’ (yes!); ‘Does it work for children with autism…’ (yes!) ‘… or Down’s syndrome?’ (yes!); ‘Is it suitable for older children with SEND?’ (yes!); ‘Are there adaptations I can make to match my learners? (yes!); and we try to include videos that provide examples of these things being implemented successfully.  

Most of the event takes place in our conference rooms with discussion and videos about different aspects of the programme. Delegates at our ‘in-person’ Live Events always appreciate the opportunity of a school tour and seeing our wonderful children in action. We received some lovely feedback from our visitors, both about our approach to early reading and phonics, and the school in general. 

‘It was great to see such amazing SEND provision’ 

‘Your school is an absolute joy to spend time in and the children are so lucky to be in such exceptional hands’ 

‘The love of reading is obviously evident in your practice and passion, however, the love that is embedded in all aspects of life at Willow Dene is really powerful’ 

‘The calmness in each of the rooms we visited spoke to the great routines and the relationships between children and adults’ 

‘Your commitment to ensuring children learn to read is amazing’