Pricing & FAQs - Little Wandle Code

What is Little Wandle Code?

Little Wandle Code is a complete, evidence-informed Key Stage 3 phonics intervention and assessment programme. It’s designed to systematically improve children’s decoding skills and lay the foundations for them to become confident, fluent readers. Reading for pleasure is built into every stage of programme design from initial screen to specific intervention activities.

Who is Little Wandle Code for?

Little Wandle Code is for any struggling reader in Key Stage 3, including students with SEND and those with English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Developed with inclusivity in mind, the programme includes images, contextual sentences for new vocabulary and the repetition of key language both in the lessons and in the matched decodable texts.

Schools who took part in the three-year Little Wandle Code pilot reported that:

The highly structured approach was particularly beneficial for students with a range of SEND needs, including dyslexia.
SEND students responded especially well to the small‑group, adult‑led model.
Schools, including an SEMH special school, reported marked improvements in students’ well‑being and self‑regulation both inside and beyond the intervention.
The combined focus on phonics and language development was considered highly effective by schools with high numbers of EAL students, including recent arrivals.

What assessments are included?

The Little Wandle Code programme allows you to track a clear journey for every struggling reader from identification to intervention and then as they make progress. This starts with an initial screening assessment to use with your whole-cohort, in and whole-class format. Students flagged for support go on to take the 1:1 diagnostic assessment to work out exactly what intervention pathway will suit them best. Once students are on the correct pathway, ongoing and summative assessments give teaching staff instant results that link directly to next steps for teaching and help to track and evidence progress. For a complete overview of the Little Wandle Code assessments, including the available assessments and reporting, please refer to this table.

If I purchase Little Wandle Code for Key Stage 3 does that mean I don’t need NGRT as well?

Yes, that’s correct. Little Wandle Code offers a complete solution to assessment and phonics intervention for struggling Key Stage 3 readers, in one easy-to-use programme. You do not need to purchase any other assessments.
In addition to Little Wandle Code’s initial screen, which measures reading ages up to 13 years and 6 months, the programme includes decoding, fluency and comprehension assessments. Our unique You as a Reader Survey allows schools to get a clear picture of the reading attitudes of your whole Key Stage 3 cohort, so that you can effectively promote Reading for Pleasure for all students.

To help you compare the features of Little Wandle Code and NGRT for Key Stage 3, we’ve prepared the following guide:

	Little Wandle Code	NGRT
Content	Screening Assessment Decoding (lexical decision task) Sentence completion Vocabulary in context Short and long passage comprehension Diagnostic Assessment Real word decoding Fake word decoding Fluency You as a Reader Survey Online pupil survey on reading attitudes and engagement Genre preferences for fiction and non-fiction	Sentence completion Passage comprehension
Adaptive?	✓	✓
Reading ages	13.6 months	Up to 16 years
Standardised scores?	✓	✓
Length	Screening Assessment – 40 to 45 mins Diagnostic Assessment – 15 mins You as a Reader Survey – 10 mins	30 mins (digital) 45 mins (paper)
Charging Model	Unlimited use included in Little Wandle Code subscription	Pupil/test credit charging
Test Delivery and Frequency	Screening Assessment – Online, whole class/cohort Diagnostic Assessment – Online, 1:1, teacher-led You as a Reader Survey – Online, whole class/cohort Test as often as needed	Online or paper, whole class/cohort Schedulable over a date range Automatic or manual test start Up to 3 times per year
Marking and reporting	Auto-marked Whole cohort reports; GPC Heatmap, Decoding %; comprehension standardised score and reading age, breakdown and ability scores across comprehension sub-domains Individual pupil reports: standardised score, attainment level and reading age (real word); fake word accuracy %; fluency WCPM, standardised score and reading age Leadership (Reading for Pleasure) report with strategies for engaging all readers Recommends intervention level and Code pathway	Auto-marked online; manual marking service available for paper Individual report: standardised age score, national percentile rank, reading ability scale, stanine scores, reading age Group report: cohort ranking and national comparison Progress report: tracks over 2–3 assessment points

What does the intervention consist of?

The intervention consists of comprehensive planning and teaching resources designed to teach phonics in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

Students are identified for the intervention through the diagnostic assessments, which place them on the correct pathway for their level of phonic knowledge:

Start the Code is suitable for students who have significant gaps in their phonic knowledge.
Grow the Code is suitable for students who have some gaps in their phonic knowledge.
Complete the Code is suitable for students who have gaps in their phonic knowledge that particularly affects their ability to read and/or spell longer, unfamiliar words.

Although the intervention’s progression is based on phonics, the lessons are also designed to improve students’ spelling, fluency and comprehension. Students’ work through the pathways. Depending on the student’s starting point, progress and the frequency of the sessions, this takes between 10 and 33 weeks.

What is included in the subscription and do I need to purchase anything else?

A Little Wandle Code subscription includes:

unlimited logins (for staff and students)
a complete video-based training programme with accompanying summary handouts
initial screen, diagnostic, ongoing and summative assessments (which you can use as many times as you wish)
a fully resourced intervention programme – including scripted lessons, lesson displays and downloadable posters
phone and email support

To run the programme, you will also need to purchase books and student workbooks.

Our publishing partner, Collins, has created a complete progression of anthologies matched to the Little Wandle Code programme that have been carefully designed to motivate and engage Key Stage 3 students. Collins have also created our student workbooks. Please head to the Collins website for more information and costings.

Is there guidance for implementing the programme, including staffing and timetabling?

Yes, there is. A Little Wandle Code subscription includes training and guidance to support successful implementation. You will also have access to phone and email support.

Is there any training included?

A membership subscription to Little Wandle Code includes a comprehensive on-demand, video-based training programme, including guidance on which staff should complete which modules.

The key aims of the training are to support:

The Little Wandle Code Lead to run the programme successfully and provide appropriate support to colleagues.
Non-specialist teachers to quickly build their knowledge to deliver successful phonics interventions.
All Key Stage 3 staff to understand struggling readers and support them back in class.

Download our training overview flyer for more details.

Does the programme support reading for pleasure?

As with all Little Wandle programmes, reading for pleasure is a key part of the Little Wandle Code pedagogy. Read the full report or two-page executive summary of our research with The Open University to see the influence of Little Wandle Code on reading for pleasure at our pilot schools.

All aspects of the programme support students to experience the joy of reading, as they develop their reading fluency.

This starts with our whole-cohort initial screen, which includes a ‘You as a Reader’ report to inform the development of your reading for pleasure culture across Key Stage 3.

For those students on the intervention, listening to books being read, reading along and discussing what they’ve heard is part of the weekly structure of each of the Start, Complete and Grow pathways. The programme includes an optional selection of Barrington Stoke books to support reading for pleasure. Find out more about these books on the Collins website.

Does the programme support fluency?

Little Wandle Code is designed to support students with their phonic knowledge. However, it does this in a way that targets fluency and comprehension as well. This is done through the integration of the decodable texts in the programme and scripted lessons which provide clear instruction on reading with prosody and support teachers to improve fluency through modelled and repeated reading. Students in the pilot have made accelerated progress in both their decoding ability and their fluency.