Dear Parents/Carers,       

Home Reading Books

We have recently undertaken the re-organisation of our home reading books in line with the latest research from the Reading Framework.

We are shifting the way in which we are allowing children to access home reading books.

We will be moving away from using a reading scheme, where children currently select books from a colour banded system and allowing children to self-select age-appropriate texts to share at home. These books will be used once the children have completed all of their Little Wandle programme (our school Phonic Scheme).

Our staff have carefully reorganised the books and selected a wider variety of age-appropriate texts for your children to access. These age-appropriate texts include fiction, non-fiction and poetry titles from a range of popular children’s authors and from a variety of cultures.  As a school, we are very passionate about encouraging our children to develop a real deep-rooted love of reading and we strongly believe that by broadening the range of age-appropriate text types we are exposing children to and allowing them to self-select, we will achieve this. Making sure that all children become engaged with reading from a young age is one of the most important ways to make a positive difference to their life chances. For this to happen, children need to learn to read as fluently as possible and be motivated to read. 

What reading books will my child be bringing home?

All children who are still accessing our phonics program, Little Wandle, will bring home a decodable book. If your child is no longer accessing our Little Wandle scheme, they will bring home a reading book from our specially selected range.  These must be read with children and recorded in their reading records. Books will be changed at least once a week and teachers will let you know the day of the week this will be.

What is a decodable book?

A decodable book is one which your child should be able to decode (read the words) independently. It is perfectly matched to your child’s phonics knowledge and the sounds they have been taught in their phonics lessons.

In school, class teachers and support staff will read this book with your child and we ask that you read this with your child at home also. You may notice that your child can read this book confidently and with ease and this should absolutely be the case.

These books are helpful tools in assisting your child to build up their confidence when reading and their fluency (the speed at which they read). Reading decodable books are vital in your child’s early reading development as they help to speed up the time your child needs to gain sufficient accuracy to read a wide range of children’s literature. 

Thank you for supporting us and your children on their essential reading journey – learning to read really is the best gift we can give children.

Mrs Hedges