Reading Information for Parents 

We know it is important to ensure children are confident, fluent readers who enjoy reading, but it is often hard to know where to start. This guide aims to provide you with information on how to engage and support your child in the reading process in the hope that they will become lifelong readers.  

WHY IS READING SO IMPORTANT? 

Research suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a  better understanding of the world. Sharing a book with your child allows you to share adventures and experiences. It allows you to ask questions and discuss what has happened. 

READING AT SCHOOL 

Children at Oldcastle Primary have access to many reading books to be read at home and during guided reading sessions within the school.  

Ideally, we would like children to read their reading books daily, especially in Reception, Year 1 and Year  2, where embedding early reading skills and enjoyment for reading is essential. All children have been provided with Reading Records, which allow parents to comment on their child’s reading at home. All children need to be listened to while reading aloud, as this helps to improve fluency, accuracy and expression. This is just as important in Year 6 as it is in Reception. Research has shown that reading accuracy and speed decline as children age.

FOUNDATION LEARNING READING BOOKS 

In Reception to Year 2, pupils are provided with a school reading book that they read in school and at home. To monitor progress, comments are recorded in the reading log, allowing a dialogue between school and home. During Parent’s Evening and through Class Newsletters, we will inform you of the days when we change books within the school. 

JUNIOR LEARNING READING BOOKS 

In Years 3 to 6, pupils read to their teacher during guided reading sessions. These sessions are undertaken weekly, and the children will read and discuss the guided reading text selected for that year group from our Literacy  Curriculum. You will find the titles of these books in your Termly Newsletters. This book does not come home but is shared only in school. 

For home reading, children will, in most cases, be allowed a ‘free choice’ of books from our school library, although we will always encourage a child to read the first page to assess whether it is at a suitable level for them. We encourage children to be ambitious in their choices, but it is important that they are able to access the book.  This book will be taken home daily and is the one we ask parents to read at home with their child and record comments in their Reading Record. We are also happy for pupils to read books they have at home. It is important, however,  that they bring them to school on a daily basis. 

SCHOOL READING RECORDS 

Not every home reading session needs a comment, date and signature. Just a note of the pages read is enough. For each book, comments can be about enjoyment, fluency - how well they have read, use of phonics to sound out tricky words, comments linked to predictions, and observations about the story- setting,  characters, and events (plot). 

We understand that parents and children lead busy lives, and if time is an issue, your child can read with anyone known to them, for example, grandparents or older siblings. Older children can read independently – this should also be logged in the record. 

Top Tips when listening to your child read:

• Find a comfortable place away from distractions such as the television. 
• Encourage your child to sound out unfamiliar words using their understanding of phonics; this also applies to older children.  
• Take it in turns to read. You read a page; they read a page- this encourages reluctant readers. 
• Vocabulary is important; take time to discuss unfamiliar words, and sometimes use a dictionary/google to find meanings. (Use ambitious vocabulary in daily life so that your child will  experience a wider range of words and be less daunted when coming across new words.) 
• Talk about what is happening in the story, the pictures, and the text. 
• Ask if they enjoyed the book and why. 
• Talk about the type of book, whether fact or fiction, story or non-fiction. 
• Make predictions. What do you think will happen next? 
• Discuss punctuation on the page, for example, exclamation marks. Discuss the importance of punctuation in creating meaning. What should you do when you see an exclamation mark? 
• Focus on two pages and discuss the characters, setting and plot in more detail. 

10 TIPS TO HELP CHILDREN ENJOY READING (reading for pleasure) 

• Make books part of your family life- always have books & magazines around so that you and your children are ready to read whenever possible. 
• Make the most of the library – it’s free! Also, it’s a lovely way of spending an hour or so together,  especially on a cold or wet day.  
• Match your child’s interests - help them to find the right book- it doesn’t matter if it is fiction,  poetry, comic books or non-fiction. 
• While considering the above, don’t forget that all reading is good – Encourage children to try different types of text occasionally. (non-fiction, comics, picture books, magazines and  leaflets) 
• Read repeatedly- encourage your child to re-read favourite books and poems. Re-reading helps to build up fluency and confidence. 
• Bedtime stories- regularly read with your child or children at bedtime. It is a great way to end the day and to spend valuable time with your child. Children love listening to stories, and being read to will develop their reading skills.
• Rhyme and repetition- books and poems which include rhyme and repetition are great for encouraging your younger child or children to join in and remember the words. 

CHOOSING WHAT TO READ 

When it comes to developing a love for reading, it doesn’t matter what you read. Most importantly, we should all help to inspire our children to feel confident and comfortable reading. 

Your child will be given a range of books. Sometimes, the book will be provided to help practice reading and fluency. Sometimes, the book may seem ‘easy’ to read, but this will help to build confidence and enjoyment. Often, it will be a book your child can share with adults to read for pleasure and develop critical reading skills.