18th September 2024
Supporting your child with reading
Dear Parents/Carers,
Children in Reception and Year One will be taught to read at school. Lessons will be delivered by the teachers each day, using the government approved scheme ‘Little Wandle’.
As part of this, your child will be given a reading practice book which will be carefully matched to their reading level. They will read this book with an adult in school at least three times each week.
Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can still have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home. However, unlike in previous years, we will not be sending the books home for the children to practice.
Instead, we will send home a sharing book. In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that your child learns to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they will have chosen for you to enjoy together. Your child will not be able to read the book on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together.
The children will be given the opportunity to choose a new sharing book at school every two weeks when they visit the school library. In addition, the library will be open after school on a Thursday if you would like to choose a new book with your child. Mrs Balaam would love to see you there!
If you would like more opportunities to practice reading with your child, please speak to their class teacher or to our phonics lead, Miss Bias, for ideas of things you can do at home to support your child with their reading. We will also run some parent sharing sessions throughout the year so that you can see how your child is getting on with their reading.
Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read the sharing book alone. Read it to or with them. You could discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters and explore the facts in a non-fiction book.
The main thing is that you have fun!
Thank you for your support.
Miss Siddall
Co-headteacher