Children often find the first year of school incredibly tiring, even if they have been used to attending a previous setting full time.  For this reason, we do not set any formal homework other than reading.

Reading with your child each day is essential in supporting your child to embed the phonics knowledge they are learning and put this knowledge and their ever developing skills of segmenting and blending into action.

Once the children have enough phonics knowledge and can segment and blend to read, a phonics book which links to the sounds and high frequency words they have been learning, will be sent home each week.

Please re-read this book over the week it is with you, as this is important for your child to develop reading comprehension (understanding), and increased independence. On the repeated reads, we would expect that your child could spot the repeated pattern of the text and segment (sound out) and blend words to read.

Your child will be given a reading record so that you can sign when you have read with them.  If diaries are unsigned, we will assume the books have not been read.  Also, in these diaries, you will find a phonics record sheet showing the order of the sounds and high frequency words we are teaching at that time.  At least two times a term, we will highlight the sounds and words they can read / spell so you know where to focus your practice with them at home.

READ FOR PLEASURE!!!

Whilst reading the phonics books regularly and repeatedly with your children is essential to them embedding their phonics knowledge and developing the skills of reading, it is equally as important to read for pleasure with them.  Try to read stories with / to them every day to give them a love of reading, go to the library and allow them to explore and choose books of different types to take home and share and if they have favourite books, never worry about re-reading these time and time again!