Home Reading Books

Reading is such an important skill in life and at St Joseph’s we want to do everything we can to help every child at St. Joseph's to not only read fluently and confidently but to develop a love of reading. We want to work as a partnership between home and school to nurture and develop this within our children. 

Every child at St. Joseph's is given a reading book at their current level, which reflects their reading ability. They will also receive a reading diary. These items are to be used at both home and school so it is important that they are in school everyday. The children in EYFS and KS1 will enjoy books matched to their phonics ability (please see our Early Reading section of the website for more details) as well as bringing home a 'share story.' Throughout EYFS and Year 1 these books are intended to be read by the adult who will model reading fluently and the children will listen and enjoy the story, as well as talk about the characters and the setting in the story. From Year 2 onwards, children develop their fluency and focus more on their understanding of complex vocabulary and understanding of the text.

All children in EYFS and KS1 will be listened to by an adult in school at least twice a week and all children in KS2 will be listened to at least once a week; in most cases this will happen more often. This may be them reading their reading book in class or reading aloud during curriculum time.

The expectation at St. Joseph’s is that you listen to your child read at home at least three times a week and you sign in their reading diary to show this. In school this links to a reward system, where children can win reading bands to show their commitment to reading at home.