What did the school think of the reading books?

The SENCO described the books as very good. He liked the layout of the books and the use of cartoon drawings and photographs. He felt that some of the photographs were ‘a bit scary’ but added that that was an adult’s view – ‘the children like them!’
The mixture of fiction and non-fiction was also well liked. The length of the books was described as ‘just right – not too long, not too short’. He commented, ‘in the short time they’ve been reading these I’ve seen a keenness developing’.

‘I think that the before Reading page are a really good warm up activity –you go through the characters and any Tricky Words. I think that’s a good reminder of good practice’. The Quiz was also seen as a key feature: ‘I think it’s essential - rather than just put the book down and say that’s it. It explores different realms of comprehension’.

What did the school think of the software?

The SENCO had found the software easy to set up and felt that the accompanying user guide was clear and helpful. He felt that the pupils liked using the software (many of the pupils particularly enjoyed wearing the headphones!) and that it could be an incentive for reluctant readers.

It was felt that it was easy to personalise the software to individual pupils, which made it special. The SENCO felt that the pupils found the software easy to use, ‘once they see their name on screen, they’ve got their password and they are straight in’. He added, ‘if they want to get into it themselves they can be quite independent as a learner’.

The SENCO felt that many of the features were ‘excellent’, particularly the Read to Me feature which was seen as a useful warm-up activity. The Read and Record feature was also seen as positive component; the pupils liked hearing themselves read and the recording could be shared with parents if they came into the school.

It was also felt that the pupils enjoyed the competitive element of seeing how many stars they could get when using the software.

What do the pupils think?

The pupils gave the books a ‘thumbs up’; they loved the jokes, the quiz and seeing how well they had done at the end.

Overall

The materials were seen as having a positive impact on the pupils that had used them. The SENCO felt that the materials had helped pupils in terms of confidence, fluency and self-esteem as a reader. ‘I wanted to send the books home as well as I wanted them to have success with their parents’.

The SENCO described the materials as a way in to reading. He also added that they were ‘a way in to other areas of the curriculum as well… as fluency develops here it has that knock on effect’.

The SENCO would like to continue using the materials and to use them with a wider group of pupils. He had already recommended the materials to a colleague in another school.