Our Read with Oxford series features the much-loved characters who have been helping children learn to read for over 30 years. Parents of children using Read Write Inc. Phonics may be interested in our home learning kits and flashcards: Read Write Inc. Phonics kits >

Find more support and resources for Read Write Inc. in our parents' guide to Read Write Inc.> Looking for printed books for phonics practice at home? Our Read with Oxford range of levelled readers help children develop reading confidence at home: Read with Oxford books > Before your child starts reading, chat about the cover and title. Talk about what the book might be about. The prize draw is only open to UK Residents, but the survey is open for anyone to complete and we'd love to hear from all of you – wherever you are in the world! It is really important to read from your child’s reading book (or another book at the right level) every day. It can seem like a struggle or a chore if your child is unenthusiastic, but try and find the time – your child’s reading skills will blossom for it.

Learning to read at school

The Oxford Reading Tree is a reading scheme which has been developed to help children learn to read between the ages of 4 and 11. It comprises over 800 books which have been graded according to their difficulty into 20 ‘Oxford Levels’ and 17 ‘Colour Bands’. Published by the Oxford University Press, it is the reading scheme used by most schools in the UK.

Many mums call me to discuss their child’s reading level. They worry that their child’s classmates seem to have different colour books. Does this ring a bell with you? If so, read on!The Oxford Reading Tree banding gives a pretty good guide on where your child’s reading should be. In Letters and Sounds, there are ‘sets’ within the Phases – so your child might not know all the sounds in every book within their Phase. Help your child build their vocabulary and develop spelling skills with age-appropriate dictionaries from Oxford children's dictionaries. Children's fiction

Oxford Reading Tree resources

If your child is struggling with a word, help them to break it down into individual sounds, then blend the sounds together. Breaking words down into syllables can also help. With longer or compoundwords, support children to identify elements of the word they might know or find easier to decode, for instance, rain/ing, kind/est, foot/ball. Cover up part of the word and encourage children to read it in smaller chunks.