School don't send home books any more

This is such a weird comment - why does one random phonics lead from one random school be responsible for this- if you this to be the case speak to your child’s phonics lead at school but it’s a bit of a weird statement to make in this context as she is just one lady she has no control over the entire countries phonics curriculum 🙈

All the schemes are prescriptive. Thank the government for that.

My son (reception) is sent home with one book a week, however his homework is often reading an online book. I much prefer him reading a proper book.

I don’t like it, the phonics lead doesn’t like it, but it’s the only way school can affordable meet the requirements put on it

Maybe the phonics lead could look in to a different scheme that is less prescriptive. Remember phonics had been the way reading was taught for centuries, before the blip of other methods that began in the 1960s/70s, and was done so very effectively without the need for complex schemes with strict rules.

Our primary has books that come home, all the schools in the trust do. I asked at Open days.

They will do some online reading as they progress up the school but there is a focus on actual books.

Ours also don’t just do one reading scheme, they have loads of books from all different ones and mix them up. DD is reception and had 3 sent home for half term (all different brands but all “Red” as she’s at the start).

State schools cannot insist that a household provides tech.

If you do not want your DC on a screen, or simply do not have one available, the school either has to accept that reading cannot happen in that form for that pupil (and you're unlikely to be the only family in that boat) and will have to either live with it not being done or provide a work-around.

You can support your DC by the traditional methods of reading with them and to them. A lot. From books.

Same - it’s a cost thing coupled with the sheer carelessness of most children and parents, they were losing several books a week to “leaky water bottle”, “can’t find it”, “baby brother ripped the pages out”…

Add in the need to precisely match the phonics teaching scheme when the guidance changed (there are now loads of rules about children only getting books that they have been taught every sound in) and school were looking at having to buy an entire replacement set of books for reception and y1, and then replace the endlessly damaged ones after that. It was totally unaffordable.

Any parent lacking a suitable device can either borrow one from school for a deposit or their child is given print-outs. They have paper books in the classroom but they aren’t lent out.

I don’t like it, the phonics lead doesn’t like it, but it’s the only way school can affordable meet the requirements put on it.

I agree it is really sad that they won't be sending books home anymore.

Although, I've worked in schools and I can understand why...a few years ago my school spent thousands of pounds getting all new sets of books to go along side the new phonics scheme. Within a few weeks so many were missing and damaged.

As others suggested, could you visit a local library to get some physical books with them? Perhaps you could get some nice chapter books and then they can do their homework ones on the tablet?

Ours send books. I would not like electronic books.

Parents in my school are constantly complaining about students having to carry books to and from school. We have been encouraged to not assign work directly from books, unless they can access the books online. It's a pain.

Ours send home books.

Just read different books. I'm a teacher and my dc didn't read the school books because they were terrible.

Schools are doing this because they have no money. Now they won't have to replace lost or damaged books and changing them takes a long time.

Surely you can borrow children’s books from the local library if you can’t buy them for yourself? Otherwise I expect the school will let you use a tablet, even if it means you need to stay in the building before or after school to do so.

It’s likely your child will be reading online whilst at school as well.

Our primary school has homework that needs a computer and lots of reading from KS2 upwards is done on kindles. Pretty much all secondary schools here require children to have their own iPads and they are essential for their learning.

Ours is the same, they have reading books in the classroom but they don't come home. Instead we have an app. I don't have a tablet and don't want my child reading a book on my phone (for a multitude of reasons) so we don't do the assigned school reading at home.
Instead we simply read books we have at home and also visit the local library to choose others.
I'm not happy about it but presumably it is cost saving.