Book Band Levels

[user1483387861]

Hi, my reception DS has started bringing home reading books. His school are using the biff and kipper Oxford tree series. We had a couple of ones that were just pictures and then were given one with words. I felt that DS made good progress making the letter sounds and then to start blending a couple of the words. He was also much more enthusiastic about doing it than I expected! However, his new book tonight is pictures only. Is it common to mix and match like this? I had assumed once we got to the ones with words, that we had got past the pictures only stage.

They do sometimes get mixed up and put back in the wrong boxes, especially if the children get them themselves, and it's easy to pick out one from the wrong section by mistake because from the outside they look very similar with just a small sticker to show which band they are. Go in (or write a note in the reading record) and ask the teacher if that's the book he's meant to have (and, if so, why and how you can support him) or if it's a mistake.

In our school, sometimes a TA puts the books in while the teacher is busy and isn't aware that a child has moved up a level, or a teacher can be sick and the wrong book can be put in.

It's not typical to go back in levels, so do leave a note and follow up. It's probably a mistake.