Reading

RED Awards

What is the RED Award?

The RED Award has been developed to encourage children to read at home every day. Reading is one of the most important skills that your child will learn at school and it is important that they have the opportunity to practise regularly.

How does it work?

At Southfield Primary Academy, all pupils from the Early Years through to Year 6 are encouraged to take part in the RED challenge. To take part in the RED challenge, children need to read at home five times every week. Each time they read at home, we ask that an adult confirms this on their digital reading record. On Mondays, we count up the number of times children have read and award children with a sticker. Once children have earned three stickers they earn 25 RED Dojo dollars. Dojo dollars can be spent in the Dojo shop.

Some questions you might have:

How do I log my child's reading?

Reading is logged through the Boom Reader app (formerly Go Read). The app is free to download and easy to use. A parents' guide can be found below. You should have received a code linked to your child to access the app, but please speak to the class teacher if not.

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How long do children have to earn their stickers?

Children have a whole week to earn five signatures from Monday to the following Monday (including the weekend). At the start of each week, we start again so children must aim to read five times every week.

When will my child receive their sticker?

Stickers are given out every Monday when the week starts again. This allows us to check if children have had the opportunity to read their book over the weekend. Stickers are added to a chart displayed in the classroom.

My child is in Year 6 and prefers to read in their head rather than aloud, does that still count?

If your child has read at home, confirm on their digital reading record to show that they have read. It would be a good idea to ask them questions about what they have read or find time to talk about what they are reading.

My child is not yet able to read; how can they take part?

Children love having books read to them so you could share a familiar story with them and then ask questions; do they know what happens next? Learning to take care of books and how to hold them and to turn the pages is an important skill that you could also practise at home. When you are out and about, point out and read shop signs and road signs to give children an awareness of text. Remember that discussing what is in the pictures in a book is also an important skill when learning to read.

Does my child need a new book each time they have read?

No, it is fine to share books more than once. Younger children love the repetition of reading familiar books and, as children become better readers, their books will take more than a night to read.

Can my child read books that we have at home or do they have to be school books?

They can read library books, newspapers, magazines, their own books or books that they bring home from school!