When a school partners with us to use the Digital Reading Log, it is usually to replace the expensive paper reading logs they have used for years with something that can’t get lost and allows them to track home reading more easily. The log meets these requirements well but it is so much more than just a replacement for paper logs. The reading log is designed to support a meaningful partnership between home and school so that, together, parents and teachers can help children make progress in learning to read whilst also crucially helping children to enjoy reading.
Parental engagement in reading
Through all our programmes, including the Digital Reading Log, we want to empower parents to engage in their child’s learning. Parental engagement starts with giving them choice over how they engage with the learning provided by the school.
Our log supports this by allowing families to record anything they have enjoyed reading with their child as well as school books. The log is designed to work best on a mobile phone which means families can easily log reading ‘on the go’. For example, we have seen KS2 families reading board game instructions together and KS1 children spotting sounds and words on street signs. By giving families these different options, the log is empowering parents and children to choose the reading they want to share with their teacher and in turn supporting them to find pleasure in reading together, with a key focus on celebrating all types of reading.
Another way the log gives ownership to parents, is allowing them to choose how they leave feedback. They have the option of providing a written comment, uploading a photo or uploading an audio clip of their child reading. We often hear from teachers that children come rushing into the classroom asking them to listen to their audio clip. Recently, one school told us:
I feel the interactions are more meaningful between parents and their children and we can hear the conversations and questioning that parents are doing through the audio clips. Also, the children really love to share books with their parents and showcase all the skills they have learnt in the classroom.
English Lead, Nene Valley Primary School
Parents & teachers celebrating achievement together
The log also allows parents and teachers to meaningfully celebrate reading with the children. Every time a family logs a book, it is recorded in their library so they can look back on what they have read as well as listen to audio clips to hear the progress they have made.
The log allows teachers to see what reading is happening at home and who may need some more encouragement or support. We have provided an optional feature for schools which allows teachers to acknowledge reading done at home by commenting on reading entries left by families – teachers also have the ability to give out virtual stickers and to leave a tick on all entries simultaneously on busier days.
I love looking through the audio feed, I learn so much about my families.
Oracy Lead, Durdans Park Primary
How the reading log supports reading for pleasure in school
The schools who use the Digital Reading Log have seen their workload reduce significantly when it comes to tracking home reading, which means they have more time to read with children in school and to be creative in the ways that they support reading for pleasure.
Gainsborough Primary School is a fantastic example. They have now found time to practise reading poems and book extracts in school throughout the week and then record the piece as a whole class using the audio clip function. Every time a reading log entry is left in school, parents are notified, which includes them in their child’s reading journey. This motivates the children, because they know the recording is being sent to their families. They can also easily share recordings with wider family, such as grandparents.
