Survey for parents and carers
Reading and phonics at home
For Reception to Year 2 families in late autumn: how often children read at home, whether books match what they can read, how confident parents feel with phonics, and what gets in the way. About 5 minutes to complete.
What respondents read first
This survey asks about reading at home and how the school helps you support your child with phonics (letter sounds). It helps us make reading books, reading records and parent help work better. It takes about 5 minutes. It is anonymous: the school cannot see who answered, and results are only shown for groups of 5 or more. If you have more than one child in Reception to Year 2, please answer about your eldest one. If you write something that makes us worried about a child's safety, the school's safeguarding lead will see that comment so they can help.
How anonymity works in this survey
- The school cannot see who answered. Nothing is reported until 10 people have answered.
- A group, such as one role or one year group, is shown only when 5 or more people in it have answered. Smaller groups are hidden.
- An answer chosen by fewer than 5 people is hidden, along with enough others that it cannot be worked out by subtraction.
- Written comments appear only once 10 people have answered.
The questions
Numbered in the order respondents see them.
Respondents choose
Which year is your child in?
- Reception (offered in primary and all-through schools)
- Year 1 (offered in primary and all-through schools)
- Year 2 (offered in primary and all-through schools)
This places each answer in a group for the report. It is the only question about the person answering.
Reading at home4
- Question 1.
In a usual week, on how many days does your child read with you or to you at home?
Choose one
- None
- 1 or 2 days
- 3 or 4 days
- 5 or more days
- Question 2.
My child enjoys reading at home.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 15.
What makes reading at home harder for your family? Choose all that apply.
Choose any that apply
- Nothing gets in the way
- Finding the time
- My child is too tired
- My child does not want to
- The book is too easy or too hard
- English is not our first language
- I am not confident with reading myself
- I am not sure how the school teaches reading
- Something else
- Question 16.
What one thing would help you most with reading at home?
Write your own answer
Reading books5
- Question 3.
How well does the reading book your child brings home match what they can read?
Choose one
- It is too easy
- It is about right
- It is too hard
- My child does not bring a reading book home
- I don't know
- Question 4.
My child can read most of the words in their reading book on their own.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 5.
My child also brings home a book for us to share and enjoy together.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 6.
How often do you write in your child's reading record?
Choose one
- Most times we read
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Never
- My child does not have a reading record
- Question 7.
The reading record is a useful way to share how my child's reading is going.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Phonics and support for parents5
- Question 9.
I feel confident saying the letter sounds the way the school teaches them.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 10.
I know how to help my child when they get stuck on a word.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 11.
The school has shown me how to help my child read at home, for example at a workshop or in a video.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 12.
I know how well my child is getting on with reading.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 14.
I feel well supported by the school to help my child read at home.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Reading at school2
- Question 8.
I understand how the school teaches my child to read using phonics (letter sounds).
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 13.
The school helps my child to become a better reader.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Free to run. The full report is £149.
Running it is free and gives you the headline result, with strengths and priorities. The full report adds every chart, comments grouped into themes and briefing slides.
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