As a school we are working to develop our home:school links. As a reception class we are in the process of creating activity packs to be used at home with parents to develop all areas of the curriculum. We are also wants to increase children’s familiarity with handling non-fiction text.

The books and Teacher’s Resource CD ROM are a valuable tool to use within such activity packs – building upon the treading scheme materials already used.

Some of the books are suitable for the ability of readers in the class and some are slightly more challenging which encourages them to break words down, applying key reading skills and others require parental support, all of which is just what we needed. The Teacher’s Resource CD ROM allows us to extend the activity packs further beyond the texts.

We are very impressed with both the range and quality of the resources and would like to receive further information about other Kingscourt resources available in the future.

Mrs Helen Jepson, Gawsworth Primary School , Macclesfield

Hotlinks have been an instant success, the children we have shown the books to have responded very enthusiastically. They love the layout and illustrations. 

The variety of texts/activities appeals to the children we work with because they can read a section at a time and not necessarily in the sequence they are presented in the book. The illustrations are absorbing and the text is child friendly. 

Our children seem more motivated to read Hotlinks than other books we offer them. 

Lynn Watts & Lucy Culleton, Eastbrook SpLD Base, Hemel Hempstead 

I love these for class use. The range of text type and presentation means that children feel they are being presented with a ‘real book’ not a reading scheme.

We are using these as a class resource for children in Reading Recovery who need to gain confidence and independence with their peers. Using these Book Banded resources one or even two levels below what the child can currently do in a one-to one situation means that they are able to access the materials easily and gain considerable confidence.

Rosa Pryke, School Improvement Services, Brent LEA

Hot Link to Literacy

Help children to develop their literacy skills with a language and reading resource for Key Stage 1, published by Kingscourt.

Hotlinks comprises of 20 titles that cover the NLS objectives and feature a range of text types, such as personal narrative, fantasy, recount, expository text and plays. Each book also includes stories, facts, puzzles and poems linked by a common theme. Carefully levelled for guided reading, Hotlinks has theachers’ notes linked to the NLS, phonemic features and cross-curricular and ESL links.

Child Education, February 2005

A new mixed-text type resource for KS1, consisting of 20 graded books using stories, facts, poems and fun - all presented in a colourful format. The gatefold section opens out to reveal puzzles and further ideas on the book's topic.

The National Literacy Association (NLA)