The Oxford Reading Tree is a reading scheme which has been developed to help children learn to read between the ages of 4 and 11. It comprises over 800 books which have been graded according to their difficulty into 20 ‘Oxford Levels’ and 17 ‘Colour Bands’. Published by the Oxford University Press, it is the reading scheme used by most schools in the UK.
Here is our ‘All you need to know about the Oxford Reading Tree’ parents’ guide to help you understand their system and to see if your child’s reading is at the right level.
So what level book should your child be reading in school?
Many mums call me to discuss their child’s reading level. They worry that their child’s classmates seem to have different colour books. Does this ring a bell with you? If so, read on!The Oxford Reading Tree banding gives a pretty good guide on where your child’s reading should be.
However, I cannot stress enough that every child is different and makes progress at different rates; your child might seem ‘stuck’ on a certain colour for ages and seem to lag behind their classmates. Please try not to worry. Learning isn’t linear and suddenly there will be a noticeable leap in progress. Persevere and try and keep it fun.
What is the Oxford Reading Tree?
The Oxford Reading Treeis a reading scheme used by the vast majority (around 80%) of primary schools to help kids aged 4-11 learn to read. This includes series such as Biff, Chip and Kipper, Floppy’s Phonics, Traditional Tales, Songbirds Phonics, inFact, and Story Sparks.
One of my personal favourites is the Project X Alien Adventure series, specifically designed to motivate boys to read independently – something that really helped my son.
What are Oxford Reading Tree bands?
Confusingly, (at least to me!), each Oxford Reading Tree book is given a colour AND a numbered level.
When the Oxford books series was created, they gave each book a colour level, but then later on as the National Curriculum developed, ‘book levels’ came along across different reading schemes to indicate the reading level of each book, so these are now included too.
Use the table below to find out which Oxford Level is best suited to your child.
Oxford Reading Tree Book Band Colours & Levels
| School Year | Oxford Colour Band | Oxford Level | Check on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reception (Age 5) |  | 1 | Level 1 Pack of 6 |
| Reception (Age 5) |  | 1+ | Level 1+ Pack of 6 |
| Reception (Age 5) |  | 2 | Level 2 Pack of 6 |
| Reception (Age 5) |  | 3 | Level 3 Pack of 6 |
| Year 1 |  | 4 | Level 4 Pack of 6 |
| Year 1 (Age 6) |  | 5 | Level 5 Pack of 6 |
| Year 1 (Age 6) |  | 6 | Level 6 Pack of 6 |
| Year 2 (Age 7) |  | 7 | Level 7 Pack of 6 |
| Year 2 (Age 7) |  | 8 | Level 8 Pack of 6 |
| Year 2 (Age 7) |  | 9 | Level 9 Pack of 6 |
| Year 2 (Age 7) |  | 10 | Level 10 Pack of 6 |
| Year 2 (Age 7) |  | 11 | Level 11 Pack of 6 |
| Year 3 (Age 8) |  | 9 | Level 9 Pack of 6 |
| Year 3 (Age 8) | | 10 | Level 10 Pack of 6 |
| Year 3 (Age 8) | | 11 | Level 11 Pack of 6 |
| Year 3 (Age 8) |  | 12 | Level 12 Pack of 6 |
| Year 3 (Age 8) | | 13 | Level 13 Pack of 6 |
| Year 4 (Age 9) | | 14 | Trapped! |
| Year 4 (Age 9) |  | 15 | My Guinea Pig Is Innocent! |
| Year 5 (Age 10) | | 16 | Explosions |
| Year 5 (Age 10) |  | 17 | Stories of Sherlock Holmes |
| Year 6 (Age 11) | | 18 | Cool Drool Levels 18-20 Pack of 6 |
| Year 6 (Age 11) |  | 19 | Levels 18-20 Pack of 6 |
| Year 6 (Age 11) | | 20 | Levels 18-20 Pack of 6 |