I need some advice. My son is in blue level in the school in Reception. I had a meeting with his teacher and I asked her to move him up, because I think he is ready. She told me that he is ready, but blue is the highest level they give the children in his class (this is how the school does this every year) and there is no point to move him a lot further ahead where are the other children in his class.
But sometimes he brings home turquoise level books. They have shelves for the pink and red books in the class. But for those children who are higher up the TA brings some (10 or 12) books in to the class and they can choose from those books. I think other children from other class put the turquoise books under the blue shelves (the stickers look like light blue on turquoise) and the TA does not recognise it. So the TA shows that 10-12 books to my son and he chooses 2 from them twice a week. He chooses turquoise for himself and he reads them easily at home (his comprehension is good too).
So I started to think what the point is to keep him in blue when he is ready for the level turquoise (that is 3 levels up). I do understand that it is not a race, but this is the system in England. It is the same like the teacher tells me that I should not let my son to adding numbers between 10 and 20, because the other children don?t do it in the class, and what is the point to move him further ahead from his classmates. I would not agree with this as well.
I have two reasons why I would like him to move up. Once because probably there is a reason why the reading system developed in this way in England. We read other books at home, but it is very hard for me to choose right level of books for him, because he is not free reader yet and we are not English, so I do not know lots of children books for each reading level. It is easier for me if the school keep him in the level that is challenging for him, so I do not need to worry that he gets the right level book from me or not.
The other reason is: nearly year end and I know next year will start again with assessing the children in the first two or three month, so I won?t have a chance that the new teacher in Year1 will move him up before the first parent evening in October or November. It means he will be in this easy level in the next 4-5 month even if he is ready for the next levels.
I know that I would like to achieve that the teacher move him up, but I do not know how to approach it. He has a lovely teacher; my son likes her a lot. But in this situation my view and the teacher view is different. But I do not want the teacher to be angry with us.
Any advice? Any teacher who can give me an advice how to approach it in a nice way?
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Another reading level question. Please help.
67 replies
rrbrigi · 13/06/2013 10:02
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