Is it normal for teachers to never write or even look in reading records?

[LePetitMarseillais]

We break up next week and our records have sat in the bottom of rucksacks the entire term.My dc read a lot,all choose their own books.

No comment or even a look at them.Have told my dc to stop writing in them as recording book titles is pointless regardless of whether teachers ever look at them.I will not be writing in them any more either.

Is this normal?

[cleoteacher]

How old are they? Think it depends if primary or secondary and age of pupils.

[rollonthesummer]

What year group?

[Soz8]

Hello. This is not normal in our school. I am a year 5 teacher and my TA writes in the diary daily when the children change the books and when she reads with them. I sign them weekly and check that they are reading regularly, as well as doing individual and guided reading. I also sign them alongside the parent each week. The children also add homework tasks or special events. I would maybe mention it at parent's evening!

[LePetitMarseillais]

Years 5 and 6.

Have complained before,they just shrugged.

[AmazonGrace]

Ds old school used to draw a smiley face to acknowledge they'd read the reading diary. His new school make a comment each week and there's also a section to write anything which your child has achieved, this has also been acknowledged. Y3

[Galena]

DD's school dont write in reading records at all, but books are not changed until an adult has heard them read, so I know someone looks to check that. I might ask the school what the point of the reading record is...

[Thatssofunny]

I've got year 6 and didn't even give reading records out this year. By the time they hit year 5, they should be independent readers and read for enjoyment...not to get a tick from me in a reading record.
I know, who in my class reads and who doesn't. Mine record two of the books they've enjoyed each term on our website,...so that they actually write a short review and perhaps get others interested in the same ones. We also do a lot of reading in school, which is much easier for me to assess and check...and which also prompts children to possibly branch out a little.

[LePetitMarseillais]

Why do they bother sending them out.

If nobody bothers looking in them who are they doing it for?It just feels like it's giving home tasks little respect,not an attitude I want fostered just before secondary school tbf.

[OldBeanbagz]

My Y5 DS has his reading record checked and signed weekly. I think it's rude of them to not acknowledge the effort made at home.

[Snapespotions]

My dd is in year 5. I think her reading record has been checked twice since September. I think that's fine - no need for the teacher to waste precious time checking every week, and it's enough to get an overview of what children are reading and how often.

I don't think it's worth complaining about tbh.

[redskybynight]

Um, well you may have been saying this for effect, but if the reading records have sat at the bottom of your DC's rucksacks all term - how on earth is the teacher meant to have looked at them? By Year 5/6 it's up to them to give in stuff to be marked, not to rely on teacher prompting.

I have the flip side of the coin that the school mandates reading at least 3 times a week and the DC lose golden time if it is not written up in their books and signed, so I spend more time than I want completing reading records which are then initialed (so the teacher does look at them) in presumably a flurry of whizzing through reading records each week.

To take your main point though, I'm not sure what purpose reading records serve once your DC is a good reader (mine are Y4 and Y6 and read above level expected for your age). I guess it shows your DC is reading regularly or at least has a parent writing in the book regularly

[LePetitMarseillais]

They sit in the rucksack because they don't collect them in.They go back in forth in the hope they'll be collected in.Not anymore.Complete waste of money.

[cansu]

I suppose you have to ask yourself whether the reading record is for the child to record what they have done and their opinion of the books they read. If this is the case then why does the teacher need to mark them? If the reading record is aimed at catching out kids and parents who don't read then yes the teacher should check them.

[starlight1234]

Ours write in guided reading. I really have no idea what they are for other than his teacher counts if he has read enough to mark off his homework