Is free reading expected by end of Y2?

[PotteryLottery]

DD is on brown/silver band and next step is to become a free reader, bit hadn't made it to be free reader by end of Y2 unlike some of her classmates.

But she got 107 in her Y2 SATS for reading so is working above the expected level so am a bit confused.

[catkind]

Free reading isn't really a thing that can be compared from one school to the next as it depends very much on the school's approach. It depends on things like how many books they have, how many levels they have, whether they make each child read every book/every level, what sort of criteria they use for moving up levels.

There are aspects of reading that aren't in the test too, like stamina to read a longer book, fluency. Did she get EXS or GDS in the teacher assessment too? If so you can be pretty sure she is doing well, whether some classmates are doing slightly better and have been moved up the extra level or not.

Meanwhile, it's summer holidays, free reading for everyone :) Have fun with it.

[MaddyHatter]

is free reading actually a thing?

My dd is just at the end of yr2 and working above expected level in reading in her Sats.. we read all the time.

I can't remember the last time she bought a book home, i have a house full of them and the school haven't complained about anything we've read together (she's reading Matilda to me this week).

[my2bundles]

Different school use different methods, a free reader in one school wouldn't be in another. My sn is still not a free reader at the end of year 3 yet a friends child n a different school is a free reader in year 1 despite my sons reading skills being far more advanced. Take it with the pinch of salt it deserves.

[Ditsy4]

No, not expected. Lots of Year 3s not reading at that level yet.

[PotteryLottery]

She got exceeding in her teacher assessment which I didn't expect as she is not a free reader yet but has mentioned that some of her cohort is.

[Maeradpellinor]

We refused to read the school reading books with our DC from around year 1. We wanted to instill above of reading and school books are generally awful! So it may not be that those children are free readers by the teachers choice.

[Maeradpellinor]

A love of not above of!

[Zodlebud]

Agree with many of the comments above about how it depends on the school system. My daughter has to read what feels like a hundred books on each level BUT they do have a huge selection and it's not just ORT. My daughter can choose what she wants to read from the selection.

I would say that at home she reads freely and enjoys reading for pleasure. At school she's still ploughing through the books BUT her comprehension, understanding and interpretation is brilliant.

She is at a prep school and many if her friends are at state. I was having a bit of a grump in the early days as her state school friends were on much higher levels than she was and was wondering what I was paying for. Many of these friends are now "free readers" at school but my daughter's reading skills are far better despite her being still on the levels. Far more fluent, taking the time to understand new words and improve vocabulary as opposed to just sounding out. Lots of expression when reading out aloud and great comprehension.

I learned to chill a bit and just go with it once I had seen this.

[mouldycheesefan]

She would be a free reader at our school. Free reader just means choose your own books.

[ReallyTired]

SATs assess comprehension rather than the ablity to bark at print. A child can get a very high score even if shyness means they are less good at reading out loud. It does not benefit a child to be a "free reader" before they are ready.

The definition of a free reader depends on the school.

[Hermanfromguesswho]

My middle child who is exceeding expectations in reading and has just finished year 3 is not free reading. Usually happens year 4/5 in my school

[Iamnotminterested]

OP, how on Earth do you know that your daughter's reading skills are "Far better" than her friends? Do you hear them all read?

[absolutemug]

At my school, children with a reading age of 10yrs+ become free readers.

[PotteryLottery]

Lamontinterested, I didn't say that, Zodlebud did.

[MissClarke86]

Stage 10 Oxford Reading Tree is about the right expected level for a Year 2 - White in colour bands.

[mrz]

There isn't a universal definition of "free reader" it can mean anything.

[Ilovewillow]

We have infant school and junior school and free reader at infants is not the same as at juniors! I think all schools are different in this respect. My daughter was a free reader at infants along with several others and then at juniors they went onto trays of books rather than bands. About half way through yr 3 she was a free reader again!

[Fresta]

The term 'free reader' is meaningless. In our school it just used to mean that we didn't have any 'reading scheme' books beyond that level. We have now purchased books to go through the school right up to Y6 (old NC level 5A) so there is no such thing in our school anymore. Children are of course free (and encouraged) to read any book of their choice from home/library in their free time in addition to their reading scheme book.

[sirfredfredgeorge]

What's the point of a reading scheme beyond the early levels where they avoid words they don't have the phonic knowledge to decode?

[mrz]

The point is they are essentially a type of text book that focus on specific learning objectives. They aren't a substitute for wider reading but do have a purpose.
We don't use reading scheme books in KS2 but we do have books linked to each years reading curriculum to practise specific skills taught in class. Too often reading is left to chance in schools ...something we do rather than teach and learn.

[sirfredfredgeorge]

So, how exactly does that work if the child is "free to choose" from the level they are on, as they're unlikely to happen to pick up a book that matches a particular objective you're interested them taking on at that time?

[Fresta]

I don't see scheme books teaching a specific skill, that is done through guided reading at our school.

We have the whole of the Oxford Reading Tree books for KS2, the point of them is that they are graded so children can choose a book which is suitable for their reading ability and age/interest level. Also, if children are given a reading book they will read it, and it also ensures exposure to a broad range of genre form graphic novels, to non-fiction, classic text adaptions, science fiction, biographies etc. which most children given free reign don't choose. We tend to get children to alternate between the scheme and 'real' books. Without a structured approach I think some children slip through the net and never read anything.

[mrz]

It doesn't the teacher allocates even in Y6

[mrz]

We don't do guided reading either

[Fairenuff]

In our school free reading would generally mean chapter books. Most of Year 2 are on them but not all.