No one to one reading in Reception.

[Morebiscuitsplease]

DD2 is in reception. She reads in a group once a week. I read with her most nights, she reads her school reading book and I read her a story or two or three. It does bother me not having a one to one session with an adult in school. I don't see how they can have a really good handle on reading in a group. I think a litte individual input at this early stage is invaluable.

[Shattereddreams]

In mumsnet world, some schools manage to hear children read one to one every week.

It certainly is not the case in my school. Once a year more like.

My DD reads well. I choose her books that I know will interest her at the library. I have researched what level is appropriate and we read together

We have such fun together reading.

Every single book school have ever sent home (now year 1) are 20+ years old. Talk of rusty cars (she has no idea cars can go rusty simply because they don't anymore) or cartoon like interpretations of characters like Aladdin which Disney have made so exciting, that school books are Meh!

Cherish the fun!

[Shattereddreams]

Sorry, that' sounds like my school as in I teach. I don't!

[kilmuir]

pleased to say my DS is heard reading one to one at least once by teacher or TA and then maybe again by a parent volunteer. They also do guided reading once a week.

[simpson]

DD is in reception and is listened to roughly 3 times a week, twice is 121 and the other is in a group.

However this changes drastically in yr1 and you are luckily if your child is listened to once a fortnight

[plainjayne123]

There is no 1 to 1 reading or guided reading in reception in our school. They do phonics groups. Our school adopts evidence based practices that give best results. A teacher can see how children are doing in phonics. I don't feel they have to spend all day doing 1 to 1 reading.

[learnandsay]

Obviously I'd have to see for myself how my daughter progressed with her reading without 1 to 1 reading. But the idea of not having any concerns me. I'd be interested to hear anyone's explanation as to why not having any would be a good thing.

Schools can recruit parent helpers. Does it look from this thread as if some schools choose not to?

[noviewsonbiscuits]

There is no 1-2-1 reading in DD's class and she has only brought home four reading books all year. All four were incredibly simple and had already heard read so many times in groups that she knew them by heart. She is old for her year and learned her phonics basics last year in nursery but they seem to be trying to get all the children to the same place and not want anyone racing ahead.
I'm quite disappointed but the teacher looked at me as though I was an incredibly pushy mother when I asked whether DD might get a different book more frequently than once every ten days. I just concentrate on making reading useful at home. For example, today DD asked me a question about a newspaper article about a fox biting a boot and I got her to answer her own question by reading the headline.

[noviewsonbiscuits]

learnandsay
DD's school does have parent helpers every day. But they don't listen to the children read. They play board games with them to teach about turn taking.
School is so not what I was expecting.

[learnandsay]

Does it work? I'd rather have my child read, write and do arithmetic than play board games.

[plainjayne123]

Maybe the teacher teaching a phonics group or guided reading group to a group of pupils is more useful than 1 to 1 reading. I think guided reading starts in yr 2. In reception it's just phonics groups where a teacher can assess a pupils ability. I don't see what can be gained by 1 to 1 reading that would take up too much time that can't be done in phonics groups. Even if a child can read in reception they would still have to go through the phonics programme as that is how reading and spelling are progressed and it is a system that has to be gone through logically. At our school there will be only be 1 to 1 reading with targeted pupils where there are issues and that would be with TA or parent helpers, not the teacher, and this is in all years. The school is outstanding and tends to adopt evidence based methods. No homework until yr2, no spelling lists or tests ever, but they emphasise from the beginning reading to your children as often as possible at home and nuturing a love of books/reading. My daughters homework for halt term (yr 2) is to read a fiction, non-fiction book and a poem.

[noviewsonbiscuits]

So would I learnandsay. The difference between schools is stupendous. My friend's DD goes to a school literally round the corner and they get a different reading book every night, starting from last half term. So she has had- at a guess- about thirty reading books, over the same period DD has had four. Both kids went to the same nursery, attend state schools, are old for their year etc DD is in the highest reading group at an Ofsted Outstanding school. But I sound pushy if I ask why the difference between schools, and fobbed off with "She's doing very nicely, don't worry Mrs Biscuits".

[noviewsonbiscuits]

Oh and her DD reads aloud to an adult at school 3x a week.

[simpson]

In my DC school parent helpers are not allowed to go into reception.

They listen to children read from yr1 upwards...

[plainjayne123]

Parent helpers do go reception in our school but only to read stories to them not to listen to reading!
My understaning is that the most important thing is to get them enjoying books then when they are older they will read and learn. It doesn't matter how quickly you get up the levels, the bright ones will be reading chapter books in yr2 whether or not they read 1 book a week now or a hundred. Learning is about creating a foundation, not about how fast you go. So a child can pick up a concept instantly at a certain age or you could have spent the last year trying to drill it in to them. As long as they have the resources around them to learn, are encouraged and enjoy learning it will happen.

[Wallace]

Cars don't go rusty anymore?

[learnandsay]

I think the reading levels are a different subject. I believe there is one teacher around these parts who doesn't use scheme books at all.

[SpeckleDust]

Re. parent volunteers - I think it depends on the school. I have been helping in my DD's school for over a year and do similar things to the TAs. I sit with children on a 1-to-1 basis and check their knowledge of the 'high frequency words' lists. We do group reading; each child reads a page or two, then we discuss the story line, characters etc. together. Sometime I listen to an individual child reading their book. I particularly enjoy the sessions when the children are busy elsewhere and I sit quietly Pritt-sticking their work into workbooks .

Maybe your school could make greater use of the 'free' help that is available??

[Shattereddreams]

Sorry Wallace! I assume you have a vintage beauty on the drive!?

[Wallace]

Not quite vintage, but getting there ;)

We do live in area where cars rust a lot because of all the salt on the roads :(

[Verugal]

At the dcs school they read 1-1 to an adult 4 times a week. The ones that could already read also did guided reading. Books sent home every night. It may not be evidence based but it appeared to work in terms of moving on their reading. This is a rural state School.

[TheNoodlesIncident]

My DS is in Reception. He usually gets two reading books per week, plus he can choose one from the library (he is not expected to read this himself though). I write in his reading diary how he found the books. The diary comes back with responses to my comments, usually in the nature of "we have noticed this in school too" or similar. I don't actually know how often someone hears him read aloud.

They are aware that he reads two books every night as part of his bedtime routine, sometimes it's the school book, sometimes his own. The school books are old but I assume that they have been compiled by people who know what they are doing in terms of constructing a story that a child of his ability can comprehend with words that he can decode or already knows.

I hear him read aloud every day. If he has issues with anything I let his teacher know. I think his school is fab.

[Morebiscuitsplease]

I will be helping specifically with reading after half term. My daughter reads at home and I do agree it is important to foster a love of books. Those children who don't read regularly at home are at a considerable disadvantage though. I think putting more resource in early can prevent catch up later.

[WidowWadman]

"Talk of rusty cars (she has no idea cars can go rusty simply because they don't anymore) "

Where do you live that there's only cars made of plastic?

[Shattereddreams]

London. Our car is 6 yrs old. One before was 8 yrs old. One before 12 yr old. I have not had a car go rusty since my first car at 17. Not one spec of rust.

Come on, your dad would endlessly moan about leaving toys out else they'd go rusty. I have not one metal toy in the house. Not even kids bikes go rusty anymore.