Talk

Flip

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

White A Reading level, year 4. If you are in the know, please help me.

4 replies

bitofanoddone · 09/02/2015 11:15

Why is the school telling me she is fine when she looks to be at least a year behind? Am I missing something incredibly relevant here?

FWIW, I know she struggles but need to support her and unless they are being transparent, i don't know what to do.

OP posts:

Report

Killasandra · 09/02/2015 11:36

Because she's 'above the bar'.

White is good compared to children who struggle.

There are loads of children doing a lot worse in Y4.

A year behind is nothing to a teacher / school.

That's what school means.

School will never be honest or transparent. They don't want worried parents. It goes against current educational philosophy.

Equally if she's made it to white she probably will be OK. She isn't seriously struggling.

Report

Killasandra · 09/02/2015 11:38

Also school only care about progress. So if she's on track to make 2 sub levels school will always say she's fine, regardless of how far behind she is.

If she isn't on track to make 2 sub levels school will try to distract you by telling you how confident or sociable or mature or something else, and they won't mention the academics at all.

School will never say she's doing badly. No matter how badly she is doing.

Oh, and school always talk in euphemisms so you wont' understand what they're actually saying anyway.

Report

Wait4nothing · 09/02/2015 11:47

Please remember - she is a year 'behind' the average child - so there will always be some behind as well as some ahead. Keep supporting her and make sure school are too. She'll get there! White is becoming literate - she will need to continue to expand her reading vocabulary as well as start to unpick stories. Read to her as well as listening to her read (sorry to state the obvious if you already do) as she can be working on higher level comprehension skills while the reading skills develop and she may find the next stage easier.

Report

bitofanoddone · 09/02/2015 12:28

Thank you for all your advice. She is reading regularly and is relatively into it. I was confused by the level and them saying she's fine.

I read with her loads and really feel that she has developed.