How best to support year 1 dd

[Hawaiiinthemorning]

My little girl is year 1 as per title and it’s not going as well as reception. She is top end of the class, not a genius but very capable.
My issue is them seem to go over a lot of the same thing where reception teacher pushed and stretched the children more.
She also went to school throughout last winter’s lockdown due to me being a KW and I think being in the smaller class definitely helped.
Also she is a very reluctant reader, the teachers have her on orange book band even though they have said she’s above this, they say the whole class needs to be reading the same to match their phonic learning. The class book is blue book band, they send this home too.
She is definitely getting bored.
School is state but absolutely top end, some insight into how schools work would be great as I know nothing!
What is the best thing for me to do to support her, she does a lot of writing at home and I just expected her to progress much further than she has. I know she’s only 5 so this may all be premature, I just want her to get the best out of her education.

Lots of stories at home - you reading to her and her reading to you
Orchard Games - get a range, telling time, maths, etc.
Maybe look and see if there is a local forest school so she can expand her interests outside of just schooling.

Great thank you. What should you really expect from year 1?

I wonder if it's the actual phonics test that's scuppered sensibility around Reading?

Ie, your dd seems like a good idea reader already? But she's being held back because of phonics. But phonics is there as one way to assist children to learn to read?.

My dd was the opposite, a very slow reader but phonics held her back as she didn't understand it. Thanks to some brilliant tips from here, I was able to progress her reading an astonishing amount without phonics.

She can now read but would probably still fail a phonics test.

I'm amazed the school can't do a little differentiation for her anyway!
Some school are rigid when it comes to the book schemes and again.. Once they serve their purpose early on, I've had to save both dc from it, for different reasons.

Op... School can only do so much I suggest buying books yourself and helping her that way. Helping her get her times tables and basic grammar.

Our state school certainly doesn't keep everyone on the same few reading bands in y1, there's a v wide range, and that's without them monitoring it that closely IMO (30 kids to deal with etc). Dd is purple. Sometimes I buy a few reading books myself if i feel she needs stretching, eg during lockdown where we were only given on-line reading resources. But her teacher certainly does push her forward when she's time.

@ringoutthebells

Our state school certainly doesn't keep everyone on the same few reading bands in y1, there's a v wide range, and that's without them monitoring it that closely IMO (30 kids to deal with etc). Dd is purple. Sometimes I buy a few reading books myself if i feel she needs stretching, eg during lockdown where we were only given on-line reading resources. But her teacher certainly does push her forward when she's time.

The reception teacher did. I want to get a few things to do with her, she was writing earlier and her spelling etc has actually improved loads.

@Imdreamingofapeacefulxmas

I wonder if it's the actual phonics test that's scuppered sensibility around Reading?

Ie, your dd seems like a good idea reader already? But she's being held back because of phonics. But phonics is there as one way to assist children to learn to read?.

My dd was the opposite, a very slow reader but phonics held her back as she didn't understand it. Thanks to some brilliant tips from here, I was able to progress her reading an astonishing amount without phonics.

She can now read but would probably still fail a phonics test.

I'm amazed the school can't do a little differentiation for her anyway!
Some school are rigid when it comes to the book schemes and again.. Once they serve their purpose early on, I've had to save both dc from it, for different reasons.

Op... School can only do so much I suggest buying books yourself and helping her that way. Helping her get her times tables and basic grammar.

It’s a whole new scheme apparently, I questioned it and the teacher did seem to agree. Love to know what their methods are!

sorry whats a whole new scheme? The reading scheme?

Obvisouly there is no rush - but you also dont want her to get bored schools find it hard to help every child to the right level.

Yes the reading scheme. I think the teacher said all the children need to read the book fluently.
My friends dd, same class is really struggling, she’s not on blue yet and she and a couple of other children get a bit more practice in a smaller group but it seems the brighter ones are waiting for everyone else to catch up.
It’s not how it was in reception at all.

I'm a Primary teacher and I've never heard of the whole class doing the same level of phonics! Or the same level of anything to be honest & I'm quite shocked that it's allowed to happen? Even when I taught Nursery we had 3 groups. Think Ofsted would have a field day with that one. I'd ask again what they're doing to support the more able.

Ok, well just step in and get her books to read at home, and plug the gap. I have had to do this with both dc for different reasons.
I have two dc and one was not an early reader but once she got going at the end of year 1 she really flew and her ability was not in sync at all with the books they were giving her. I did loads of reaseach and built up a huge library for her, and got her any books she wanted

All her teachers throughout primary praised her fabulous reading skills and how this fed into her brilliant writing, stories, the quality of her work, spelling but still did not budge on that bloody book scheme!! In the end I signed books off she had not read because it was a waste of her time when she was reading proper chapter books at home. She is now in her teens and a top set / grade pupil predicted 9's at GCSE across the board.

However - would like to point out my other dd has struggled with phonics and was a later reader because of the phonics scheme/ possible dyslexia. I never realised this until year 2! With her she made such slow progress that they didnt move her on quickly enough to help her small gains!

But op, its actually my second dd who has been slow to read who seems the brighter of the two dc, being able to read is not a sign of superior intellegence. Being slow to reading is also not an indicator of intellegence and in fact probably more an indicator of an obession with phonics, no flexibilty and a rigid book scheme.

Its my second DC who I feel has more exciting prospects ahead of her!

• If it starts to affect your dd self esteem in anyway - talk to the teacher. Our school has been utterly barmy over it.

@LizzieBet14

I'm a Primary teacher and I've never heard of the whole class doing the same level of phonics! Or the same level of anything to be honest & I'm quite shocked that it's allowed to happen? Even when I taught Nursery we had 3 groups. Think Ofsted would have a field day with that one. I'd ask again what they're doing to support the more able.

I think I’ll have a chat again after Christmas. The school has a fantastic reputation, it’s consistently in the top state schools in the country. New head though, although she has been at the school years.

• I do feel generally parents need to be far more engaged with their dc learning at this age than they may think.

I dont want to knock state schools because I do think the fact they get wild little children to even pick up a pen astounds me, however - they cant cater specifially to every child.

@Imdreamingofapeacefulxmas

* I do feel generally parents need to be far more engaged with their dc learning at this age than they may think.

I dont want to knock state schools because I do think the fact they get wild little children to even pick up a pen astounds me, however - they cant cater specifially to every child.

I agree, even parents evening seemed to be a few random statements, I ask how she’s getting on I just get”she’s great” Frustrating.

Also she is really young, should she be being pushed at this age? I’m clueless

@Hawaiiinthemorning

Also she is really young, should she be being pushed at this age? I’m clueless

Don’t push your child!!! Honestly the way to get the best out of your child is for them to enjoy learning- also good diet and plenty of sleep. Read with them, have them write things on their pictures- not 100s of lines. Also the “intelligence” of a 5yr old is absolute pointless to be obsessing over. Some of the children who struggled most in the early years at school went on to excel the most.