How old would you assume this child is?

[lopdododo]

How old would you assume a child who can read this with easer is?

More importantly, what is his comprehension like? If he can read as expected for his age, does he need to focus on his phonics instead?

Remember for young children reading should be fun and enjoyable. It’s not about being pushed but understanding, enjoying and looking at where weaknesses are to bring those up to standard.

Because (a) it’s plainly written by Chat GPT (b) if you’re not a teacher and your experience of one or two kids doesn’t trump
the teachers training and knowledge. Why send your kids to a school if you don’t trust the staff to teach them at an appropriate level?

our primary teacher head would have handed any parent who sent that letter her arse!

honestly I was annoyed when my son had wordless books and then stage 1 Biff and Chip books for what seemed like ages but I put my trust in the school. He’s now left with an A in higher English and doing a degree at a RG university so it’s hardly held him back

Your child can read whatever they want. I’d definitely say age 5 for that book. Get him reading all sorts at home. It’s fine.

Neither of these words are hard to a child who has learnt phonics age 5.

A 7 or 8 year old who couldn’t read this would be well behind expected levels.

This is Y1 level - age 5/6.

A child shouldn't be bored out of their mind because the teacher doesn't want them to get too far ahead. They deserve to be challenged and to develop at their own speed. I understand that it's hard to manage so many kids at different levels but that isn't the child's problem. It's for the school to manage and find solutions.

You can use these books to further his comprehension. Dig down into the vocab meaning, predictions, intonation etc.

You can get higher level reading books from the library, but don’t consider reading ‘higher’ or ‘harder’ books the be all and end all. It’s about enjoyment first and foremost but also about deep comprehension.

Get him to read pages or parts of pages of the julia donaldsons or the like.

It's aimed at confident beginners who can manage the words "brought" and "babysitter". It's not a book I would choose for beginners because there's too much of a mishmash of easily decoded words and words like "brought", while at the same time it's incredibly boring.

It's hard to find books that won't bore the socks off a five year old who is more fluent while still ensuring the emotional content is appropriate for them.

Do you have Beatrix Potter books?
The vocabulary is extensive and the stories all have simple plots that are still engrossing for a five year old.
The Winnie the Pooh stories are also very nice to read.
Not sure if the Mrs Pepperpot books are still in print, but the stories of Mrs Pepperpot are funny and age appropriate.
Books by Arnold Lobel are nice for five year olds too - "Mouse Tales" and "Owl at Home" are ideal.

Try to avoid graphic novels (Captain Underpants, etc). They do not teach children to read a full sentence (cadence, punctuation) or much by way of vocabulary. They are pretty much junk reading material.

We, yes that's pretty much what I said - average would be between the precocious preschooler and the struggling 7 or 8 year old, so around 5 or 6 as you say.

And yes, a 7 or 8 year old who couldn't read it would be well behind expected levels, just as the 3 or 4 year old that could read it would be well above. That's kind of how averages work.

My son could have read that from 5.

School reading is often more about phonics and getting a good grounding in blending sounds. Rather than reading for fun or even to challenge. Choose books at home he will enjoy and learn from.

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