AIBU to think that children should be reading when they start school?

[horribledinners]

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, I started having kids 20+ years ago, but I, and all my brothers and sisters were taught to read and write by my parents before we started primary school. I taught my two older kids to read and begin to learn to write letters in time for them starting primary education, and would be ashamed if ds3 couldn't recognise letters and be able to read by the time he starts school.

I completely understand that there have been many confusing 'experiments' in education since then, the abandonment of phonics was a tragedy in my opinion; but do parents really think its the schools job to teach kids to read and write and do they not even give an introduction to reading and writing anymore?

I would love to know if this is a generational thing. I know for certain its not a class thing as we were very poor growing up and my Mum would take us out to the bus-stop and make us read out the notices!

Children go to school at 4 in England but later in some other countries. Does that meen that english students are ahead of all others? I don't think the answer is yes.

DD can't read yet, nether can children in many European country's who go on to do much better than most uk kids.
but she knows how to swim, ride a bike, can make bread, cut out shapes from fabric as well as paper, can sew, hold a conversation with anyone of any age, climb a tree.
As for not being bothered, my DH and i read to DD every day, sometimes for hours.

I could read before I started school (in Scotland so older than most kids in England). It was a small school, not many other girls and being pretty shy I was able to withdraw into books from a young age because I could. Ok, if I hadn't been able to read I might have withdrawn into another activity instead but I was quite happy to send my DD off to school on her first day being able to write her name and recognise most letters but not much more than that.

IDTYABU, but I didn't bother teaching my older two - they taught themselves at 4-5. I was taught to read as a kid by my Mum, starting as soon as I could talk, and she used VERY mean methods and made me terrified to make a mistake. i remember all too vividly me (and later my sisters) crying our eyes out as she taught us to pronounce 'ou' by whacking us on the legs or hands till we said 'ow!'... she was a great mother on most things, but her method of teaching reading made me vow not to try it with my kids. I think kids naturally teach themselves if you show them letters.

I know my dd has only been at school for 2 weeks but I feel when in her reading log she gets 0/10 for her first set of 10 words

Just as well she cant read, no one likes to get 0/10!

Being scored already, she can write her name though, I did manage to teach her that

There is always this view that all DCs are the same and should be treated the same! Some are ready, some are not. They all catch up- and at 10yrs no one knows or cares about when they started!

I think it is important to read to your child so they know what books are before they start school. Not many kids would be capable of reading before they start school and it would be pointless trying to get them to read. It would be like trying to force a child to walk before he or she was ready.
My ES could not read until he was 7 - despite the efforts of the school. He is dyslexic. But now he has top grade reading ability even with his problems.
Why should kids know how to read when they start school anyway? Where is the benefit?

my son cant read and hes 5 at xmas not all kids are the same

Yes! I haven't read the thread, but had to say that Y.A.B.U.