to be upset son in year 1 has moved down 2 reading book levels over the summer holidays?

[Mumofaboy123]

My son was on red level when he completed R year and was " exceeding " in reading on his report.
We kept up the reading over the summer hols apart from the last week as we were then on holiday.
He was assessed on his first day back at school and they have given him pink books :-(
The comment written indicated this was because he sounded out all of the letters in order to blend the word although blending was strong she said.
How do I get him to blend silently in his head as he said he finds that very difficult?
Not sure now if he should have ever been on the red book to start with but I'm confused to as what's gone wrong.
My mother says I should now get in a tutor - what are your thoughts?
He is my first and only child so I haven't been here before.

another thing my dd did was read and sound out words aloud but also with that slow very careful pronounced way - again because she thought she had too she was copying them! at home she read normally

OP He was given a book he'd already read?! That is bad, surely the teacher had an alternative at the same level.
Sure you're doing a good job and he'll be fine especially if he can stop worrying about it.

Yes he had this book back at Xmas last year and remembered it well, the whole story and so on!

How would one source a tutor specialising in Y1 reading support?
The word tutor covers a very wide range of qualifications, experience and expertise.

I have to admit I'm glad DNiece2 went to the school where overt blending wasn't seen as a barrier. I think she'd have been stuck on pink level forever in some schools.

I just want to add my DS is an advanced reader...First in his year to get book with words.
When he went to year 1 he was moved down to lowest level..By the end of year 1 he was going to year 2 to get his books.

He is year 5 and still very advanced in reading so really don't worry

Thankyou, he was just a bit taken aback by it, as was I, I guess ;-(
They were so positive in reception that he was above average in all areas this has knocked me!

Op, I have had the opposite opinion for going back to last years book and down a level. My ds was a very reluctant reader. I worked with him throughout the holidays with some ladybird books and he came on great. The only issue was self doubt and confidence. Now ds is quickly and happily racing through these early books and his confidence is going up and up. If your child was maybe needing some revising on topics in a higher year before moving on to the exam you would feel happy this helped them feel less pressure. This could be the teachers thinking. Trying for confidence and more to be more fluid before moving on so that blending doesn't effect the comprehension.

I should also add you are defo doing everything the right way believe me when I say asking for 2 books to read in the evening is fab!

OP please don't worry! I had a summer boy who sailed through his levels in Reception and was at level 10 "Biff, Chip & Kipper" by the end of the year (with his teacher getting in new reading books especially and devising a mini spelling test just for him. His Yr 1 teacher stubbornly kept him on level 7, and it wax absolutely the right thing to get him to ENJOY reading.

I'm always amazed by how many posters here have 'top in the class' or 'excellent readers'.

Early intervention can be a good idea as, as a PP said, teaching poor techniques can cause longer-term problems. I have no idea why tutor is such a dirty word on MN. I guess it may be something to do with general anti grammar school and public school sentiment.

There is nothing to be upset about OP. Just keep reading with him at home. There are easier and harder books within each level of the ORT. I'm amazed at how anxious parents are about their childrens' reading level, weekly spelling group and the like. If there was a way to keep it secret we* absolutely would!

Take your Mum's advice on board but the best person to ask is your son's teacher. Don't fret though.

*I'm a prep school head

There's a lot of pressure on teachers to progress children up several levels in the course of the year. This is easier if they are assessed to be a lower level to begin with as it then looks like the child has made lots of progress.

Remember in many cpuntries ( with superior education) that they are not even taught to read for another year.. I would seriously chill.

Of my 3, one has a tutor in year 5.

I think part of the problem is the reception teacher clearly assessed him wrong. Yellow is expected level at the end of reception so he definitely wasn't exceeding.

Just tell the teacher you want to move to a higher level as e's getting bored ?

The same thing happened for DD from yr2 to yr3. By the end of the year, she was a free reader. Nothing to worry about. He will soon go back up - even if by christmas he is only in the same level as he was at the end of school last year... At this age, things are quickly unlearned. All primary school teachers know when the little children arrive back at school from the summer holidays having forgotten a load of stuff they were taught the previous year.

username I would imagine it has a lot to do with the type of parent that posts on here. I expect the majority of parents here read regularly with their child, have books available etc.

Some of our parents can't read, never mind the kids. But they're not the ones posting on a parenting forum!

Username, it's self selection too. People are more likely to post if their situation is extreme one way or the other. "My DC is a middling reader and..." isn't a story.
Speaking as a parent, I found reading levels helpful as a communication device. DS wasn't any less likely to find books too easy or too hard when he was on non-scheme books, it was just easier to query with the teacher when you could say "could he try the next level up/down". So keeping them secret may not reduce a child's frustration about book levels so much as reduce communication between home and school. For some families anyway.

Delatron, I don't think it's fair to say the reception teacher must have mis-assessed. The criteria for exceeding don't relate to book bands, and this school appears to be using relatively low bands compared to what others might.

My DS is in Y4, every school year he works hard and ends up in the top groups for everything then over the summer holidays he does his reading but not much else and gets moved back into the bottom group with the new teacher. It's so frustrating for him but he'll work hard again and by Jan he'll be moved up. I suspect he is slightly dyslexic so I am guessing that he just finds it all slightly harder and commits a lot to memory so a 7 week break is awful for him.

I really wouldn't worry too much as their progress is so varied, I have found that DS has gone up 1 or 2 reading levels over 2 years then 8 in the next 2 terms.

I forgot to add, DS has always overblended but they still moved him up the levels as long as he could actually read the words. He isn't a great reader to be honest but can actually read most words now (if that makes sense), he is on ORT 14 but not what I would call a fluent reader.

my kid (year 2) came home disgusted that he'd "been put back onto green books!"

so I asked the next day - it was just that she hadn't had time to assess everyone and green was the base level for year 2 so they all had a green book to start.
he then went through a level a day, it seemed, but has finally settled on purple - above where he was at the end of last term (makes sense, he's reading at home too)

Now he's moaning that "they take too long!" because he can't finish a book in a day and "only" got to chapter 8 in his new one last night (I make sure he has time to play and learn his spellings too)

don't worry, but it may be worth asking if they can do a reading assessment soon though.

Try very hard to relax. Remember the potty training/ early walking competition? It's a bit like that.

The ones with the Level 6 SATs or A* GCSEs are not necessarily the ones fully potty trained aged 2 or reading Harry Potter aged 6. Hitting a milestone early does not mean becoming better at it than others. Red is a perfectly average level to be at the end of YR, going back a little doesn't matter at all at this stage.

Cheers for further replies.
I just don't want him to struggle through the next year or so if a tutor could bring him along now that's all.
He was upset by it too and when asked his teacher for a different colour book Monday she said no as he needs to practice silent blending so this clearly is an issue!

No, a tutor can't. It would be like getting a potty training tutor. No reputable agency should take on a child so young. Read lots with him, relax, never think about the silly book bands again. If you want him to sit 11+, get a tutor in year 5.

If he's upset by the book band, he heard it from someone. You? Stop. You'll turn him off school altogether. I've known super early tutored kids, all it achieves is a learning refusal. When he's ready, it will click into place, but only if he hasn't been bored, tutored and forced out of reading by then.

Tell him the pink book is as hard as lime if he's already taken on board pink=failure.