AIBU to be worried my 7 year old still can't really read?

[MigrainesAndMore]

My son is 7 in a few weeks and is one of the very eldest in his class so will be joining year 2.
For a little perspective he attends a very small independent school that don't focus too much on literacy / reading / writing from what I've seen however when I voiced my concerns I was told he lacks concentration and interest in reading.
He refused blankly to do reading with us at home so we ordered him his own collection of books that he didn't associate with school and have practised as much as we could.
Teacher then recommended a tutor which has helped slightly ( one hour per Sunday ) however after using her for 6 months and with us reading with him at least 5 times a week, along with him having a story from us every single bedtime he just doesn't seem to be grasping it.
Not only is he completely not interested, he seems to really struggle with remembering a word he's only just read on the page before, still segmenting and blending pretty basic words.
He is on blue level at school which when compared to mainstream schools ( ours don't discuss levels at all ) he's working at about a year below.
Is there anything else I could be doing to help?

[rosiejaune]

It is very normal with autonomously educated children (i.e. no explicit instruction) that they learn to read at a wide variety of ages, i.e. when they are ready/interested. Which could be anything from 3-11+.

My daughter learned to read at 8, with no instruction (other than her asking us what X word was, or how to spell Y). But I had spent years reading to her.

Pressure to do something won't make them more enthusiastic or better at it long-term.

[zingally]

Primary school teacher here... 6 years old (getting on for 7), only at the blending/segmenting stage... I wouldn't be HUGELY worried, but thoughts of "are there additional needs?" would be just starting to come into my mind.
But in my experience, a lot of boys particularly don't really get onboard with the whole reading thing until more like the end of yr2.

You say the school (that you pay for) doesn't push academics yet... Clearly early academics are important to you (or have become more important than you originally thought they would be when you signed him up). Is he behind in other subjects? Or just reading? Is it possible that this just isn't quite the right school for him AND you? Maybe you actually want somewhere that will give him more of a shove "you might not what to, but tough luck, you're going to".

[user1477391263]

ZOMBIE THREAD

[user1477391263]

Many countries don't even think about teaching reading formally until a child is seven, and they have a lot more engineers and creative thinkers than the uk.

These are usually countries with writing system that are extremely easy to learn. The kids usually pick up reading and writing before school with little help-the few who don't can be quickly taught in a matter of months. English is a very hard writing system to learnit takes two years to go from zero to fluent reading.

[MigrainesAndMore]

It would be possible for the short term with a career break being used but I fear it wouldn't be short term as no places have come up within a whole year!
Hearing was checked recently and fine

[Fruitcorner123]

Sorry if I missed this but have you had hearing checked recently. This can affect phonics knowledge as children don't differentiate between all the sounds.

[MaryTheCanary]

OP, what is your work situ like? Is home schooling for a bit possible?

Homeschooling plus some tutoring from someone who knows what they are doing sounds like an improvement over what he is doing right now.

[MigrainesAndMore]

I've never heard of the colour blindness check and will get him booked in for one ASAP thanks very much

[MigrainesAndMore]

Yes it's a good hours drive and for a school that's performance is low and has a high turnover of staff and pupils it just seemed daft

[HPandBaconSandwiches]

Readings eggs do a free 5 week trial at the moment so he can have a go without you having to commit any money.

When you got his eyesight checked did they do a colourblindness check? It's not routine in the nhs kids check anymore. DS has red green colourblindness and it can affect concentration etc, see info at colour blind awareness
It's very easy to check and is very frequently missed so worth an extra test, you can even do a quick screening check online.

[Believeitornot]

Have you actually put him on a waiting list for schools instead of ringing and checking? You need to do that and are more likely to get a place. You can turn down the school you don't want and put him back on a waiting list.

[HipsterHunter]

TBH this school sounds shit.

However the school 3 miles away also sound bad - 3 miles in London can take an hour easy!

[butterfly990]

Would he be interested in something like this?
<a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spiderman%20phonics%20&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">//www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spiderman%20phonics%20&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[MigrainesAndMore]

Yes there are no places anywhere aside from the one offered with the high traveller population

[MigrainesAndMore]

Yes I will thanks for the tip

[Kariana]

Get some of those transparent coloured folders, cut them up so you just have on layer of plastic, place over the page he is reading and see if it helps him keep his place. Coloured overlays often help children with dyslexia. You might need to try a few different colours to find one that works. If he isn't dyslexic it won't do him any harm and will at least add some novelty to his reading for a bit!

[MigrainesAndMore]

I'll look into the reading eggs
He really lacks concentration so I do suspect this may be the largest problem but equally I don't think the school situation is helping.
I doubt much will change for year 2 as class sizes are still limited, I was told by the council I'll have a better chance when he is entering year 3!

[AberdeenAngusina]

DS reached the age of 8 without seeming to make much progress with reading, although he loved having books read to him. We offered him £1 per book read and took him to the bookshop to choose books. Six months later he was reading for pleasure and he ended up a voracious reader.

I think he wanted to read, but there was a mismatch between the books he wanted to read (Harry Potter) and the books he could read (Ladybird easy readers) and he needed an incentive to read basic books as a stepping stone to more exciting ones.

[HPandBaconSandwiches]

I can thoroughly recommend the reading eggs program. It's about £60 per year and my 4 year old has come on leaps and bounds. My 7 year old has finished the program and is free reading, so uses the next step up which focuses on comprehension. It's an Australian program so a hint of an accent attached but otherwise teaches in the same way as the uk, basing on phonics. Most importantly it's fun, kids love it. Our school use it for homework.

The Julia Donaldson phonic books are the best IMO, we got the set quite cheaply from the book people. And there is massive amounts to be gained by 15 mins reading every day. DS gets iPad minutes for each of the minutes he reads. Don't mind a bit of bribery in this house!

Keep looking for a different school too. Phone the school you wanted and keep phoning. Find out where you are on the waiting list. It really doesn't sound like this school will work for you. Tutor at age 7 to learn to read is obscene.

[MigrainesAndMore]

It's 4 miles and would take about an hour in busy London traffic.
Probably another half an hour to park anywhere nearby and walk.
School was given a 3 ofsted and has a high turnover of both staff and pupils.
Not to pass judgment but quite a large proportion of pupils come from a local traveller site so that may explain the turnover.

[MaryTheCanary]

I don't think 3 miles is that much. Is the school itself OK?

[Natsku]

I wouldn't be too concerned as the school hasn't been actively teaching him to read yet and a bit of time with a tutor isn't going to replace that.

DD is 6.5 and can't read (because she hasn't started school yet - live abroad) but she's really enjoying Teach Your Monster To Read app (can also be done for free on the computer on their website) and although she forgets quickly some bits are sticking in her brain so I think its helping.

[WinifredAtwellsOtherPiano]

How good or bad was the school 3 or 4 miles away that you were offered for your DD? How difficult was the commute? I know that's not ideal for an inner London primary, but it sounds possible. Presumably if you'd taken it you'd have been top of the list for a sibling place for your DS.