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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Reading schemes

38 replies

Kforkatie · 18/08/2017 20:22

I am fully aware that this is going to seem like bragging, but please believe me it is not. my DS is very academic, but he has a whole host of other stuff which makes him far from perfect!
Anyway, I am particularly interested in opinions from primary teachers or parents of children who are early readers.
My Ds is going into year 1 next month. He is able to read at a level of an 8 or 9 year old. (This is according to his early years teacher). In reception he was allowed to go to year 3 or 4 to choose his reading books.

When I spoke to his year 1 teacher, she told me that he will be expected to work his way through the reading scheme, and read every book of every level. When I queried this she said that there is a lot more to reading than just decoding the words. I completely agree with this, and (although I believe that my DS fully understands what he is reading, as well as grasping inference etc), I agree that it is a good idea that she checks his abilities through the reading scheme.
Aibu to think that it is not necessary for him to read every book of every level? He is going to be bored stiff by half term!

OP posts:

drspouse · 18/08/2017 20:23

Have you looked at the actual books?
If he's as good a reader as you say he'll read each book in 5 minutes. So will take at most a week to read each level.

Original poster

Kforkatie · 18/08/2017 20:25

Unfortunately he won't be allowed to change books until a teacher or TA has heard him read it.

OP posts:

LittleOwl153 · 18/08/2017 20:25

Do you know what the reading scheme is? Our kids use accelerated read - it would not be possible to read every book. Although expecting them to work through each level is not unreasonable. Surely as you say he is choosing books from higher years it sounds like there is a whole school reading scheme in place and he will just continue with it?

MilsCookie · 18/08/2017 20:26

YANBU, why should he have to read books that he has probably already read before and won't challenge him? I agree that they have to make sure his level of understanding and inference skills match his decoding ability, but making him read every single book in every level isn't worth his while. She should assess him when he joins her class and start him off on an appropriate level.

2014newme · 18/08/2017 20:28

He can read what he likes outside school.

LittleOwl153 · 18/08/2017 20:28

A teacher or ta has to hear him ready every book? All of it? They simply won't have the time. 100 words to a teacher at the most I'd say.
Th I think you need to see what actually happens and take it from there - assuming he's not back in school just yet?

OwlinaTree · 18/08/2017 20:30

Just let them do it if that's how they want to be. Join a library and let him explore books with you. If they want all children to plod through every book that's their choice, goodness knows why though!

Paperclipmover · 18/08/2017 20:30

We got a high powered subscription to Reading Chest. In that way your child can read lots of books a week, or a day even and you can move them up a level when you think they're ready.

School can carry on doing what they think is right.

My DC has never read any school readers, I don't think anyone even noticed...

Dina1234 · 18/08/2017 20:33

Just give him proper books to read on his own time and let him take a novel from home to read if he gets through all his other work while the teacher is too busy to keep up with him. That's what I did as a child. It did not in anyway hamper my learning. I actually hated reading until I was able enough to read books that actually interested me.

grasspigeons · 18/08/2017 20:37

My son only read to a qualified teacher 9 times in 3 years of schooling on a one to one basis. (He has read to the TA, done group reading and read to adult volunteers too) I can't see how a child could be heard reading every book at every level.
I would just read what you want at home and leave school to do their thing.

notanotherNC · 18/08/2017 20:42

Join reading chest. My daughter was an early reader and had finished the reading schemes with them (reading age 8-9, extended band) at 4 before she was meant to go to reception. She now just reads books from the library and she has 4 book cases full of other books that she has been given or we have bought. Reading doesn't just have to be school and school books. We also subscribe to several magazines. It is exhastuing trying to keep up! Good luck.

Original poster

Kforkatie · 18/08/2017 20:43

Thanks! I think the general consensus is that it is irrelevant whether I'm being unreasonable or not. He's just going to have to suck it up! He will read other books at home anyway, and hopefully find a way to whizz through the reading schemes. It was his teacher who said they'd need to hear him read each book, but perhaps she was exaggerating. Maybe he can read them at home and I can write in his reading journal, then he can choose his own pace.

OP posts:

notanotherNC · 18/08/2017 20:43

I didn't meant that to sound so boastful. Sorry!!! I just wanted to say not to worry about school books and encourage his joy of reading at home instead. It won't hold him back :)

chips4teaplease · 18/08/2017 20:47

The teacher is grasping what little bit of power she has, and not allowing a parent to overrule her professional judgement. Even if the parent is right.
See it as 'going through the motions' - school is like a computer game with levels, you go through each one to progress. The annoying part will be when his end of year report shows he's reached the expected target for people his age, when you know he is far in advance of that.

early30smum · 18/08/2017 20:53

There is no way a teacher or TA will have time to hear a class of 30 read every single book of every single level of a reading scheme... It would also be a bit silly not to move a child on to the next level when they are ready. I do completely agree that it's not just about decoding or knowing sight words, expression and comprehension etc are also crucial but IMO there's no way your child needs to read every single book on every single level. Hope it all goes well, just keep encouraging him to read for pleasure at home.

Socksey · 18/08/2017 21:12

Yup.... my DS had to read through hundreds of crappy little books (and there are hundreds at each level) before finally getting through level 17 of the ORT and novels .... Skullduggery Pleasant was his first choice .... half way through year 3... i ferl your pain

junebirthdaygirl · 18/08/2017 21:12

Just read lots for fun outside school. Dont make a big deal with him. It is a nuisance but wont kill him.

GrasswillbeGreener · 18/08/2017 21:21

I hope for his sake that some common sense will prevail - surely they should be assessing him to decide where on the scheme he should start? By all means do a selection at each level but ...

I am reminded of what happened to me in year 1. Apparently we were assessed and a number of parents were very relieved to be told they'd identified some of us who would be given extension for reading. Two of us had reading ages of 11 and 12. The extra was that they found every single year 1 reading scheme they could get hold of for us to work through ...

I agree though, that apart from cautious carefully worded questions of the teacher at the appropriate moment, the main way to deal with this is with home reading and library books.

whatsleep · 18/08/2017 21:23

Realistically it doesn't matter which band he is reading from at school or which book they send him home with. The main thing is, if he has a love for reading you ensure he can access a variety of different types of text at home, (fiction, nonfiction, comics, leaflets, books without pictures etc) It won't hold him back if he is given lower level books to read and discuss at school as they will have more of a focus on comprehension and inference. Where as the books you offer at home will help to improve his vocabulary and therefore his literacy skills. I work in a school and to fair the amount of time children spend reading to an adult is very minimal, the majority of reading practice is expected to be carried out at home.

tearsinmyeyes · 18/08/2017 22:02

If he is reading at the level of an 8/9 year old , I'd be very interested to know what books he is reading at home . Could you enlighten us ?

Nanny0gg · 18/08/2017 22:28

If that's their attitude it stands a good chance of killing any love of reading he might have. Yes he needs to do more than decode but the books will still be far too easy for him.

Even with you letting him loose in a library from home it's absolutely ridiculous. Do they do the same in other subjects and never give them work at the right level? Will he still be adding single digit numbers when he can add in hundreds?

It's nonsense.

Nanny0gg · 18/08/2017 22:29

And if he has to work his way through a reading scheme he'll have to do some of it at home too...

Original poster

Kforkatie · 18/08/2017 23:05

He reads whatever he wants at home tears mostly non fiction. He reads Roald Dahl, Anne Fine, Dick King Smith and he likes that Astrosaurs series. I don't know if they are aimed at 8/9 year olds, but I'm trying to hold off Harry Potter and Beast Quest because I think they will give him nightmares!

OP posts:

mirime · 18/08/2017 23:21

This is daft and yanbu. It happened to me when I was seven, wasn't allowed to skip ahead, had to read the whole book to the teacher, usually not much more than page a week. I was so bored with school reading books, being stuck on the same one for weeks on end, and having to sit there re-reading it during reading time in school because it was the only book I was allowed to read.

BlondeB83 · 18/08/2017 23:59

YANBU. I am a teacher.

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