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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want more than 1 book per week.

167 replies

mealychump · 16/10/2019 21:34

Am hoping you can tell me if IABU or not before I go in and see my DS's teacher.

DS has just turned 5 (august baby) and has started Year 1 at a new school since we moved house.

He had a really slow start to reception and it took him ages to start reading. Initially I wasn't worried as he was only 4, but everyone else started to pick it up and he seemed to struggle. His then teacher wasn't that worried but he didn't reach the expected level by the end of reception. He finished on red books (just about) but had been on pink for ages.

New school put him straight on red books, thats all fine and i'm happy. Suddenly, it's starting to click. Slowly but surely he's getting it and making some progress. However, at his new school they only change the reading books once a week! So we are only getting one new book a week. We read it a few times but I really think he needs more than this to make better progress and help him to catch up.

His previous school gave him a book every day or every other day, I thought that was the norm! I want to go and discuss this with his teacher and see what she suggests. But before I go in and ask for multiple books a week, I wanted to hear what other schools do. If his previous school was a real anomaly with lots of books per week then I guess I have to accept I might be stuck going through this at snails pace. How on earth though, is a slightly struggling reader supposed to progress if they only get one bloody book a week!?

Other than pestering school for more books, is there anything I can do?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 16/10/2019 21:36

Get some out the library

Smelborp · 16/10/2019 21:37

We get a new book when we finish the first.

When we had a boring book we were sometimes stuck with it for a month. Confused

The library was excellent at picking up the slack though - we go in weekly and generally have about 10 books on the go at a time.

TheMonkeyWhale · 16/10/2019 21:37

Join a library? We had a fab book stall at a local market where children’s books were 50p.

I agree with you, definitely speak to school.

PathOfLeastResitance · 16/10/2019 21:37

Just ask the teacher. Maybe they are meant to change it themselves? Or ask the teacher to put more than one in at a time if they have one set time to change them.

Apolloanddaphne · 16/10/2019 21:38

I think a book a week seems fairly normal. It has been a while since mine were at that stage. Just read other books with him in between.

Excited101 · 16/10/2019 21:39

I’m sure they’ll let him have more books!

Failing that, him/you could make him some books, or just read more basic regular books, or buy some learning to read books- there’s probably loads of second hand ones on eBay. Or like pp said- the library.

littleduckeggblue · 16/10/2019 21:41

Join a library

Cleverplayonwords · 16/10/2019 21:42

Seriously? That's what libraries are for!

Paddingtonthebear · 16/10/2019 21:45

We had two books per week in reception and 4 books per week in Y1. 5 books in Y2. Our school is pretty hot on reading though.

EleanorLavish · 16/10/2019 21:45

Go to the library or just buy some books. Schools are on budgets.
Supermarkets often have books on offers, ebay/gumtree. My boys loved the Mr Men and Little Miss collections.

MT2017 · 16/10/2019 21:47

I really don't understand parents who seem to think children should only read at school / their school books. Confused

Go to a bookshop, a library, a reading session. Read to your DC when you see appropriate signage; headlines; magazines; ingredients; spell out words when you say them if they are unsure how to spell.

The world is full of words, show your child what they are and how they are used.

clambers down off soapbox

BeagleMomma · 16/10/2019 21:48

....You are aware you're allowed to read books with your child that aren't the school ones, right?

CherryPavlova · 16/10/2019 21:49

Has he not got books at home to read?

ibanez0815 · 16/10/2019 21:49

DDs book got changed once a week too. I just got books from the library and bought some.

I don't think it's all up to school. parents play a part too when children learn to read.

For DD1 (complex SN) I even wrote simple stories myself. It's really not that hard to support a child's learning to read!

purpleme12 · 16/10/2019 21:49

1 book a week is standard. However if you're getting through them quick just say she needs another. That's what I do. I read ours twice then tell them she needs another one (if I didn't tell her we'd only get a new one once a week).

hopefulmama36 · 16/10/2019 21:54

You could look for a set of Usbourne Farmyard Tales books. They're quite simple for newer readers and the illustrations are quite sweet. My friend got the whole set for £10 on Facebook Market Place gor her Year 1 daughter.

whereareyousleep · 16/10/2019 21:55

At my DS6 school in yr2 they have as many as they need we try and do 15 mins reading per night which is enough to read a school book so we get through 4-5 per week he sometimes reads his own books but I realised this is tricky as your not always. He's not a keen reader either so it takes lots of encouragement to get him to read he hates reading books though much prefers fact books.

FinnMcMissile · 16/10/2019 21:56

DS got 3 per week in reception and now gets 5 per week in Y1 (though he is supposed to change them himself and often forgets). Reading other things is obviously important, but I do think you need more than one school book per week as they are supposed to be at particular level. If you go on the Oxford Owl website, you can read some of the books online.

Bringonspring · 16/10/2019 21:57

Just buy the books or join a lib

Isithometimeyet0987 · 16/10/2019 21:59

Does he not have a any books of his own at home he can read in between? Why can’t you go to a library? Charity shop? Book shop? Amazon or eBay? And buy him his own books to keep at home. One book a week is normal. Learning to read isn’t just up to the school you have to help and support him as well and that means finding things for him to read. My DD is only 3 but can recognise simple words because I’ve spent time with her reading very simple books most with only one word per page, her nursery read a book to the kids everyday (one of them oversized class read together books) and i think this really helps the kids recognise words and learn to read aswell. So YABU to expect all reading material to come from school.

RedPoppiesAndSpots · 16/10/2019 21:59

Check with the teacher what the normal "process" is before you start saying he only gets one book. It could be he is supposed to change it as soon as he has read it/change it every day but he forgets.

And whether it is one book a week/10 books a week please get him down the library. School books can be fucking boring - let him be inspired and excited by other stuff that Biff and Chip!

thesnapandfartisinfallible · 16/10/2019 22:02

Go to the library? Or buy him a few books, maybe a series? Do most kids not have more than just their school books or at least a library card?

Suze1621 · 16/10/2019 22:02

Books changed 3x a week in reception and again in year 1. However we do also read other books at home as some of the school reading scheme books are not the most interesting!

JoanLewis · 16/10/2019 22:03

Someone handed down to us the complete set of Biff Chip and Kipper books up to level 6. While DD could change her book each day at school, it meant we could keep going during holidays/ weekends/ etc and had a better sense of how she was progressing through the levels. Once we got past those I joined Reading Chest (because our local library doesn't hold reading level books).

Leeds2 · 16/10/2019 22:05

I would check with the teacher how the children are meant to change books - am thinking that maybe DS doesn't know the procedure in his new school.
Does he have a reading record, where you write down what he has read at home? I would put in this that he had finished the school reading book, and so read pages x-y of a home/library book instead. The school possibly doesn't have the time/resources to give him a new book when he has finished the old one, so I would probably be proactive in getting him to read something else.

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