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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:
PumpkinPie2016 · 17/10/2019 05:58

My son is Y1 and we get 2 or 3 books each week. We still read other books from the library or home though so you could do that.

One book a week may be appropriate for your son's level of he was/is struggling.

Also, it's really important that they actually understand what they are reading - can be answer questions about the text/day what might happen next etc? Reading comprehension is so important so definitely make sure you work on that as well as reading.

Sewingbea · 17/10/2019 06:02

I think that @leeloo1 has posted excellent suggestions. If the school is very focused on phonics you could supplement this at home by doing some high frequency word practice. (Google the list and work out where your DC is/ knows). Made word cards of these words and use them to make sentences, play snap/ bingo/ pairs games etc. The whole word approach isn't fashionable at the moment but it's a useful support to learning to read. And do lots and lots of reading picture books to your child and read books you enjoy too so that they see books as fun and important.

Missingsandraohingreys · 17/10/2019 07:00

Erm join a library Smile

SimonJT · 17/10/2019 07:12

My son is in reception and the book is changed when it’s completed, no matter what we have read at home he cannot go up a reading level until he has read enough of the school books at that level.

He is very bored by them as he is quite a good reader for his age, he can independently read things like the tiger who came to tea, Mog books etc with fairly decent comprehension. So when his school book has a couple of words on a page he does get a bit frustrated.

user1573334 · 17/10/2019 07:14

@Missingsandraohingreys Erm, RTFT.

Beautiful3 · 17/10/2019 07:21

ONE book a week is normal from school. Join a library, or buy a box set from the book people.

ArtisanPopcorn · 17/10/2019 07:24

Have you looked at your county's online library? When I physically looked in my local library they hardly had any reading scheme books but I can order loads online to come from other libraries in the county. I then get an email when they've arrived at my library so I can collect them. Children can take out 30 books and keep them for 3 weeks, it's great

Pipandmum · 17/10/2019 07:25

My recollection is that there was a lot of books and the kids chose the next one as soon as they finished a book. So that may mean one book a week or five.

MouthyHarpy · 17/10/2019 07:31

books that teach your child how to read

ANY book teaches a child how to read. Why are you so dependent on the reading scheme?

Clearly he’s slow picking up reading. Just keep at it with all sorts of books. thres no magic formula - each person has to find their own way to make the connection between speech and writing. Repetition and modelling help. Repeatedly reading a story , and your child seeing you reading yourself. There was some research a few years ago suggesting that boys read more easily if their fathers read and they saw their fathers reading - other than to their children, that is.

People learnt to read without reading schemes for centuries. I learnt to read by reading Beatrix Potter books.

loutypips · 17/10/2019 07:41

Do you not buy books for him? Or visit the library?
Don't rely on the school books. They are often really boring and not the most interesting of books.

Candymay · 17/10/2019 07:44

Sorry but I’ve got to say this- surely you know that you can read with your child yourself? Do you have books at home? You can join a library too. There were some parents who complained on a group chat about exactly this- school only changes books once a week! And I found it hilarious - and ridiculous- that they would not be able to read with their child unless school provides the right books! Read, read, read with your child. That’s how children learn.

MintyMabel · 17/10/2019 07:52

So that's why in this instance the library isn't quite what I need.

That’s ridiculous. The library will have books at his level. You don’t need to be reading the exact books they read at school. Books don’t need to be “decodable” 🙄 They just need to be fun.

I wouldn’t bother talking to the school about it, they’ll just think it’s ridiculous that you think the library isn’t part of the solution.

BlackeyedGruesome · 17/10/2019 08:02

You can buy series of phonics based reading books at different levels. Try the book people.

BlackeyedGruesome · 17/10/2019 08:03

Pink level books? Try the board books for babies if the library does not have scheme books.

leeloo1 · 17/10/2019 08:07

"Books don’t need to be “decodable”" @mintymabel

But (some) schools are in a way mystifying learning to read, by telling parents that books 'have' to be decodable, phonics is the only way etc etc. Its really unfair to then blame parents who are worried they'll screw their kid up if the don't 'follow the process'.

@12SimonJT - that's shocking and I do feel you should make an appointment with the teacher, to (nicely) point out that your child is reading way beyond the school books. Holding kids back a tiny bit to check comprehension is (dull, but) understandable, but not giving them books way below their reading age for no other reason than to meet a quota. If they won't move him up, I'd ask to borrow the whole set and sit with him and churn through the lot, so you can hand them back and say done! Or ask to speak to the head of course. My only caveat, would be to check that your dc read an unfamiliar book as easily as he can (the fab mog/tiger who came to tea, that Judith Carr originally wrote for her son to teach him to read, as she thought the reading scheme ones were dull - which I thought was lovely.) familiar ones.

CherryPavlova · 17/10/2019 08:12

Mine never used reading scheme books except some dreadful Billy Blue Hat scheme in nursery that had it been their sole reading material would have turned them off completely.
In my children’s day, they had schemes to monitor levels up to a certain point but teaching a child to read relies on so much more - most is self absorbed rather than learned. Social sight vocabulary to start with, guessing from context, flow and pictures, phonics (mine only hear phonics with little actions after they could read quite well anyway) and repetition of seeing the word.
I wouldn’t get to hung up on scheme books. They are really not the main way children learn to read.

57Varieties · 17/10/2019 08:14

Is “go to the library” the new “cancel the cheque”?

MintyMabel · 17/10/2019 08:15

But (some) schools are in a way mystifying learning to read, by telling parents that books 'have' to be decodable, phonics is the only way etc etc. Its really unfair to then blame parents who are worried they'll screw their kid up if the don't 'follow the process'.

If you’re struggling to teach a 5 year old to read, it definitely isn’t a good idea to go to the school about it.

Libraries also order books in.

Smelborp · 17/10/2019 09:45

Much as I hate to mention libraries again, in my county, all the libraries are linked and children can reserve books for free from anywhere in the county.

It does make it harder to find suitable ones as you can’t look at them, but the librarians may be able to help advise for ones to help with decoding.

Speaking with the teacher and requesting more is probably the simplest option though.

Passthecherrycoke · 17/10/2019 09:48

We get 3 a week too(YR) I appreciate this because often they’re really boring so it’s nice to have something better than “The fishing trip”

I don’t understand why people are telling you to get them out the library- why would you? What’s the problem with school giving more? Surely they want their children to read as much as possible also

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 17/10/2019 10:00

Is it possible that he is supposed to be changing his book independently during the week, and the TA/teacher checks up on them once a week to see if they've done it?

I had trouble with my kids at that age, because they were supposed to put their old book back in the box once finished and get a new one, but, at 5, children forget! Then they come back with the same book still in their bookbag and are surprised that it's not changed itself.

Pinkblueberry · 17/10/2019 10:02

I agree that’s not many but I just couldn’t get worked up about that - nothings stopping you reading additional books with him.

AudacityOfHope · 17/10/2019 10:05

No because they've already read it at school @Gingerbreadsonme

We make it a challenge to see if they can do it without the pictures, it's a game. I'm not Miss Trunchbull!

Pandaintheporridge · 17/10/2019 10:07

One book a week for both my dcs (two different primaries too)

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 17/10/2019 10:14

I don’t understand why people are telling you to get them out the library- why would you?

I think it's called 'taking parental responsibility'.

I appreciate that sounds rather sarky, but if you want children that will grow up to read voluntarily and widely, and you are going to have to instil a reading culture. That means incorporating read into their lives, not leaving it as a school thing. If they only get books from school, reading occupies the same place in their minds as numeracy homework, spellings and half-term projects. That is, as something you do because you have to.

My children read a lot. They read with torches under the duvet, they read as well as playing computer games and they read and read. They do all that because I put a lot of work into promoting reading. I took them to libraries, I helped them pick out interesting books when they were still on Biff, Chip and Kipper and read the books with them (every time we came to an easy sentence or group of words that they could manage, I got them to read that sentence before I continued).

The school can send 7 early readers home a week, but young children aren't stupid. They know that "Dad ran. Floppy ran" is boring, and they know that reading them is a chore.