Teacher told dd4 that she won’t be able to go into year 1 if she can’t read..

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Dd is 5 in July, so she’s one of the youngest in her class. On top of this she has a speech therapy as she struggles with pronouncing some sounds.

She’s doing absolutely amazing though and loves school. She’s been so excited to move to year 1 as they have been on about it at school.

I thought she was quite good at reading. We read every night before bed. But she came home last night and said the teacher had told her if she can’t read she won’t be able to go into year 1, which has obviously really upset her.

We are going to keep practicing even more now but I feel awful for her :(

Unless there is a school policy of holding back a year - which to my knowledge doesn't happen in the UK - its probably your child has misunderstood

No child gets left to repeat a year in UK system

If they not reading to level expected the school puts them down for extra help
All children move up together regardless of ability
Your dd misinterpreted
Speak to school about the support they will put in place if she actually is behind which seems unlikely

And in systems where they do repeat eg spanish they would not be expected to read at four anyway

What does "reading" mean for four year old or reception?? ?

Embrace

Not true. With parental agreement children can be left back a year. Its happening in the school near me, with a child who is extremely delayed and unlikely to last in mainstream. It's more likely to happen for social and emotional reasons than based solely on academic attainment.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Embrace

Not true. With parental agreement children can be left back a year. Its happening in the school near me, with a child who is extremely delayed and unlikely to last in mainstream. It's more likely to happen for social and emotional reasons than based solely on academic attainment.

Well exactly Parental agreement. Extremely delayed. But I know of parents requesting and being denied a repeat for their delayed dc so maybe varies. A four yr old not reading is not Extremely delayed

Embrace

Plenty of 4 year olds are well established with beginning to read. My 4 year old does not start reception until September, and can read and comprehend books of 15+ pages in one setting. Secure with all the sounds of the alphabet represented by upper or lower case letters, plus sh,th,ch, ee/ea, oo, ai/at, ou, qu, wh. Can blend 2 and 3 syllable words including
2 & 3 letter sounds like "spr", "ng" etc, and knows about e at the end of a word. He knows quite a few "tricky" key words by sight.

He picked up the ability to blend from games like eye spy, songs, stories and rhymes read together at bedtime. Once he could do that he could read things like "that's not my duck" to himself and chose to do so. There's a huge amount of variation in when children are ready to learn to read.

Ps yes embrace clearly it's not what's going to happen here but it is of course possible in the UK which your earlier post suggested it really wasn't.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Embrace

Plenty of 4 year olds are well established with beginning to read. My 4 year old does not start reception until September, and can read and comprehend books of 15+ pages in one setting. Secure with all the sounds of the alphabet represented by upper or lower case letters, plus sh,th,ch, ee/ea, oo, ai/at, ou, qu, wh. Can blend 2 and 3 syllable words including
2 & 3 letter sounds like "spr", "ng" etc, and knows about e at the end of a word. He knows quite a few "tricky" key words by sight.

He picked up the ability to blend from games like eye spy, songs, stories and rhymes read together at bedtime. Once he could do that he could read things like "that's not my duck" to himself and chose to do so. There's a huge amount of variation in when children are ready to learn to read.

Amazing!

One of my Dd was not reading til 6 or more. Very varied.

Dd is Now at medical school .

Ds could recognise whole words,age four and used books to find words to communicate and demand food eg sausages ....however is extremely delayed and severe LD and ASD.

In some school systems it s standard practice to have to "pass" in order to move up. It isn't ,standard or usual in UK is what I mean.

Use your actual brain instead of running to an internet forum , speak to the teacher instead of listening to any old crap a 4 year old says.

@Demelza82

Use your actual brain instead of running to an internet forum , speak to the teacher instead of listening to any old crap a 4 year old says.

There's just no need. You can read, roll your eyes to yourself and move on with your life.

OP I hope her teacher confirmed that they didn't say that to your 4 year old as that seems really extreme? Especially to say it to your DD and not to you! I hope it's sorted now .

@demelza82 bit unnecessary. You could say that on most MN threads to be fair.

@wonderstuff

I know an Oxford professor who couldn't read until he was 8. Honestly kids don't need to be reading at 5, early years and KS1 curriculum are too focused on literacy.

Agree. The system is wrong and only suits those who are ready to read at 5.

The rest of the children are left feeling like underachievers from the beginning.

I was one of the youngest in my year and I could read in Nursery (only just turned 3 when I started). However, DC develop at different rates and her speech issue may impact her reading. I hope the speech therapy helps her!

Could you ask her teacher which phonics sounds she can and can’t do? Then you know what to work on at home.

I’d definitely find out for sure before complaining.

But yes you do sometimes get these ill advised attempts at motivation! I’d have a chat to find out though.

Agree. The system is wrong and only suits those who are ready to read at 5.

The rest of the children are left feeling like underachievers from the beginning.

^^
This is very true!

What did the teacher say at pick up? My dd is a summer born 4 and also has a speech disorder. She can't read still (she can say the letter sounds, but doesn't get blending) and the teacher has just told us to keep trying. It's not a nice threat to make to a 4 year old! Hopefully it's been a misunderstanding.

But she came home last night and said the teacher had told her if she can’t read she won’t be able to go into year 1

I agree about asking what the teacher said. Because in my world, no teacher would ever say or want a child to believe that.
Plus of course, it’s not the reality - Dc2 certainly didn’t know how to read when he started Y1.
I imagine that the teacher is aware of the issue your dd is having and act she is seeing a SALT. What are the areas where your dd needs support ? What does she need to work on?
With Dc2, I agreed with his Y1 teacher that I would work on certain areas and I let her know when I had finished or there was some issues I had noticed. The teacher then reviewed that and worked with Dc2 on those points.

If true, its an awful thing to say.

Hopefully there's been some misunderstanding somewhere. I like to think that all Reception teachers are kind souls (I was one once!) who really enjoy the fun their class brings and will encourage them any way they can!

No shame in leaving reception struggling with reading and writing. I'm a firm believer that Year 1 should be an extension of Reception and that some children may may need that extra year to get things to click. (And, obviously, some children need longer. I work in SEN now.)

See if you can get a 30 day free trial of reading eggs. Well worth it!! My two (twins) were born right at the end of August. Don't give up!! I want to believe the teacher was misunderstood. I'd channel your energy into improving your dear daughter's reading - if you have a minute at most, follow up with the teacher.

Sending hugs. You got this!!

I like to think that all Reception teachers are kind souls

I had two who were scary and horrible, and DBro had one who used to force him to wet himself because she wanted to “train his bladder” (he had just turned 4 and knew when he needed to go but couldn’t hold for long - she carried that one for the entire year despite letters from a paediatrician). Different schools in different counties (Ed moved house).

I really don’t know why people find it hard to believe a reception teacher has said this. Obviously OP’s daughter won’t actually be held back, but I have no trouble believing it was said. It would be a very random thing for a four year old to make up from nothing.

I’m sure most are lovely, but there are unsuitable people in all professions.

Sounds very odd. Surely if that was even on the cards the teacher would be speaking to you and not your child. There used to be a sign as you entered an infant school I worked in and it said “we will believe half of what they say about you if you will believe half as much as they say about us.” Don’t worry just tell the teacher what your child said and all will be well.

What did the teacher say at pick up today?

My son is year three and still on pink level books he is still moving up the school

Nobody is saying she made it up from nothing @Changechangychange but 4 year olds arent the most reliable witnesses. That's why we dont have them sectioned when they tell us they are scared or dragons or see fairies.

Obviously speak to the teacher so you can fully reassure your daughter. I am a reception class teacher preparing the children to go up into year one next year. Out of 20, four cannot blend even though they know their phonics well, its just not clicked yet. Another is non verbal. Another is global delay and we are working on satpin with a 1-1. They are all going into year one. I would be very surprised if your daughter hasn't got the wrong end of the stick. Maybe it was something like "remember you'll have to be doing your reading when you're in year one" or a throw away comment like that which has made your daughter anxious because she's aware already of the extra practise etc