To expect my child to make progress in reception?

[LovelyMoans]

Even if they started the year already where they need to be by the end of it, in reading?

The attitude from school seems to be that because DC has reached the required level for reception, they should just sit at it all year while others catch up.

It's implied I'm pushy for questioning this because "DC is doing well, why are you concerned".

Doesn't every child deserve to make progress from wherever they started the year?

Particular keen to hear views from teachers as to what I'm missing as I feel I'm going a bit mad.

What exactly do you want from the school?

What would help your daughter?

Oh that’s really bad! Every child should be given the chance to learn. Is this coming from the head?

Surely they’re giving them higher level reading books etc as stretch activities? How is DC with phonics- I know they can read, but are they doing well with the phonemes etc?

They should just carry on going up the levels surely? That's what my son's school does. Once they've read all the books from one level they go on to the next.

All I want is reading books sent home that are appropriate for DC reading ability.

DC has excellent phonics knowledge (didn't learn by look and say, learnt properly, blending phonenes). Secure on at least one spelling of a 44 phonemes, increasingly knows lots of alternative spellings. Comprehension and expression good too, although more detailed stories give you more to discuss which is why I'd like reading books home of a more appropriate level. Stamina ok but would benefit from longer books to read at home to build this.

School seem really reluctant to let DC move beyond yellow books and I really don't want to become that parent that bags etc. No idea if it comes from class teacher or head tbh

Yellow on which scheme op?

This is why secondary schools are now ranked in value added, to stop this kind of coasting.

I would raise it and ask why they feel their way is good.

In the meantime I would go to local
Library and get the books you think they’ll want to read, and do some extra work at home

I wouldn’t imagine them sending a ‘harder’ book home from the library will make much difference. I’d go and get more books from the library.

Just because your child is at a certain academic level doesn't necessarily mean they've learnt everything they need to know in Reception.
Reception is much much more than academics.
Can your child (for example)
Be confident and know what to do if asked to deliver a message to the teacher next door?
How to share and take turns with games/activities?
How to help tidy up the classroom and know where things are kept?
Know when it's time to be quiet - lining up, carpet time, assembly - without having to be told twice?
How to comfort another child or how to help from a teacher (or another child falls over in the playground)?
How to work/play with others that you might not particularly like?
How to be a team leader (in PE for example) and get others to follow the rules or how to be a team player and understand that X child is 'in charge' of that activity?
Plus loads more things I can't think of right now.

Just buy/borrow books that you want DC to read at home, they don’t have to come from school. Have they given a reason they Havnt moved the book levels on?

Teacher here, I've mainly taught in EYFS over the last 8 years.

Progress is important, even if the child is excelling beyond expected. I totally agree that constantly adding some new learning and extending is essential.

But...

1.Is that your DC is excelling at reading but struggling in other areas of their emotional and social side of EYFS curriculum? It could be they're focusing more on these areas for your DC?

1. Does your child love reading and enjoy the challenge? They could perhaps be concerned that DC is getting 'bored' or stressed about reading?

1. How much extra teaching of reading and academics are you doing at home?

So if DC is loving reading and a natural, plus they're socially expected and a confident child YANBU. I would be frustrated too.

Agree school should be stretching all children otherwise they will get bored as well as not achieve their potential. Not easy for the teacher though i imagine...

I wouldn't be happy with that. You're right that every child deserves the chance to progress and be challenged.

Yellow on the system that goes pink, red, yellow, blue, green, orange etc? The books are a few different schemes. ORT, big cat, phonics bug etc.

Yellow ones a pretty easy, DC can deffo do longer ones with a much bigger range of words in at home. Local library is small and pretty poor, we have had some odd ones from there but the selection isnt great.

A friend has told me tonight to do Reading Chest so I'm looking at that but I kind of just find it really annoying that they are so resistant to change DC books but won't tell me anything DC needs to work on either

@Legoisthebest

Just because your child is at a certain academic level doesn't necessarily mean they've learnt everything they need to know in Reception. Reception is much much more than academics. Can your child (for example) Be confident and know what to do if asked to deliver a message to the teacher next door? How to share and take turns with games/activities? How to help tidy up the classroom and know where things are kept? Know when it's time to be quiet - lining up, carpet time, assembly - without having to be told twice? How to comfort another child or how to help from a teacher (or another child falls over in the playground)? How to work/play with others that you might not particularly like? How to be a team leader (in PE for example) and get others to follow the rules or how to be a team player and understand that X child is 'in charge' of that activity? Plus loads more things I can't think of right now.

The OP is about reading. Why would teaching any of this prevent them from also progressing the child's reading skills and moving them onto more challenging reading levels?

What is her comprehension and retelling of the books like?

If reading is the only area in which you feel your child isn't being stretched, then what is the problem? Just make sure that you have appropriate books at home. S/he can just progress naturally through the pleasure of reading.

It's reception!!

YANBU at all, but if reading material is the major issue I'd probably just ensure a steady stream of good, appropriate-level books at home tbh, and ignore the school if they're not interested in helping. I suspect you'll waste more energy trying to get them to help than you would getting hold of better books yourself.

Also have a reception child who is a very secure reader. He gets the same level phonics books as others in his class and related to the phonemes being covered at that time. His teacher explained that they are covering writing those at the same time so they are secure in both before moving on.
That being said he does get to pick anything he fancies from the school library on top of his phonics books and a picture book.

If they don’t stretch your child, she/he will just get bored, disengage with school and start messing about.
My own DD started reception in a village primary with a reading age of 12, an IQ over 160, and could already write essays and perform all basic arithmetical functions.
The head teacher took her for half an hour a day one-to-one teaching, reading Dickens and RL Stevenson with her. The class teacher liaised with the High School in the city, to send maths texts down for her to work on separately while her classmates learned their times tables etc.
DD’s transition to high school was managed by joint staff meetings, and she continued working ahead of her class, sitting her exams early.
If a tiny village primary can do it, with limited staff, then larger schools should be able to as well.

My dd had finished all her reception spellings by Easter of that year and they said no more til year 1 which l found bizarre then in year 1, she had to do all the reception ones again to make sure the teacher knew she could do them.
Crazy!

Outlying I was writing my post while the OP posted it was more about reading and not getting a higher level book so I 'crossed posted' essentially.
It could be a simple as the Reception classroom only has books up to a certain level and the next ones are in the Year 1 classroom and there isn't enough to go round.
The thing with reading schemes is they are just one way of reading. Getting hold of free or cheap books is usually fairly easy - charity shops, car boot sales, people just passing them along, libraries etc.
Just get books that would interest her and read together. Comics such as the Cbeebies one are good to have to read. Even the leaflet from Aldi is reading "ooh could you read and tell me what fruit is on special offer" etc.

What is her inference like? Is she able to answer questions about what she has just read, or tell you about the story on her own words? Is she reasonably fluent. They are the main reasons I’d have for not moving a child on. Sometimes a child can be brilliant at decoding, but that is quite different from really reading.

Can’t you just do your own books at home/ if they already familiar with all the phonics you obviously have been able to teach them at home. I don’t love the comprehension book we get sent home with- we discuss it a couple of nights but mainly read our own books.