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.

Year 2 and Year 1 Mum here of two able readers. Helped a lot due to lockdown.

My advise - ask directly what they need to do to be moved up. Don't ask them to be moved up, ask for clear things they need to work on.

Things I have been told over the past 3 years

Non fiction reading - much harder than fiction, not as repetitive so words can't be remembered, understanding the concept of contents pages etc.

Fluency, being able to pick up and just read - no sounding out of the words even on the first read.

Expression - lots of students really struggle to do this in front of other students, teachers etc - we have counteracted this, as my eldest ends up very shy when reading in a group, we post videos of them reading on learning journal.

My top tips find a library with plenty of choice, buy reading scheme books and get them to read the next level up at home, buy non fiction books on topics that interest them - or get them from the library.

We ask lots of comprehension questions, retell with the story map at the end of the books, ask why they think things happened, what might happen next, which character they would like to be etc.

Read Chapter books to them - I have done this since nursery - read something on reading the next level of reading ability up to them - sometimes we share a bit of the reading but it inspires them to want to improve.

School should be supporting but as others have said Ofsted are really focussing on reading linked to phonics taught and not accelerating the phonics above the level for that year group. It's similar to Maths - breadth, applying, understanding, investigating, delving deeper, is just as important than flying up though the levels.

Yellow at this stage sounds about right - eldest is a September born and very able reader - she left reception (although effectively the start of year 1 due to lock down) on nearly finishing blue - was Yellow in March as I had discussed level just before the world went pants.

Can you support by reading more at home? My son is Y3 now and a good reader. We used to get the ORT books and some did seem 'easy' for him in terms of reading words. I just extended it by talking about what happens in the book, how might a particular character feel, what might happen next etc.

I also used to read chapter books to him which he enjoyed. Reading to children is massively helpful. He can read them himself now and so he usually reads to me or his dad, however, sometimes we still read to him (usually when he is tired).

We have always done lots of library visits too.

When my dd was in reception she was reading a book with sentences like 'here is a frog' at school. At home she was reading Heidi. At school writing one letter each day at home writing little stories and a diary. Same with Maths in school numbers below 10 at home knew all times tables by 6 and good at fractions. Eventually school cottoned on and she won a scholarship at 10 to an independent school that stretched her. She was very very happy there because she loved learning and still does. Once at 4 she came home furious so I asked what was the matter and she said lazy teacher had made the class sort out all her pairs of socks. I laughed and told her they were counting in twos. She gave me a haughty look and said it was a shame the teacher just did not just teach other children 2 X table as that went up in twos. Children should be able to work at their own pace. Very sad some held back and others almost bullied to go faster than they can cope with.

I had similar discussion with dd2's reception teacher. They finally moved her when I pointed out that she was doing phonics every day with yr1 so by default yr1 bands had to be appropriate. By yr1 - phonics lead was her temp teacher & much more pragmatic found her right level same now in yr2 although she barely reads school books now.

Recommend Oxford Owl - we read a lot of them at home and you can find the right level for your child. Some of them have activities at the end too.
Otherwise just buy simple non reading scheme books.
If your child isn't progressing at all in any areas I would be worried otherwise just support at home.

DS1 started reception reading pretty much fluently. However, his comprehension and stamina weren't at that level. His teacher basically sidestepped the book bands for a while and let him borrow books from the book corner instead, and this, along with the reading he did at home, really brought his understanding along. At the beginning of year 1 I did wonder how they would approach it but he was assessed and jumped to white within a couple of weeks.

None of mine were ever 'challenged', nor particularly interested in the school reading scheme books - I mean, they are hardly enthralling are they? - so we just used to take them to the library for a bag full of books each week; they would have books for Christmas and birthdays sometimes; we used to buy books at car boots and Christmas or Summer Fetes; we'd buy books at charity shops; we'd be given books by friends with older dc.
Children become avid readers by reading (and having read to them) ALL SORTS of books - children's encyclopaedias, joke books, children's limericks or poems, fiction (and boy, is there a lot of it when you look), instruction type books (how to look after my hamster' type things), stuff like Guinness Book of Records, comics, annuals, recipes, magazines about their interest or hobby, etc etc etc.
Don't get hung up on 'the school book' and just encourage your dc to read would be my advice.

Btw thanks to all for lots of useful advice on here. Some great ideas and tips.

I think some people are missing the op's point - it's not about getting hold of books, it's about not feeling that your child is expected to go to school and twiddle their thumbs.

Reception is about more than reading. You need to chill out. There are lots of things you can do with your child other than trying to push them on further than everyone else. Turoring your child at home in phonics is not required. Get some books to read to him. Talk about the story.

The government have recently changed guidance on reading and many schools are having to change their reading schemes. They can only be sent home books that are phonetically decodeable. They can also only have sounds that the child knows and has been taught. The teachers may not be sending home the books as your child hasn't been taught the phonics for the next book band.
I suggest that you read books together. Listen to audio books. Help her develop her vocabulary and understanding. There is no need to race through the reading schemes. She will be making progress in other areas. Help her develop a love for books.

@Legomania

I think some people are missing the op's point - it's not about getting hold of books, it's about not feeling that your child is expected to go to school and twiddle their thumbs.

But they aren't twiddling their thumbs in school. OP is complaining that the book that comes home with them isn't challenging enough - which has been a complaint of a minority of parents since time immemorable . I think much of the advice is to not put too much importance on 'the book that comes home'

Ask on FB groups if anyone wants to swap give books, charity shops,

It has changed quite recently. Guidance now is for reading books sent home to cover phonics covered in class. So if they are still
on phase 2/3 sounds that is where the reading books will be. Our teacher has explained that she should be able to write all the words she reads. So they want writing and reading to match.
We just go to the library for our Reception DD and get extra books out. We also read chapter books to her, anything from Enid Blyton, to David Williams and simple classics.
Our DC is given extra work in school but only when she asks for it in class and shows her keenness to the teacher directly. Not if I were to request anything… 1 example the teacher gave is that my DD sat down and wrote down numbers counting in 5 to 100
eg 5, 10, 15, 20 etc or she wrote a maths test for her friend including some minus and times etc After that the teacher decided she was keen on maths and gives her work sheets when she asks for it…
My DD is much happier and more tired when she gets some actual work. Not all kids sec the same. My eldest was similar.

Stop worrying about book bands. They really don't matter. Think of them as a tool for the teacher and just read them once quickly to sign the book. I find school reading books are only really valuable when the kids are at that stage where most books are too hard for them and they need ones with lots of CVC words. If she's above yellow band then she can read. Just get a box of meg and mog books and practice reading with expression and having fun with it. The colour on the back of a book doesn't matter.

I'd be more worried about her getting bored in phonics lessons as sometimes it can lead to bad habits and poor behaviour. Perhaps your school teaches phonics at the same time and so she can go in a year one group. I'd imagine that's not an unusual request.

In all honesty I think you need to accept you’re probably not going to get the stretch. I think mine could be pushed a lot more than she is but I’ve reached the conclusion that she’s 5 and happy in school so does it matter? I was where you were last year and have relaxed a bit for year 1.

A lot of the book bands books are dull. Read your own thing and just be pleased you’ve got a book you can get through quickly for school. When we’ve had something easy, we’ve really focused on expression and performance.
The other thing I’ve found is that we’ve had some books at higher bands that are just a bit too mature.

Guidance now is for reading books sent home to cover phonics covered in class.

I've read the guidance last night and it actually does not say this.

It says that children shouldn't be sent home with things they can't. There's an assumption a child learns nothing outside school. Clearly if a child already knows phonics past what is being taught at school they can decode a higher level book. All that is required is for the teacher to assess the child's reading (according to my child's teacher this is done regularly anyway) and provide reading books matched to the child's individual level of reading. Keeping a whole class on the same reading level implies a disregard for the obvious range of reception, a lack of differentiation for ability, overpushing the less able and providing insufficient challenge for the more able.

@LovelyMoans- our state primary is interpreting it narrowly too. It has very recently had an Outstanding Ofsted in every category.
I can clearly see the difference in how the approach has changed since my older children went (eldest 2 were free readers by the start of year one). When I read with the younger ones in school now they don’t even want the kids to use the pictures much to help anymore. There is huge focus on “pure phonics”. Have you tested samples/past papers of the year 1 phonics test on your child and does he get everything right including splitting the sounds/diagraphs up correctly?

rather than just enjoying the books.

Does anyone enjoy school books?

Ds1 is in P1 and is very, very good at maths. His teacher told me he's moved him onto the bigger numbers in class along with a couple of other kids. He still just gets the same homework as the other kids though for some reason.
We just whip through the homework quickly then I give him a few more difficult things.
With phonics his homework is still the cvc words but he's been reading them confidently for months now so I bought flash cards with cvcc words to do as well.
I get what you're saying that the school should be stretching her but I don't know how feasible that is in state schools with large class sizes, hugely differing abilities and possibly children with complex needs.
I decided just to take it into my own hands.

Have you tested samples/past papers of the year 1 phonics test on your child and does he get everything right including splitting the sounds/diagraphs up correctly?

I haven't tested past papers on him but he has learned via a synthetic phonics approach not by look and say. He would decode a nonsense work correctly using a phonics approach. The only thing I think he would do which is perhaps not "pure" but is imho reasonable is he probably wouldnt see "ear" as a single sound, but would approach it by seeing "ea-r" and would pronounce it correctly. Also I'm not a teacher so didnt really ever explain "oo" (look) and "oo" (soon) as two separate phonemes, he seems to just adapt his pronunciation as he goes

I get what you're saying that the school should be stretching her but I don't know how feasible that is in state schools with large class sizes, hugely differing abilities and possibly children with complex needs.

It doesnt affect the other children for my DC to be sent home the right books for them....

I started reception basically already knowing how to read in the mid 1990s. I was furious with the banded books I was sent home with because I’d already seen them all 2years before when my older sibling was bringing them home. My parents dealt with it by getting me to read my school books to my younger siblings, and then by quietly ignoring the banded books and encouraging me to read anything and everything else instead . I remember in year 1 putting banded reading books in my bag to take home and thinking ´I’m taking this book home so my mum knows what I did at school’ - by that point I’d completely lost the idea that I was supposed to read these books at home.

Whether ´ear’ has two phonemes in it or just one depends on regional accent.

@LovelyMoans

I get what you're saying that the school should be stretching her but I don't know how feasible that is in state schools with large class sizes, hugely differing abilities and possibly children with complex needs.

It doesnt affect the other children for my DC to be sent home the right books for them....

No, but it could be difficult for the teacher to differentiate homework to such a degree for each child. She could be getting harder work in class. If you can afford to buy books then I'd just do that.

My Dd started reception being able to read already. There was another child who could as well and they were both taken out to do extra work when the other children were doing phonics and given books that were suitable for their ability. Schools really should have some provision to support all the kids, ideally.