I have a great deal of sympathy for you, @LovelyMoans. My DC was also ahead with reading when she started Reception. Fortunately for us, her teacher was quite old-school and flexible, and very experienced, so she didn’t restrict reading levels, and DD went beyond Lime into KS2 books by May of Reception. However, this was six years ago, and the school has since been criticised by Ofsted for the way they teach and support reading, so whilst my DC benefited from this approach, it probably wasn’t the best way for all.
Although I read up on phonics at home and we encouraged DD to decode phonetically, it was clear to us and the teacher that she was one of those children that just ‘got’ reading. For example, if she knew how to pronounce ‘accident’, when she first saw ‘accelerate’ she would just automatically apply the correct sound for the start of the word. She also produced correct spellings for more challenging words in her written work in Reception, such as ‘design’. She has just always had a quite intuitive understanding of written and spoken language.
However, this doesn’t mean she didn’t benefit from the phonics teaching in Reception. It was fun, and it consolidated what she had already been taught by us or had worked out for herself. There wasn’t any need for us to request extra attention, as her experienced teacher simply found opportunities to pitch the occasional question at my DD’s level, and to challenge her with targeted guidance now and then. Looking back (DD is now in Y6) I realise how lucky we were.
It sounds like you’re less fortunate with your DS’s current teacher, but to be honest, I think you will just have to make the best of it for now. Some years will be better. Play the long game. If your DS is happy and engaged at school, that’s the main thing. He will be learning, he will be growing up. With a class of 30, it’s not reasonable to expect the teacher to test your DS frequently to work out which exact phonics he knows, to determine which level books he is ‘allowed’ to read. Just let it go, do your own thing at home as you have been doing, and remain positive with your DS about what he’s learning at school and the books he brings home.
Some children need a lot more support, and the Covid pandemic has made that more evident. In my view it’s better that the teacher spends a bit more time with those that really are struggling. As long as my DD gets a few nuggets of enrichment now and again, and the curriculum is well covered, I don’t feel it’s reasonable for me to expect much more for my ‘outlier’.
I know I sound a bit downtrodden. My DD is now in Y6, and I’ve got used to the system. I’ve worried on many occasions that my DD isn’t being stretched enough. However, I’ve learned to enjoy those times where a teacher really ‘gets’ my child, and on the other hand to support her when the work is boring or the teacher is ‘unfair’. I try to help her to understand as she gets older that teachers are not all perfect in every way but neither is any person, and they still have a lot to offer.