To expect a child to read with a grown up at least a couple of times in the first term of reception?

[Benibidibici]

DC is late aug birthday so only just four on starting school. Happy there and enjoying it etc, settled in fine.

They are never heard read by any adult. Teacher has acknowledged this.

Have found out this week some kids are reading with an adult one on one three or four times a week.

I know they have to focus on the ones who need a bit of help but come the fuck on, how does a little 4 year old feel if they never get that little bit of one on one time with a grown up and others get loads? Its not just about the reading - its about that bit of attention, the teacher or TA learning who they are and how they respond. Surely they can fit in my DC once or twice a term if they can find 3 or 4 times a week for other kids. Dc hates never getting picked to go and read. :(

At independent school they read with each child everyday. They expect parents to read with their children everyday in return. How often does the OP listen to her child read?

The aim in schools is for all children to achieve their potential. It is not for all children to reach a standard mediocre level and then leave them to it.

Surely they are heard regularly by an adult at home.

Wow I can’t believe the attitude of some people on here - no wonder the school are being so poor if so many people are so accepting of it! How can they possibly know he’s ‘ahead’ if they’ve never once bothered listening to him read?

I would be furious as well OP. Your child deserves some attention to their progress just as much as any - it matters not what level he is at, he deserves encouragement and education from the school too. If a teacher can’t support the learning of all the different levels in their class without simply neglecting those that are ‘doing well’ then they need to improve, simple as. It might be a hard truth but the fact is it’s underperformance and it wouldn’t be acceptable in other lines of work. I’d be advocating for my child too. I pay taxes towards education and would absolutely not accept being told there’s no time at all for my child. Parents with children struggling should be told to be making more of an effort at home if their children are so behind that they are monopolising the teacher’s time. Their progress shouldn’t come at the expense of OPs child's.

Ideally they should be hearing every child read. If that’s honestly not possible, I’d expect them to concentrate on the children experiencing difficulties, not those who are reading at an expected age.

One of my DC has SEN and I’d be furious if he wasn’t given the appropriate support that he needs in order to keep up with his peers. Especially if this was done just to save another child from feeling left out. Surely the teacher (and you) can explain that some children need extra support? Bare in mind that some of these children may be entitled to extra funding that help the school pay for a TA.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all. How do they know DC doesn’t need to read more if they don’t hear him?

Our school hears all children twice a week. 1/2 of the class read a couple of pages to teacher or TA while the other one supervisors an activity. Those that need more practice read daily with a group of year 6s who volunteer.

I agree that your son should be heard reading more, but at the same time this is not about attention. Its about children learning to read and the ones that struggle more will be seen more. I would speak to the teacher and ask that he have that reading time at least once a fortnight. Just so that they can monitor his progress properly.

Sorry @CynicalToad but just no. Why should it be up to the school to get a SEN child up to an average standard, but up to the parents to get an average or above average child up to the top standard? Both of these processes require moving a child on one step. Why should it only be the parents of non-SEN children who are challenged “well are you making time out of your full time job to go into school and volunteer to hear reading?” and not the parents of SEN kids, who receive this as standard? Both children require help to get to the next stage.

Education should be for all families, not just for those with struggling children. I do feel for parents of SEN children, but with the best will in the world this will just be the first of many struggles they face and it shouldn’t always be at the expense of other children or (busy) parents. Otherwise as another person said above, we breed mediocrity - focusing only on the lowest denominator might mean that we can get more people into lower skilled jobs but it will be the absolute death of creativity, innovation and excellence.

@Benibidibici cant believe all the people on here giving the op stick because she can’t volunteer in the school, who are saying she’s a ‘demanding parent’, ‘THAT parent’ etc. Omg - her child hasn’t been heard reading ONCE in a term, and other kids get three times a week - on what planet is that reasonable? As an ex teacher I’d say she has every right to complain. Teacher or TA has to get round every single child, and nothing written in their book is disgraceful. I detest the idea of an overlooked child.

This doesn’t make sense to me… Our school sets 1-2 books per week (depending on how kid does), these travel backwards and forwards each day with teacher and parent comments: great blending, struggled with high frequency words etc. Why don’t you call head of reception (if there is one) and ask them for a meeting and take the book along to show them? If your child is advanced they should be receiving multiple books per week as they are confidently reading them/progressing - are you being issued new books when you note they are completed?

My DCs were ahead in reading when they started and the teacher read with them about 1-2 per term to assess their reading levels and move them up a band. Sometimes they were stuck for ages on a band because of lack of teacher time but school were pretty good to respond if I put a note in the diary when the DC got to really fed up.

The TAs would check the reading diary 2-3 times a week and those kids whose parents did not read with them, got far more attention and interventions because they needed it. The dyslexic children also got far more time and interventions because the Government’s expectation is primarily to get all kids to a certain standard.
The parents with kids who are ahead - it is still better to keep giving your child that 1 to 1. My DC only ever got upset over intervention kids getting more Dojos to encourage them. My DC were set some harder work but expected to get on with it themselves. If this upset them- the girls especially would tell me - and we would help at home/let the teacher know occasionally. Dojos were rewarded for a particular child struggling and overcoming primarily. We had to make sure our own DC understood this. We had to largely challenge outside school although once or twice in 7 years of primary school they did get a teacher who had high expectations of all the kids, including those who are ahead. It is important to understand the system and support accordingly. A child with educated parents who make time is still at a huge advantage!

I'd say if your only just 4 year old can already read (not just still learning letter sounds) they're miles ahead of their peers anyway
most schools spend the first half term getting the class baseline
then they start with phonics sounds etc
then maybe by the second half term they start with some blending in small ability focused groups
I would not expect them to start to do 1-2-1 actual reading (of like a simple cvc book) for at least another term tbh
Our school still has special friends to teach and such
do some 1-2-1 reading at home if you are wanting them to be encouraged
does your daughter feel discouraged?
my only just 4 year old is buzzing over reading and school and other than her base line assessment she's had zero one to one reading time so far!
she could do most of her letter sounds by school start but certainly some she forgot after a summer of us not doing much at home etc

And I understand the ops frustration - but they sound ridiculously angry and entitled to me and that blurs the ability for us to be empathetic towards them
raise it with the school
if teacher doesn't action your concern escalate it to the head etc etc
you are on the pta so use that to raise concerns about the lack of focus on reading in the early years at the school
maybe the other parents are getting lots of comments in the reading books as their kids are making progress weekly but from a lower standard
if they had to literally learn all their phonic sounds from the teacher they'd get lots of 1-2-1 time but doing just a few sound regognitions etc
have you actually looked at the curriculum for this stage actual reading 1-2-1 of BOOKs is certainly not on it yet!

I found plenty of adults who could read before they started school.

I could. My DP could. Some friends of mine could.

We were all born at different times of the year including summer.

My DD could not read before she started school because we deliberately didn't teach her.

In our school there was a list of daily readers/early phonics intervention aka kids on FSM, SEN, safeguarding, speech delays etc- those kids were the focus in Reception until they caught up, sometimes by Year 1/2/3/4 etc.
OP are you sure some of the kids getting loads of attention are not on such a list? There may be a lot of kids on the list due to Covid and delays in the NHS especially speech & language.

The second thing I can think of as someone who volunteers a lot in state primary schools is that we have a list of the whole class to get through when I volunteer. Could he have been left on the list by mistake? When we read we stamp the reading journal and I often read with the higher attainers unless the TA hasn’t managed to do the daily reading/phonics with those that need intervention. Pre Covid I did start volunteering in the second half of the first term of Reception. However, that could differ from school to school.

If you want this sorted you have to put it in an email to the teacher and just ask open questions. Things like Dear Ms X I have noticed that nobody has signed my DC’s reading diary. When will an adult start reading with my child regularly and will it be recorded each time etc how many books is my child meant to be given each week? Etc
In a good school the teacher communicates the goal posts clearly in whole class briefings and termly updated and online to these days. My DCs school was very good and because we had other parents join from other schools I know that not all schools are like that. Often it does depend on the cohort though and how involved the parent group are- it is much easier with a group of kids where most the parents are involved and only a few need extra time and help.

I haven't said the things you think I've said.

I agree, and I don't think I've said otherwise?

What do you actually KNOW and what is you making wild accusations based on totally wrong information?
"I know there's not much time but if there's enough time for other children 3 and 4 times every week, why does my child deserve SO little of the teacher's attention? He is barely four years old."
If your child is getting so little of the teacher's attention that is bad. However all your comments are solely about how much time your child is reading for, you make NO comment on what else he is being given help with. Do you KNOW that he isn't being given more help than others in maybe something he is weak in? Maybe actually he is being given MORE attention than some other children in an area he struggles with? Before you go ranting maybe just ask the teacher what is happening.

SEN children are not monopolising the teacher's time at the expense of other kids unless it's through bad behaviour in class.
1 to 1 for SEN children happens with other staff members, learning mentors, TAs etc. They are taken out of class, out of assembly, out of PE, whenever the staff are available to fit them in.
Meanwhile the class teacher is giving every other child an education and that education is not affected.
Not having read 1 to 1 to the teacher doesn't mean that the child isn't reading to the teacher/other staff. They may be reading in groups.
Not all children that are so far behind, are behind because not enough effort is made at home. My child had delayed development for medical reasons, had extra help at school through internal SEN, and managed to catch up to national average by year 6, despite being read to/with every night.

What is the school’s explanation?
When my son started reception he was already able to read as a)he was almost 5 and b)he had been in the school nursery where they teach them a year early. However the majority of kids, who had come from other nurseries couldn’t read at all. So in this situation I would expect the ones who could read to be taken off to read and the main teacher to be focusing on teaching phonics to the bulk of the class.

I would be unhappy with this also. My son was heard read at least once a week with the teacher in yr- as we’re all the other children. On
another day he would read with a parent helper sometimes once a week sometimes more if they had lots of helpers. He’s yr 1 now and a good reader so doesn’t always read more that once a week. Are you able to go on to help out at all or another family member? I’d ask to speak to the teacher and express how unhappy you are with the situation. Yes teachers are very busy but each child deserves some time

I could, self-taught, I taught my sister. DS14 couldn't. DS4 (spring born) could before his birthday, self-taught, I only read to him.

Just to add, I agree with OP’s frustration. I would be really annoyed in this situation.

I personally just didn’t like the repugnant comment re children with SEN. My child has an EHCP so there is additional funding for some of the extra assistance required. But yes my child does require more attention because they have significant additional needs.

My neurotypical children still need encouragement and attention at school and home.

Your child is already learning to read? My five year old is in junior infants in Ireland (she goes to an Irish speaking primary school), and so far they’ve learned the phonetics for C A and R. I’m so confused.

Can the adults typically read Irish fluently and regularly read to their children in Irish at home? Are children being raised Irish speaking only or bilingual?