Comment from Reception child's teacher

[secondtimelucky87]

My child started Reception in September. The school's policy is that we read their phonics books every day. Absolutely fine with that - I have been teaching English for 13 years and need no convincing. We are expected to write in the reading record to say we have read the books. I have done so every single day apart from last night because (despite doing the reading as always), I was pretty exhausted after a long day's work and all the various things that need to be done before bedtime. We have a WhatsApp group for my child's class to ask questions/receive reminders for the week. Today however, I received a direct message telling me off for not reading/recording we had done the reading. AIBU to have been slightly taken aback by this? No issue with the teacher herself - I am sure she's merely carrying out school policy but surely it's a bit much after 1 missed comment? I could understand if we'd skipped a whole week!

The context is that organisation has been fairly chaotic. Her reading books aren't changed for weeks at a time. My child is very bright, reading her books fluently and clearly bored of reading the same 2 phonics books daily but we do so anyway. Similarly, they are given quite time-consuming homework but at most, all we've ever received by way of acknowledgement is one tick and the last 3, not even that. Surely a little glittery sticker and a couple of words would make a 4 year old feel valued after working so hard on it when they're exhausted! Would be interested to hear from other EYFS teachers and parents with kids of this age. Thank you and please be kind as I don't really know what's normal. She's my only child so I'm new to this. I sent a polite reply clarifying I had in fact done the reading as always but just forgot to comment!

This is intense!!!

I've only read my child’s phonics book with them 3 times since they started reception…

have done 2-3 pieces of homework. Teachers just said do what you can manage

Thank you, definitely going to do this. Goes without saying we have mountains of books at home but given that she's enjoying it so much, I think she'd really appreciate some variety! She's blending lots of words she encounters in everyday life confidently so that's a great shout 😊

I love this!!

Well said! I spend a lot of my working life actively trying to promote a love of reading in children and honestly it's a bit soul-destroying reading the same 2 books to my child again and again. It makes me sad to see her so bored. It doesn't feel right. I think I need to take ownership though and just find her some books myself. I'll take her to the library.

What was the actual comment about the reading record?

The teacher probably doesn't care about homework and it's a waste of her time to mark it, she just has to set it.

Little Wandle is a very prescriptive scheme, if the school are following it to the letter then there's not much leeway to change books.

I promise this is what happened and no: I can't believe it either! It actually felt a bit invasive. As a teacher myself I've felt really conflicted about how to handle it because part of me really wanted to reach out to the school and tell them how inappropriate I found it. But I also recognize it could have been a case of merely acting on school policy. Even though that policy is ridiculous!

My daughter is in reception and have older boys in yr 3 & 6.
school encourage reading five times a week but a minimum of three times a week.

My daughter gets stamps in her reading diary at the end of the week when they change the book but my sons’ don’t have anything written in their reading diary from their teachers.

My daughter has a list of phase 2 phonics and six common exception words to practice but that’s is all the homework.

the boys have 10 spellings each week - i check they know the meaning of the word as well as what is the point in learning how to spell it if you can’t use it. They also have time tables practice on an app x 3 per week but the boys do them at bedtime the old fashion repetition way they don’t do the app very much.

my 11 yr old has had homework since starting year six and now has SATs revision books to work through.

Sounds possible that someone at the doesn't like. Maybe because your are a.teacher and your child is very bright.

Could be a genuine mistake Sounds ridiculous to be honest.

Also don't.trust any groups such as WhatsApp.Fscebook.etc

You never really know what people think of you or how you are being discussed off line.

Is there anything more dull than phonics books. It was my absolute least favourite thing and after about a week I just initialled and dated the sodding book.Well done for doing the reading OP, you should have a sticker too!

Honestly, that’s insane! The whole thing is total madness, way over the top and a way of destroying a love of books and reading in tiny children. And picking you up with one missed signature is beyond ridiculous.

Thanks for all the replies everyone and I'm sorry I can't reply to all of them. I'm really grateful and wasn't expecting to receive so many! It doesn't help this is an inspection year at my own school so it's been a stressful term and that's without helping my own child settle in!

It's been really reassuring to read that most people didn't think I was overreacting. I hope it didn't come across as though I was being really precious. Honestly, maybe it did hit a nerve because for goodness sake, I'm a teacher (she knows this!), I've diligently done the reading every single night and literally forgot to comment on it for one day. I didn't appreciate being reprimanded about it! I was doing letter flashcards with my daughter when she was 2. Of course I value reading! We did query the total lack of acknowledgement/feedback the writing homework gets and were told it just doesn't get any. So I took your advice and have ordered a huge pack of glittery stickers myself. I feel like it's the least she deserves for working so hard on it, bless her. She is very excited to see them. I'll also be taking her to the library to explore what books they have that she can have a go at reading herself.

This sounds really intense. I would be staggered if my child's teacher messaged me on WhatsApp to complain about ONE missed reading session, sorry but that is just ridiculous. I can guarantee there will be parents who arent reading and doing phonics every single night , especially if they have multiple children. Our school asks for a minimum 3 times per week reading for KS1

I wondered if it would be Little Wandle. That’s the one we have and I’m not a fan. They do have to read the same book repeatedly- once to start sounding out and blending. Once for fluency. Once for comprehension. And then lots more because apparently that’s fun..!!!
It does my head in. I believe it helps to kill a love of reading - I actually wouldn’t object to them reading it a couple of times but five or six times for a child who read fluently and understood the first time - what a waste.

We ask for reading four nights out if seven and it’s only if we see a consistent pattern of never reading that we raise it.
Stuff happens - this half term for example we’ve had one family had to move house unexpectedly, one family where mum was rushed into hospital and one where there was a sudden bereavement which knocked the whole family for six. Shit happens. Kids reading is not going to be on a priority list.
We record daily who has read but we only contact parents if there’s been three weeks of nothing happening. Even then we might not bother if we know why.
It’s about the general pattern, not one day.
Otherwise reading is even more of a chore.

Edit to add: crucial information- I’m a TA so written from that viewpoint - not a parent.

I have to agree. We persevere because of course I know it's important but always let her choose whatever book she wants to look at next. She's really into science so it's usually something involving hideous bird-eating spiders 😂

That is bonkers! Surely the aim of those reading records is to try and engage the families that aren’t regularly reading, not to demotivate the families that are already reading and are, say, English teachers.

I ignore those school reading books, just let the kids fill their boots at the library with whatever they felt like. Teachers are lovely and let them get on with it as it is blindingly obvious they are reading

I am a teacher who used to do Reception and I think this is overkill. Contacting you on WhatsApp?!?

Also I hate homework in EYFS, utter waste of time and too much pressure on parents. I would be annoyed but probably not at the teacher as she might be having to go along with a policy and inwardly cringeing about it. A lot of senior leadership teams do not understand early years.

Oh also I bloody hate phonics and those books but that’s a whole other can of worms.

Yeah I’d be annoyed too OP

My son is in reception. We don’t have a record book for reading. There’s 2 days a week they will change the books and we just have to put a note on tapestry telling them that they’ve read it then they change it for a different one. We
don’t have to change it on both of those days, although i generally do as we read his book 6 out of 7 evenings usually (except this last weekend when we were a bit crap at it 🙈). In terms of other homework it usually just finding items beginning with certain letters or with patterns or whatever he’s been learning or going on a walk and collecting autumn items like leave and sticks. I did find a worksheet in his bag this evening but chose to ignore it until tomorrow so maybe they are starting to add more homework in now 🤷‍♀️

My son’s school follows Little Wandle too and I’m with you, if I have to read about pans, patting and tapping for much longer I’m going to lose the will to live! I found some Julia Donaldson phonics books that we read as an extra alternative occasionally just to mix it up a bit. Have a look on Vinted there’s often books on there for cheap.

I literally just don’t do it and have never forced my DC to fill it in either.

We were a bit more disciplined in early years when they needed the phonics practice but even then we would do more or less depending on how DC were feeling (they were at after school club every day so evenings were short and they were tired so we would do what felt right for them on the day).

Both my DC read loads - some days more than others but I’ve never forced them to read for a set amount of time daily or complete their reading record. I’d rather they saw it as an enjoyable activity that they do just because reading is fun!

Huh?

I never recorded in the book that we had done reading and never had any comments. Also homework at that age seems excessive

Homework is optional in primary. We only did reading school books at the weekend as they weren’t interested by the time we got home from after school club.

We are asked to read four times a week, we often do six but haven't done seven because it's not necessary, my DC is doing really well as it is. I also write notes but tend to write the same note every day to be honest. It's bizarre that you're expected to do it every day and to message you and tell you off is even weirder. My DCs books get changed every week.

I'd completely ignore it.

Sounds way too intense for my family, but everyone is different. My boy started school this September too. He has a couple of lines of letters to write, whenever we can get to it. There's no pressure and we can go the whole week without doing it tbh. The teacher has really pushed the idea that learning has to be done off the page. They gave us a pack of phonics cards to stick up around the house and we are encouraged to get them to recognise letters and words around the house and out and about more so. We read books with him at bedtime etc, and they encourage this over set books by school so its child led. I would find it really strange to get told off after missing one evening of homework !