Year 2, 3 different teachers and no reading. Should I complain? and who to?

[Pollyanna]

Ds has been in year 2 for 3 weeks now. The class teacher is the deputy head and she is currently filling in for the headteacher who is part time for this term. This means that she is out of the class room for 2 full days a week and at other times too. There is also a trainee teacher in the class and a class room assistant. There has also been at other times another teacher/assistant (ds doesn't know who she is). I spoke to the teacher today and she hasn't yet read with ds.

I (and some of the other parents) are very concerned about the lack of consistency and continuity with the teachers. It seems that there ought really to be one teacher in his class most of the time and really, by this stage she ought to have read with each child and formed some idea of what their capabilities are. The part time teaching is going to go on until at least christmas. We have talked to the headmistress who thinks this isn't a problem. I think it is. Am I being unreasonable do you think? Who could I complain to (Ofsted? the Governors?).

Sorry to ramble on.

It isn't necessarily a problem, but it depends how it is being handled.

My ds2 is also in yr2, and his class teacher is the Assistant Head of the school. Every week he has 1 day doing his Asst Head duties, plus half a day PPA time; and there are additional time when he is out having meetings. But for this time the class have lessons with specialist IT, music, and PE teachers; and for the rest of the time they have another teacher, who clearly liaises closely with the class teacher (and ds2 does know his name). As far as ds2 is concerned he has two teachers, and he's happy.

Reading? Hmm... Again, it depends. My ds2 is a phenomenally superb reader for his age, and I am not in the least bit concerned that his teacher has not yet heard him read this year. Our school are very good at focusing the resources where needed, his books get changed daily, and they know we listen to him every night at home. The teacher probably has heard him read in guided reading as part of the literacy hour, and at some point he will have a reading tst. But tbh I'm not bothered at all: they will have had lots of information passed on from previous teachers about levels and potential.

If ds2 were struggling with his reading I would feel differently, but then I think if that were the case he would have been heard reading.

Are you worried about your ds's reading?

Sorry that was a bit long. What I'm saying is that on paper I don't think you've necessarily got a problem, but you might have.

According to ds (new school, Year 3) noone has speicifically heard him read. However we know from dh attending a parent's evening last week that she has formed an opinion as to his reading abiltiies, presumably from other work done in class and both his school/home reading books and psellign words are the level we'd expect.

The inconsistency would probably concern me but perhaps you all, as parents, could just ask for clarification as to whch teacher will be in class when and covering which parts of the curriculum. I'm not sure it will necessarily cause a problem for the children provided the routine is the same each week.

Problem arises when the main teacher is never actually in the class, often you get a floating teacher in a school which drifts around teaching many classes.

I would keep a eye on the reading with the child, ask for reading books, look at their reading record, ask the child, who is hearing the child, make sure the child is heard by the teacher at least 1 a week, hopefully by the same teacher to keep it consitent.

If there seems to be no monitoring etc of reading, speak to other parents and wait until half term, if nothing is happening, a number of parents should put it in writing to headteacher about complaints, speak to parent governor about concerns and if all else fails, approach the local education department about complaints.

Hopefully head should clear up issues, especially if a few parents complain at the same time.

Poppy - do you think fluent readers with parents listening regularly at home need to be heard read at school weekly? I don't. One-to-one reading at school demands a LOT of teacher-time, and I don't think it's necessarily the best use of resources.

For three years I listened to readers at our boys school. I would spend half a day (8.45 - 12.15) and would usually get through 15-20 children. (There were interruptions for playtimes, assembly, etc.) So it would take a full day a week to listen to every child every week!

It is crucial if the children are struggling with their reading, and especially if they are not being heard at home. But personally I don't think it is important when that is not the case.

When do teachers stop listening to reading? (Ds1 just started reception, so daily reading with the teacher is the norm so far).

My dh still listens to readers a couple of times a week in Yr6. Makes sure he listens at least once a week to a small group of readers.

We don't hear individual readers in from YR1 but it doesn't mean they aren't reading each week to the teacher. We do guided reading which allows us to assess and develop the children's reading in much more depth. This isn't recorded in their reading diaries but we explain this at a meeting with YR1 parents in week 2 of school. often the chilren are not aware that this is the time when they are being taught the reading skills and so I would say it was perfectly normal for him to think he hadn't read to anyone.

Thank you everyone. I'm not really worried about his reading - he is quite fluent, but the book he is reading now is at the same level as the level he was on at the end of last term, and he improved alot over the summer holidays. The teacher admitted today that she didn't know what level he was at, and that alot of parents had questioned the level of reading their child had been put on(might just be alot of pushy parents I suppose). They only change their books once a week. It seems to me that she is struggling to find time to teach them.

As has been suggested, I think I will talk to the other parents and see if we can get some comfort from the head.

What is guided reading?

In guided reading they will read a book in a group with other children of the same ability. It is more than just reading the book, they get a chance to discuss it with the teacher and the other members of the group. They make predictions, reflect on what they have read and review the progress they have made. It gives the teacher a chance to teach reading skills and assess the levels of comprehension.

Well thats a Saturday morning version of it anyway

Children's books are changed every day by a classroom assistant in YR1 at my school but in YR2 they are encouraged to do this themselves but an oppportunity to do this is given every day. I would think that books would need to be changed more than once a week though.

As to the levels, I used the reading records from the previous class to find out what level they should start at. I admit that this will not have taken into account any progress that they have made over the school holidays. During the first half term this is adjusted as I get to know the children.

I hope this helps, I think it's really important for your ds to have consitency and as a teacher who job shares I work hard to ensure that this happens. I would try to seek reassurance from the head teacher that this happens for him too.

Hmm... it sounds to me like she's under a lot of pressure, and has not really got all the classroom routines under control. I would press (gently) for reading books to be changed more regularly, and make it clear that you expect the reading levels to be re-assessed and book scheme levels re-adjusted before Christmas.

Having said that, just enjoy the time you have if you only have one school book a week. Ds2 has two books at a time from school (and some of them are rather mind-numbing!), and they are changed daily if he's read them, and he insists on reading those first before everything else; so I much prefer holiday reading time when we can share some interesting books by excellent authors.

(He will be promoted very soon I'm sure onto the "cream free readers" and will then have access to this material! I can't wait!)

Mmmm. I understand your slight anxiety about the reading thing. DS1 changed schools at the start of Y2, and, despite his Y1 report saying "it is always a pleasure to listen to X's fluent, expressive reading", they started him on books he'd read 2 terms before and put him into a guided reading group (the 'second' highest group) on the basis of that. The teacher didn't change the groups all year and never heard him read apart from in guided reading all year. The guided reading texts were way too easy for him, so all year he was not challenged at school in those lessons. Fortunately for him, like Roisin's children, he was able to read Harry Potter and Roald Dahl to me at home. I did discuss it with the teacher but (and apologies to any Mumsnet teachers) I very much got that "Oh, no, another pushy mum who doesn't believe the teacher's opinion" feeling. It is difficult sometimes to raise these issues with teachers without feeling that you are criticising their judgement.
I think even fluent readers could benefit from reading their own independent reading material to the teacher a couple of times a term, just as a check for her.

Roisin I think you are right - the teacher is under alot of pressure. She told me on Friday that she hadn't had time to mark the spelling tests done on thursday and she didn't have time to give the next week's spellings out. (not that I'm too fussed about spellings, but she did seem stressed about it).

I have heard today that another parent in the class went to see the head about the changing teachers and got told that she (the head) wasn't going to discuss it with the other parent.

In the meantime it's parents evening tonight, so we will discuss the regularity or not of reading/changing books.