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Original poster

Reception reading level - any help/advice

28 replies

cancancan · 29/06/2021 15:49

Hi all,

DD is 5 and in reception.

They do read write inc and use Oxford reading books.

She's currently on the green books but she's been on them for a while now and the books just just keep being repeated. She practically knows them off by heart.

I asked her teacher when would she move up to purple and she said she'd have her assessed this week.
She's come home today. She's been assessed and her note book just says" read well, blended her words " but she wasn't moved up. No idea why. But 2 others were. I think she is now one of the last to be on green books.

I know it's not a big deal on the grand scheme of things but we ( mainly my husband) are concerned she is behind.

To us she reads really well, considering she couldn't read at all at the beginning of year.

Does anyone know what it is they are looking for when they move them up reading bands or not?
We have no idea what else we should be doing?

OP posts:
HumphreyCobblers · 29/06/2021 15:52

The only way to know their thinking is to ask them- perhaps she didn’t get all the phonics that you are supposed to be secure on in order to move up? In which case they could tell you and you could help at home.

AssassinatedBeauty · 29/06/2021 16:11

I would try not to worry about her reading level at all if you can. I would ask the school, as per the PP, what the requirements are to move up a level so that you know what she needs to be able to do. It isn't great for learning to enjoy reading to keep having the same books over and over again, so I would ask the teacher if there are any other books at the same level she can read. From a different scheme but the same level if necessary. The teacher should be able to tell you what level/colour/band they expect Reception children to be at by the end of the year - bearing in mind the pandemic disruption will have potentially reduced expectations this year.

From what I can see of the Read Write Inc levels, green is exactly where she should be for a Reception aged child, so she is not behind. It really doesn't matter in the slightest what level the other children are on, it means nothing in relation to your child.

Stevenage689 · 29/06/2021 16:17

Ask.

It may be that "blended her words" means she's still blending one phoneme at a time, which suggests she's not secure on the level. Y1 is certainly about moving to reading words without blending. Eg. Child sounding out "ch i ck chick" is blending but later we except them to just read "chick" without going through that process.

helpmewiththisnew · 29/06/2021 17:25

My DS is in reception and seems to bring all different colours and schemes home. He has a yellow Oxford one at the moment.

What is the colour order ?

goneroguetoday · 29/06/2021 17:44

Because it doesn't go green - purple!

And also, why not just get a free log in to Oxford Owl and read some of the books on there but I wouldn't be pushing to move to purple if she has been on green.

goneroguetoday · 29/06/2021 17:45

Green, orange, turquoise and then purple. Confident readers in year 2 tend to start on turquoise and then move to purple quickly.

Original poster
cancancan · 29/06/2021 19:22

Purple is next... at least at DDs school.

Anyway.... my husband is more the one whose worried and wants to push her more I'm more relaxed about it....

But she is, at this rate, going to be the only one at the end of reception on green books. Everyone else has pretty much moved up.

Reading has become such a battle, she does her one school book and that's it. If she asks what a sign says or something and we say "well why don't you try and sound it out" she just refuses. Getting her to do red words is a nightmare....

It's so frustrating as she is 100% capable she just get stubborn and can't be bothered to try!

OP posts:
Original poster
cancancan · 29/06/2021 19:25

Arh ok she's doing the read write inc books not Oxford!

OP posts:
WingBingo · 29/06/2021 19:26

I really wouldn’t worry at this age, honestly.

Find other books, read to them as much as you can and point out words whenever you can.

MoonriseKingdom · 29/06/2021 19:28

@goneroguetoday The post is about Read Write Inc which follows a different colour order.

My DDs school does areas Write Inc and I think green is still expected progress for Reception. They assess each half term with a list of test words for each level. I think it’s quite prescriptive as to when they move on. Lots of children in my DDs class were on red and green at the start of Y1 due to the disruption in the last year.

I wouldn’t worry - keep reading with her over the holidays so she doesn’t fall back. My DD really enjoyed Teach your monster to read on her tablet as well.

IHateCoronavirus · 29/06/2021 19:33

Is she doing “Fred in your head”? Blending internally to say the word as a whole. What is her comprehension like? Is she able to answer the questions at the end of the book, without prompting?

Stuckinarut79 · 29/06/2021 19:38

I’ve tried really hard to ignore levels. I want a child who loves reading that’s all that matters.
Also other parents often lie about levels Hmm so I wouldn’t assume she’s the last in her class.
When they assess for levels they also look at understanding, it’s not just about reading the story, can they tell it back in their own words, answer questions about might happen next or why somebody said or felt a certain way.
Reading each night and discussing what she’s read alongside reading to her and developing a love of stories will work much better than worrying about arbitrary levels.
My daughter didn’t move up for ages, turned out she was too shy to answer the questions, I had a couple of the next books up that she had a go at and I let her pick books from the library or our bookshelves, ignoring levels and read them together, she jumped two levels when they assessed her the next term.
I suspect if I’d have gotten stressed or that it mattered she’d have gotten more anxious, concentrating on the stories and talking about books really helped.

EskSmith · 29/06/2021 19:46

It doesn't sound like she is enjoying reading. My dd2 was like this and I'm sorry there are no easy answers.

For a while we just backed off and focussed on enjoying stories together again.

When we went back to books I tried to take it slow. She read to me daily but only a page or 2 and any words which were tricky she could point at & I showed her how to sound out and blend. This was really important and took away some of her anxiety when reading.

Speak to the teachers but try not to stress. The most important thing at this age is that she loves stories, being read to & audio books still count.

The suggestion of teach your monster to read is a good one and will help to ensure that your DD is secure in her phonic understanding.

goneroguetoday · 29/06/2021 19:59

Oh sorry! Yes the green RWI books are very simple.
I reiterate its worth getting a free Oxford owl online subscription and try the yellow level books on there. It's comparable. The RWI books are boring!

HotPenguin · 29/06/2021 20:05

The RWI books are pretty dull, can you get others from the library to read at home? Mine always enjoyed songbirds. If your DD knows the books by heart then she won't be benefitting much from them so I'd adkbif she can have something new regardless of level.

AssassinatedBeauty · 29/06/2021 20:06

Please try and do whatever you can to reduce stress and pressure around reading. It's so much more important that they read and enjoy books rather than getting to a specific level at a specific time.

It also doesn't matter one tiny jot what level the rest of the class is on. It isn't something I'd discuss with other parents as people can get weird and competitive about it. They all get there in the end, and if any specific difficulties are identified by the teacher then these can be addressed. But atm your DD is at the expected level and doesn't sound like she's having any specific issues.

yikesanotherbooboo · 29/06/2021 20:16

Please don't get bogged down with comparisons. Concentrate on your DD. It isn't a competition.let her develop her reading skills at her own pace and concentrate on developing her understanding, love of reading and language skills. The DC reading Famous Five at the start of reception might end up 'top of the class' but they might well not. Your job is to help your DC with their development. You have years and years of groups, teams, tables, streams etc to go . By all means talk to the teacher about your DC but there is no need to push to change reading books early . The teachers are the professionals here.

roguetomato · 29/06/2021 20:17

If you think she's ready for purple, get one yourself and try it out?
But if she's reluctant, you stressing out on her moving up have negative effect, I think. Pick up the books she likes or interested in shop/library/wherever and try to make her interested in books rather than forcing her to progress on levels is the key at this stage, imo.

CroydianSlip · 29/06/2021 20:25

Wow! I have a 5 year old who is making v slow progress and is not progressing through colours at all BUT there is a definite improvement in blending and decoding and it's all starting to click. I have zero idea what colour others are on or who has moved up or not. Why would you care? What difference does it make to you? The teacher says all is fine, ds is happy at school and I'm happy with that. (How on earth do you know that 2 others moved? I've not even been in my child's classroom..)

I think you need to step back and take all the pressure and stress out. Ignore everyone else and just gently support your own child to work at their pace. Love of stories will get you a lot further than worrying about levels and assessments. I have older ones who progressed completely differently through ks1 but both complete bookworms in KS2.

FlamingoYellow · 29/06/2021 20:33

If it makes you feel any better OP, my 5 year old (March birthday) is still on the same book band he was on in September! Lockdown set him back a bit and we've had so much stress over the past 10 months I've let the reading slide a bit Blush. I'm not worried, he will get there. I have absolutely no idea what reading level any of the other kids in his class are on and I honestly don't care. I'd rather he just enjoyed books at this point rather than being pushed to reach certain levels.

In our school reception class get 2 books a week and they are expected to read each book 3 times so that they become confident with it. I understand the logic but it's boring enough reading those books once, let alone 3 times! So ds reads his school book once and then I get some interesting looking books from the library and he reads them instead.

Original poster
cancancan · 29/06/2021 20:49

Most of the "stress" is coming from my DH... he means well but i think he's competitiveness is coming through. The kids all have clear book bags so you can see who is on what.... I don't pay attention but DH does!!! So annoying

I tell him she will progress in her own time but for some reason he is worried if we ignore it now it'll be harder later....

Oh and it was DD who told us 2 kids went up a group.

I wish she tried a bit harder and didn't just go "no!" Every time I ask her to read something but other then that I think she is doing well. She didn't even know her alphabet when she started!

I will look at the free Oxford books and we can visit the library at the weekend. And also mention to the school that she needs different books.... again!

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derailment · 29/06/2021 20:52

What other children are or aren't doing is completely irrelevant. I'm surprised you even know or that your child does it's not like they do it as a reward. I've got zero idea of what books any other child is on in my child's reception class.

Honestly don't worry. They are 5. Some children learn to read easier than others do, they all have their strengths and weaknesses which will likely change as they develop. Speak to the teacher if you're concerned but trust that they know what they're doing. They won't move them up a band until their knowledge is secure and they're confident so even if they can do it, they practice and practice until they've got it nailed. Then move up.

derailment · 29/06/2021 20:53

Oh I cross posted with you! Clear book bags is a new one on me, he must be really inspecting them! Tell him to chill out, give your child a love of reading and stories by doing no pressure reading to them and let them learn at their own pace.

AssassinatedBeauty · 29/06/2021 20:59

I tell him she will progress in her own time but for some reason he is worried if we ignore it now it'll be harder later....

He's wrong, it's as simple as that. And you aren't ignoring anything! You are doing what the school expects of you which is to support her reading at home and read the books she is sent home with. It really is so much more important for her not to get oppositional and fed up with reading, and to retain an interest and enjoyment of books. Children learn at different rates, in different ways, and you really only need to think about your own child. Comparing to others is pointless and unhelpful.

I have a Year 4 child who is a free reader and loves reading. He was not quick at all to get through the levels in Reception and Year 1, but he got to a certain point and things just clicked, he whizzed through levels and finished them rapidly. I also have a child in Reception who is "still" on pink ORT books, but I don't mind in the slightest because he's made great progress this year despite the fact that Jan to March was all home learning with me teaching him his phonics whilst also trying to educate my eldest and also do my work. He will also get there at his own pace.

Your DH really has to learn to back off about this.

Original poster
cancancan · 29/06/2021 21:18

I've read your replies to DH and hope he will take things on board.

I appreciate everyone's comments.

Thank you

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