Parent-Teacher communication books

[ninani]

Our son has just started Reception. He is apparently the only one in a class of 30 who can read and takes books at home to read to us. Therefore they said he will be doing 15 minutes reading sessions with Y1 so he can get exposed to other children reading.

I had read post of other mums in the past where the mentioned leaving comments in a book for the teacher to read. The teacher would ask questions about the child's reading and would leave her own comments as far as I understood. So I expected this to happen this year.

1. How common is that? I asked the FS coordinator and she replied "well we used to do it but it didn't work for all parents". We have told his teacher that his books are too easy for him (yellow level) and we needs something more challenging. And he understands the meaning, although you can't always make him express it. I was patient thinking that they would run out of yellow level books (Rigby) but they don't seem to end!

2. In a Reception class of 30 is it normal that only 1 child can read books, even at a yellow level?

How do you know he is the only one who can read at any level?
Does he have access to books other than at school, so that he can read at his own level?
What reading records are the school keeping, only in school or is there something coming home?

As far as i know there is only one child that can read at all in my DCs reception class as well

At this point into reception (fist half term) it is quite common that most children cannot read.

We always had a "reading diary" even for non worded books.

Should read "At this point into reception, (fist half term) I would think it is quite common that most children cannot read.

The teacher herself told us about him being the only child that takes books to read at home. I wouldn't ask myself. Neither did we boast or hint anything at her. I am only wondering because I have occasionally seen here parents mentioning their child's reading ability at Reception. It is nice to have quite able children in the class to push the rest forward. In his nursery (another school) the teachers would ask more children to read to them.

How many of you have reading diaries as Gory09 mentioned?

We have a "home reading record" & DD gets a couple of books to read at home - changed twice a week.

She is at the starting to read stage & is on pink books at the moment, although she is starting to find them a little easy already.

According to DDs teacher at the "reading evening for parents" just before half term she is one of only two children in the class who are starting to read. The class will be starting to learn phonics after half term (she said DD will be assigned other work during this time if appropriate, although revision is never a bad thing!)

I would expect it is pretty normal that most children won't be reading when they start reception, although hopefully most will be reading (even if at a basic level) by the end of reception!

Mine have a reading diary. I list all the books they have read and make comments to the teacher. If not many of the children are taking books home with them I can see the point of not bothering with it.

BetsyBoop
Our son's FS coordinator said they will start phonics after JANUARY.

Maybe now they are too young for the teacher, but will they definitely have a general diary for Y1? Or is it again up to the school?

In reception we had a reading diary, even though the books were only changed every 3 weeks or so.