Is she being held back?

[LB29]

My DD aged 6 is a good reader. I have encouraged her to read every night and our house is full of books, both kids and adults.
Her last teacher moved her up 5 or 6 reading groups in year 1. This really encouraged her to keep reading the school books as she had a sense of achievement. She has never struggled and seems to pick up the new words quickly.
Her new year 2 teacher has only written in her reading record twice since the beginning of the year. I thought this maybe due to lack time so I offered to help out at the school. Her teacher seemed grateful and I have been hearing the children read one morning a week.
Each time I begin with the lowest group. I am quite shocked at how difficult some of the kids are finding it. They have been listened to everyday. When I get about half way through the levels the same seems to be the case as for my DD, no regular teacher comments.
I have asked her teacher about this and she stated that the better readers do not need to be listened to as they are as good as they need to be for their age. She has also said that she will not be moving DD up any reading levels for the same reason, plus they only have reading scheme books so she would run out of levels.
I have also noticed that when I am in the class only a small group of children seem to get help. The rest were set a task and were left to get on with it. I was quite shocked to see my DD finish her work and then tidy up some books that had been left out. Her teacher didn't seem bothered by this and didn't even thank her.

Should I be concerned by this? Of course I understand that I have only seen a snapshot of what happens in the week and that those struggling to read will need extra help. I have spoken to my DD and she just says that she enjoys helping out.

Here's the question - it might be they don't need to be heard reading individually but do these children who are ahead get moved on at school in other ways with their reading? Is work in class differentiated properly for them?

Thanks for the positive messages. I am not helping out to spy on my DD or her teacher. As I stated in the original message I got the impression that it was a lack of time preventing the reading.
In previous years she has had comments every few weeks. It is nice to see what her teacher has to say about how she is getting on.
I am not a teacher and although I like to help her at home I don't like the idea that she is being held back.

I think you need to talk to the teacher and ask how your dd is doing at school and whether she is meeting the expected targets. if yes you could ask how they are challenging her/ what could you do at home to support dds schoolwork.

Don't forget that you only go in for one morning, it may not be the most able group's turn for support from the teacher, that may happen another day.

I did speak to her a few months ago at parents evening and she said that she is already reached her target levels for year 2, i think she said 2bs? We weren't given anything to work on and i just get the impression that she is at the required level so its all ok.

That won't be right - no teacher would be allowed to not show any progress in year 2. She'll have meant that she is already at the expected level of an end of year 2 child, not that she won't make any more progress after that.

What I don"t understand is why people with able readers are so very keen for them to read to the teacher. If they can read, they they should read. It's the ones who can't who need the teacher's attention. If I had a struggler, I would be mightily peed off if the teacher was spending her precious time listening to a free reader reading Harry Potter aloud instead if helping my "still at the sounding out" stage to progress.

If I was being very nasty, i would say that people just like to get "amazing reading!" comments in the reading record. But I'm not, so I won't.

Indeed, Seeker. Decoding is only one assessment focus out of seven, although it is obviously the one that is paramount in early readers - hopefully teachers are concentrating on all the others aswell when children are fluent, but some parents can remain fixated on the first.

LB29: that kind of attitude makes me so cross. Why should all the children have the same target? If your daughter had already reached that target, she should be set another, more challenging, one. The focus should be on the individual child, not on making everyone 'the same'. Of course all children should reach a certain level, and those who are struggling should have lots of attention to make sure they do reach that level - but those who are well above that level should not be made to twiddle their thumbs while they're waiting for the others to catch up. They need attention too.

I've never had a comment in a reading record book about dd's reading. She has been a free reader since end of reception and as far as I know hasnt had anyone listen to her read (apart from group reading) at school since some time in Y1 and she's now in Y2. She reads to me sometimes in the evening but usually reads to herself for pleasure. It doesnt bother me at all.

Of course she will have another target, nelly - I suspect op has mixed up expected level and target. Teachers can not let children stand still.

This is how it works in my DD's yr2 class for comparison (Disclaimer - AFAIK, I do not help out in class)

-The weaker readers get heard I think at least three times a week, either to a TA, teacher or parent helper,

-The middle throng twice a week,

-The highest lot once a week with the teacher, plus all children do guided reading every week and also a session where they all independently read their school books in class to themselves.

-The top 5-10% from both classes get together once a week to do an extra guided reading session with a teacher, using harder texts.

Teachers work by national targets, school targets, class targets and individual pupil targets.
I don't often write in children's home reading diaries but that doesn't mean I'm not reading with the child in whole class, group and individual activities. My focus with able readers in Y2 is very much on extending comprehension especially the ability to make inference as this is what my class need.
Children may well have met National targets but as Feenie says that doesn't mean that they are standing still.

I should add that my DD is in the 5-10% group, not being smug just giving information, and I am pleased that she is being given this opportunity - it would concern me if she wasn't being stretched, she ended yr1 on a level 3; LB29 I would be mightily pee'd off if her teacher was taking the same attitude as your DD's.

My DD is not a free reader, nor is she reading Harry Potter lol. She is good but not some kind of genius.
I'm not pushing for her to read to her teacher everyday, I would just be happier if it were at least once a month to say if her comprehension and fluency is improving.
Her teacher can be hard to understand sometimes. She can break off mid conversation and start a new topic.
Thanks for all the replies. I will take that she is being set new targets and keep an eye on things.

My DD is not a free reader, nor is she reading Harry Potter lol. She is good but not some kind of genius.
I'm not pushing for her to read to her teacher everyday, I would just be happier if it were at least once a month to say if her comprehension and fluency is improving.
Her teacher can be hard to understand sometimes. She can break off mid conversation and start a new topic.
Thanks for all the replies. I will take that she is being set new targets and keep an eye on things.

I just keep hoping, LB29, that maybe the teacher meant that she wasn't going to try to move those already on target up another reading level this term. That would make sense with how busy it gets in last half of autumn term.