Now I don't know what to say to the teacher

[Smallstuff]

So my 5 year old DS2 (in Yr1) has been identified by his class teacher as someone who should be stretched and has level 2 targets for the end of the year.
But he has been getting blue book band books home for 2 months and every time he reads at school (which is only once per week which I think is pretty infrequently) he has comments such as "lovely confident reading", "well done DS2 great expression and comprehension", "DS2 shows good understanding on the story" etc
He hasn't read to his teacher since before christmas, he has read to the TA and a 17 year old on work experience only.
He reads voraciously at home and we have been getting harder books for him from library etc.
I have written in his diary to ask for some harder books to no avail.
So I asked yesterday to see his teacher about his reading after school today.
Lo and behold yesterday evening he came home with three green band books which are still too easy but at least moving in right direction.
I am happy with the school in every other way and merely wanted to ask his teacher if there was a reason why he hadn't been moved up for 2 months but now I feel like I have been a bit pre-emptied and I don't know what to say without sounding a bit smug or pushy etc.
I know I should just chill but he panics because everyone else I. His literacy group is 2 bands ahead and however much I explain that he van read to that level so it's not an issue he really thinks it is.
Am I being an awful pushy mum still seeing her?

Sorry about awful spelling at the end there....

I had to push for my DD in Yr1 to have harder books at school as we read at home everyday and shes currently reading the secret seven.
His teacher said it is because they only read with them once a week and they have to feel confident that they know the words and the comprehension that goes with it. However, she has quite quickly gone from ORT level 2 and straight upto level 5 after much pushing from me, shes nearly finished all of stage 5 and will be going onto stage 6.

So I found pushing helped :)

Thank you, he reads to me a lot and to himself and his brother etc... It's just so frustrating all his diary comments say he is confident and fluent and yet he gets stuck on a level which he finds demoralising....
If we should chill out about levels maybe the schools should shelve them!!!!

Maybe have a meeting with his teacher and say your not happy about how they are handling the levels your DS is reading and state its not fair on your DS who loves to read to keep him behind and on the same level as everyone else just so it suits them. Ask what they are willing to do about it :)

This is an area where you as a parent can make a huge difference to your child. I gave up asking school to support my daughters very high interest in reading by providing a greater range of books. She is in yr6 age 10 and bought herself a copy of Jane Eyre this week. If you have a child who reads a great deal trips to the school library are not frequent enough. We go regularly to the town library and we are fortunate that we can afford to buy her books too.
If your child reads well your school will concentrate rightly or wrongly on those who need more support. She will be in a high group but I advise you to do leg work in this area and it is great to be able to.
I would be hopeless in trying to support my daughters literacy and numeracy myself, but books and reading I can do.
Just go for it yourself. School library service - if still existing - have yr group lists and search out literacy web sites for ideas.

Also forgot to say, I've hardly ever taken much notice of what school sends home for DD to read. They're usually unutterably dreary, and the kids end up going through the motions. It can become far too important. I think it's far more exciting for them to read for a purpose when they're at home e.g. recipes, internet research, food labels, maps, comics and cartoons, non-fiction books to ID plants/animals/flowers, etc. Seeing print for its purpose.

ORT has its place I suppose, but I think they're too dull for words, and the children usually race through them pretty quickly or get bogged down and de-motivated.

I have exactly the same problem. DD is in yr1, and despite being told weekly in her reading book that she's a 'confident' / 'lovely' reader, the teachers just won't budge in their stubborn conviction that she must work her way through the bloody ORT series. I've met her teacher, the deputy and the head on this, but been fobbed off every time.

At home she's read all of the Narnia books, all the Mr Gum books and pretty much everything by Roald Dahl, but once a week we go through the painful motions of reading about Chiff and Bipper.

I don't have any advice I'm afraid, but I thought I'd share my frustrations. If you do come across some good advice - let me know as I'm getting to the stage where I'd really like to tell Kipper where he can stick his flaming key.

I am also having the same problem with my DS (yr1)

I had words with his teacher at parents eve a couple of months ago and he was moved from stage 3 to stage 5 (ORT) But tbh he is finding these easy as well.

I know I need to have another word with his teacher, but don't want to come across as pushy

He loves reading so I guess all I can do atm is read with/listen to him read iyswim.

We are also enjoying Roald dahl books

I got around this before Christmas with DS (year 1) - I put one of the Roald Dahl books that he'd been reading at home in his book bag and wrote in his diary 'I have had a lot of trouble with DS and trying to get him to read his school book. He has however happily and confidently read this to me this weekend'

They put him on to free reading that week after 'testing' him on the book I'd sent in.

Might be worth a try. Although his school don't force them to read every book at every level thankfully!

Its a tricky problem and very common. Teachers put children in groups based on a wide range of assessment criteria. They may well be reading 'War & Peace' at home but the teacher may feel that their comprehension has not kept pace with their 'decoding' skills. even if their comprehnsion skills are good it is probable that literacy groups are based on a child's writing ability. Your child may be shy and not shown their comprehension in discussion and I do think a teacher should read with every child once a week (plus supplementary sessions with TA's or support). It may be worth while asking the teacher how you can 'support' their reading development because this will highlight that the teacher cannot answer if she hasn't read regularly with them.

Apart from this and the crucial thing is that the love of reading should be developed at home. Read what they like when they like and don't worry about what comes home in a book bag - it will always be dull! just whizz through it, sign the diary and get on with reading Tolstoy!

I'm watching this with interest as like many of you I feel ds (he is almost 5, in reception) could read 'harder' books then he is.

When his friends (usually the girls) come over and they read their books (I tend to do his reading with a drink and snack when he first comes home from school so if I pick any of his friends up they both do their reading) their books are always harder and I feel that ds will never catch up to them if he has to read every book of every level. It isn't a competitive thing with the other children, but I do worry that he will be given a lower grade in assessments if they take it by what book he is reading at school even if at home he is reading more advanced books.

BristolJim, I have a feeling that it is going to be like that here too. Seeing the teacher had no effect, however, we get something out of the books somehow and read library books instead.

Simpson, do you have aa feeling that they hide when they see you coming? Have you tried asking what he needs to be able to do before they go onto the next level?

tomuch, love your reply. dd is a too "shy" and hates talking about the book. she understands quite a bit when you can trick/ cajole/ bribe it out of her. she could go on to decode harder books at home, but they are getting too long and complicated for her to remember/ give enough detail. she can answer questions but these are still quite structured. she prefers to just read and enjoy,like her mum!

we also just don't bother with school books - just get library books or his own books to read instead. it's not like there's something magical and special about the readers they use in school

hi smallstuff - quick comment. You said in OP that you felt you had been pre-empted. I think this happens quite a lot.

My recent example (and there have been others) is that I queried that my DS was upset that 1 of the other children had said he was no good at maths (he is being supported in Yr 1). Suddenly this week the teacher and TA have spent time with DS on maths and today he got a Headteachers award for good work in maths!! Co-incidence?

I think the teachers just sometimes miss progress or issues and a polite prompt from a parent just jigs it back up to the surface. So I would just say when you see the teacher "thanks, new level is great".

Thanks all.... Just caught up with your comments. Saw the teacher yesterday and was told that the TA usually reads parents comments in diary and raises them with her, but it was missed this time.......
She went on to say that she doesn't think he will be on green for long and that he was 'reading ahead' in the text to get his expression correct which was an unusual skill for a 5 year old....
So why keep him on this ridiculous level then!!! It's like they have to do each one for the sake of it.
Like curlymama I worry about him being assessed lower than he is based on his school band.
The trick with putting your own books in the bag is a good one!
Will keep writing in diary and keep on top of it.
He just finds it so demoralising when his friends are higher than him...and also I find it annoying that they told me he needed to be stretched and then he isn't being!!!
Anyway at least she now knows I am a 'pushy parent' and my keep her eye on his reading more!!!