At what stage do children normally get heard reading at school less often?

[namechangesgalore]

If they are a good reader does it mean they tend to get dropped down in reading frequency at school?

At our small Primary children do group reading or individual reading with an adult every morning - Year R to Year 6. The infant children will also have reading sessions with the class teacher during the week.

Yes it's the one on one reading I'm interested in. Does that still happen even if say a year 2 reader is free reading or do they say 'oh x can read like he's in year 3 or 4 so he doesn't need this anymore'?

All children in infant part of school will read to teacher - they all need to progress whatever their level and the teacher has to make their assessment on each child. A 'free reading' child still needs to demonstrate that they not only read each word but understand what they are reading.

I thought so too but my ds' school seem to have an unsaid policy that they focus on the weaker ones and now mine is only reading very occasionally or just a few lines when he does

At dc's school, children are heard on a one to one basis with teacher or teaching assistant abt three times a week in reception and year 1. In years 2-4, parents go in and listen to the children early in the mornings before assembly. Each child is probably heard once a week (maybe twice depending on the rota). After year 4, they are left to read on their own. All abilities are heard equally as far as I know.

If your child is reading well why does he need to read with the teacher?

He will still be doing guided reading (where he is heard) and phonics.

You will still be listening to him read.

He can't unlearn to read.

Why do you think the teacher needs to hear him read on top of guided reading?

It makes an enormous amount of sense to focus the teacher's very limited time on helping kids who are struggling.

Don't begrudge the time spent on struggling readers - be very very thankful that your DC isn't one of them.

Dd1 is in year 2 and a free reader, she reads to a TA or teacher once a week and reads in a group most days (group reading).

Dd2 is in reception and reads once a week to a TA.

The dd's go to a very small school (80 children) and are in a mixed class of 3 year groups (reception, year one and year 2).

When dd1 was in year 1 she was getting her book changed 2-3 times a week and reading to a TA once or twice a week, now the school have started 'group reading' so they think its ok to only listen to them 1:1 once a week.

Dc's class doesn't do group reading at the moment Indigo. The one page has been it this week.

I don't begrudge the time spent on struggling readers per se but surely a child in KS1 still has stuff to learn and improve on even if they are a fluent reader.
Why should more advanced readers not progress too.
It shrieks of a lets get them all over a low hurdle approach to me.

One page a week is enough for a fluent reader. It is nothing to do with the low hurdle. It is all to do with the fact that luckily your child now has the skills to self learn.

His reading will improve every day - without the teacher listening to him.

Why does the teacher need to listen to him read for him to learn? That is not when they teach reading. They teach reading in phonics.

Are you not able to listen to him read several times a week? What can the teacher do that you can't?

With a struggling reader the answer is explain phonics and how reading works. With a fluent reader the answer is not a lot.

Dd2 pointed out to me this orning that she still finds reading out loud hard, though she's very quick and accurate at reading to herself. Dd1 has recently been practising reading out loud - don't think her primary ever heard her after reception! They also both felt left out by being in the group that never read. They are 15 and 17 and both pretty bright.

Dd3 (Y2) seems to read to a TA, teacher or a lady who goes in about 3 times a week at her (different) primary.

Of course some children need more support, but all need to be heard from time to time. Many great readers rush and stumble when reading out loud.

Yes - but they don't need to be heard by the teacher. You are meant to listen to your own child read out loud....

My oldest was a late reader and he was heard by a teacher or TA until year 2 when his reading took off. From then on he was only heard during guided reading.

My middle child was an early reader and was only heard in guided reading from Y1 onwards.

My youngest child is in Reception and average reader and he is heard once a week. (Alternates between teacher and TA)

The children who struggle get heard a lot more often. I don't begrudge this as my children don't need support with their reading and are doing well with just little old me listening to them daily.

Not all parents (assuming they hear their children read) know what to look for/encourage/discuss though. Shock horror, some parents aren't very confident at reading themselves. Able children like the opportunity to show their teacher how good they are at something. They also need to read to a variety of people to build confidence. It seems part of the educational divide - we rely on mc parents to read with their children, support some strugglers and a few fall by the wayside.

Disclaimer: my children are in fact very good readers, they just set themselves high standards. They do resent not reading to the teacher. Ever.

Another thing - the children notice that the weaker readers read every day and they get to do it less than once a week. They don't understand why. Even if you tell them and explain (which isn't great as it points to them that some kids are weaker readers), they then get a message that weaker readers get a lot more attention.

Dd2 is in Y3, and is listened to once a week. In Y2 she was listened to less frequently, but did guided reading instead. Depends on the school and the teacher.

Some schools don't do any 1-1 reading (it isn't the approved of in the Literacy Strategy)

I think it's quite reasonable for teachers to listen to the weaker readers more often - can't really understand why anyone would disagree with that. Resources are limited, so they are directed to where they're needed most.

My dd has been heard by the teacher around five or six times since september. Not very often, but I'm fine with that because she reads to me at home. If she was struggling, I would want to know that the teacher was listening to her more often.

My dcs are in Year 3 and they have been heard by the teacher once - at the beginning of the year - they are brilliant readers, really enjoy reading and they do not need to read to the teacher to continue to develop their skill, they are now confident enough to peddle for themselves.

I would rather the teacher concentrated on the children who are struggling....I suppose because if my kids were struggling I'd want them to have more help because they'd really need it - morally I think it's the right thing to do.

I strongly disagree with the lack of hearing individual readers.

I have 3 very able readers(2 in free in rec,1 in Y1)however all 3 still need to be heard-a lot. Being a fluent reader isn't the be all and end all of reading. There are many,many other things that need focusing on too and not all parents have the time or knowledge to pick these out. I'm an ex literacy co-ordinator and to be perfectly frank I'm so out of touch these days even I flounder.

I'm aware of the shift to guided reading(which I believe has a place) but the ditching of individual reading is wrong.Some children hate reading out loud in front of other children(my dd),others don't focus as hard as they do individually.I also think it isn't that easy to produce a quality guided reading session each and every time in a busy classroom.

Some children may be able readers but may never be heard at home so one snatched guided reading session a week is all they'll get.How does a teacher push that able reader continuously to improve,why should they just sit tight whilst others catch up?Do said able readers not have a right to improve too? What about fluency,expression,tone,rhythm,setting etc,etc.

I've also taught readers who aren't that able at reading simply because their parents never hear their kids read. Absolutely nothing wrong other than lack of reading and too much time in front of computer games. I'm not talking about SEN children which is a totally separate issue.Is it fair that the children of parents who tirelessly hear all their children read every night miss out on individual reading sessions just because some parents can't be arsed to ever hear their kids read???? I don't think so.

Oh and it is perfectly possible to hear 30 kids read 2X weekly I did it for years.I had no PPA??? time and worked in a school where very,very few parents heard their kids read at all so I had to. I used to have time slots factored in. Sometimes I heard readers during playtime,sometimes I doubled up for half an hour with another teacher,sometimes I had silent class reading sessions(even with Y1 children and they loved it)etc,etc. Each and every child had 2 slots a week,my assistant would also hear a 3rd slot and we'd do guided reading. With a bit of creativity it is possible to hear allchildren read individually.

I'm aware though that teachers these days have a crammed timetable and the gov wants to steer away from individual reading so the lack of importance given to it isn't always the teacher's fault.

I think most teachers would prefer to hear readers 1-1 if given a choice

My DD is in reception and has not had any 1-2-1 reading in class at all - they do guided reading in groups & whole class reading only & theis was made parfectly clear to us at the "reading evening" for parents. It'd up to parents to do the 1-2-1.

Trouble is I suspect, as only about a third of parents came, (and allowing for those with older siblings who didn't come again of course) that the parents who would have read with their kids anyway were the ones who came to the evening, and the ones who can't be arsed don't make the time weren't...

Seems to work ok if the parents do their bit, but is crap for the kids where parents don't/can't

Exactly Betsy and the fact is these days with everything more expensive most households have 2 working parents.It isn't that easy to get home from work,cook a meal,get children ready for bed oh and hear them all read too.

I work from home now and often only hear my 3 3 X a week. Some nights (swimming nights) they're simply too knackered.

Now if I struggle and I work from home (also have a dp) I'm pretty sure I'm not alone so some/many kids will never get individual reading.

I'm another one who is [hmmm] about guided reading sessions. My older children are in top group for reading and can read well but probably not very vocal in these sessions thanks to more dominant personalities dominating discussion. The ta always does their guided reading sessions too so I wonder how their teacher assesses their reading and comprehension.