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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reception reading level 1+ books am I too worry?

24 replies

cornishgirl1 · 10/06/2011 19:25

Hi, my ds is on level 1+ books and I thought he was doing just fine and making progress. The teacher says is is also doing ok. But after reading all the treads on here about reception kids on level 3, 4, 5 6, + i am starting to worry.!!!!

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feedthegoat · 10/06/2011 19:38

My ds is also on 1+, as are many others in his class. I am not remotely worried, neither is his teacher. Some grasp reading at a really young age and some don't.

I'm sure that most catch up in the end.

redskyatnight · 10/06/2011 19:43

A good number of DD's Reception class are at that level. (maybe even as many as half).

I'm sure your DS will learn to read in his own time :)

Catsu · 10/06/2011 19:45

My ds is on that level (although on the last book so should be on level 2 soon) and is one of the oldest in his class.
His teacher says he is doing great and I'm happy he is doing fine too :)

bluebobbin · 10/06/2011 19:51

Most kids in my DS's class have spent a long time on level 1+, including my DS. My DS is on level 2 now. He didn't know any sounds and couldn't read before starting school and his teacher is pleased with him. I don't think you need to worry.

car80 · 10/06/2011 19:57

My dd ended reception on red (I expect thats the same as 1+). I think alot of her class were. She is now reading white (year 2) which I believe is on track. So I wouldn't worry.

UniS · 10/06/2011 19:59

worry not. DS is in Year R and he brings home books from pre reader - 1+ almost randomly. some he finds easy, some he has to work a bit more on.

Original poster

cornishgirl1 · 10/06/2011 20:45

Thanks for all your posts. I have no idea what the rest of his class mates are on. His books gets changed twice a week normally and he brings two books home at a time.
I only spend abouty 10 mins a night with him on average reading them as i have a 3year old and an 20 month old as well!

In his book record i can write a comment or tick it when he has finished it, but I don't normally tick the book until he is reading it without mistakes. Perhaps I shouldn't wait until he can't read it without any mistakes???? and just tick it when he has read it? But this doesn't seem right.

Hope that makes sense. I have no idea also if he is nearing the end of the book band or not. How do I get this information , he is on the Kipper books. thanks.

OP posts:

simpson · 10/06/2011 20:51

DS finished reception on level 4 (he is now in yr1) but tbh he was one of the better readers in his class and the majority of his class finished reception on level 1/1+ so I would not worry

MovingAndScared · 10/06/2011 20:59

my DS is on 1+ also reception and 5.6 - teacher happy, seems to have made good progress in the year - also didn't know any sounds etc when started

simpson · 10/06/2011 21:03

I think on the back of the books it lists all the ones in that band iyswim so you can tell which ones he has already read.

Original poster

cornishgirl1 · 10/06/2011 21:05

Thanks everyone for your comments.I feel reassured he is doing ok. Thanks Simpson for that info( can't belive i did'nt notice that)

OP posts:

simpson · 10/06/2011 21:07

if you google oxford reading tree chart (can't link sorry) think that might list them too

PatriciaHolm · 10/06/2011 21:49

DS is there too, and I'm not concerned - he's making good progress, which I'm happy with, and has had significant hearing loss for a while (glue ear) which isn't helping! It's just fine at this age.

RedHotPokers · 10/06/2011 21:55

My DD is nearly 5 and is on level 2a. I thought she was making good progress, and then found that some of the children in her class were on level 5.

i worried about it for a bit, and then thought fuck it! She is making good progress and that's what matters. I think the children who are on the higher reading levels are in the minority but you hear about them more cos their parents shout loud and proud!!!

I do struggle to get DD interested, 5 minutes a day is her maximum and even then she procrastinates, wriggles and moans!

blackeyedsusan · 10/06/2011 22:52

ort chart

blackeyedsusan · 10/06/2011 22:54

you also read many tales of dcs being on pink/red level at the end of reception... then making rapid progress in year one and two...

camicaze · 10/06/2011 22:57

It depends on the pace of the teaching. I say this because it is perfectly possible to have most of a reception class off level 1 by this time in the academic year in most schools. I would therefore be a bit more concerned if most of the class was doing better as it would mean that (at this early stage) my child was finding things harder than others.
However schools vary enormously in terms of how seriously they are aiming at progress in reading in reception and thus the average progress children make from school to school in reception is really variable.
Personally I would not want my child at the sort of school where reading is taught in a way I would consider 'half hearted' as I think children gain alot of confidence when the teaching aims at more rapid progress. However, if most children are at this level then you don't need to feel any concern that your child may find reading a struggle in the future.

forehead · 12/06/2011 16:44

Don't worry, my dsis son finished reception on 1+ and is now on gold in year 1 . As a parent, you have to learn to focus on your own child and forget about others, the constant comparisons are not helpful and could in fact hinder your child's progress.

midnightexpress · 12/06/2011 16:54

Interesting thread. We're in Scotland, where p1 is the equivalent of YR in England, but the children are slightly older when they start (4.6+ when they start). Pretty much everyone in ds1's p1 class is on level 6 (they finish for the summer in 2 weeks time) - I think there are 2 who aren't quite there yet, out of 26.

EightToSixer · 12/06/2011 16:55

A lot of it depends on the school. Is it using Foundation Phase? or still regular lessons? Do they have a regular team of reading assistants (parents?).
The most varied thing I've found is how many books in each level that the teacher/school expects them to read before they allow them to progress on to the next level. DCs school for example, only let them bring one book home a week and make them read all the books in levels 1-3 before moving on to the next level. I was worried about my DD only being on a low-ish level compared to many on here, but her teacher reassured me that it was school policy and that she would progress in time. It's true, she is now in Y4 and has a reading age of 13 - her ORT books now are 60+ pages long and she gets through 2 a week along with plenty of quite mature literature.
Try not to worry, ORT reading level is not an indicator of intelligence or ability. My DS is in reception now and on Level 1, he actually reads better and more naturally than DD did at his age ("How many times do I have to tell you it's DUCK") but I'm a lot more laid back about his level than I was about DD because I know in a matter of time he'll be motoring along.
Try to think "is he making progress?" rather than "where does he fit in with his peers?" It'll make you both feel more relaxed and less stressed. Good luck.

scrappydappydoo · 12/06/2011 17:40

Can I ask how you know what level the other children in the class are at?? (aside from helping out with reading in class). I would love to know but think I would be classed as the worlds pushiest mum for asking!
BTW OP - I get this same niggle every couple of weeks - I should really stay off reading threads on mn as it does nothing to help me

pointythings · 12/06/2011 19:00

They're all different.

DD1 started school a term late, ended Yr R on ORT 4, then flew through and ended up on ORT11 by end of Yr1, by which point the school started using a mix of scheme and non-scheme but suitable books. She is now on track to get a 5B in yrr.

DD2 started school in September as normal, was on 1+ by February and then made a mad leap - could suddenly recognise brand new 'tricky' i.e. non-decodable words just like that and was bored out of her skull. I took a book she'd read to us for the first time at home(fresh of the shelf, she'd never seen it before) to a Parents' evening, told the teacher about it and she tested her the following day and put her on ORT 7, she finished YrR on ORT 9. She is now in Yr3 and on track to get a 4b in reading.

So they both learned to read at very different speeds, are both very solid readers - but the biggest thing of all is that they love it, that does tend to get forgotten.

(There is a downside - you really need a library membership or it gets very expensive)

midnightexpress · 12/06/2011 20:18

scrappydappy - ds1 is my informant. I wouldn't dream of asking the teacher!

PatriciaHolm · 12/06/2011 20:48

Scrappy - same as ME, my DD knew exactly who was on what and would tell me, without my asking! She was on the second to top table for literacy too so it was easy to figure out where the rest of the class were is respect to her.

DS is far more reticent but I don't think he's in the least bit interested tbh! Which is fine, he's going at his own pace, and as pointy says, they both LOVE reading and being read to, which I think is wonderful.

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