Dd finished primary at below average expectation in Reading ...

[plonker]

...what can I do to help her to catch up?

She didn't make the expected progress from Y2 to Y6 (was 2A at the end of Y2) so something has gone wrong somewhere

She isn't a keen reader [understatement] but can read well.
How can I encourage her?
How can I help her to improve?
Does this set her up badly for secondary school?

How far below are you talking about? reading in year 6 is MUCH more than being able to read a book, it is about discussion and understanding, about expressing a viewpoint and backing it up with evidence, questionning why authors express themselves the way they do, inferring and deducing. You need to work out where your daughter struggles, read GOOD QUALITY books and talk about them together

She scored 4c.
Not too bad I guess, but certainly not the expected progress from Y2.

Would it help if we read the books together? Her a chapter, me a chapter?

The biggest problem we have is that she doesn't like to read.
Can you recommend any books?

Could she listen to Audio Books every night, and you discuss them with her?

You could even discuss movies.

Reading newspapers is also good - and each article isn't very long.

Im no expert but what worked for me when I was younger was for my mother to pick a classic ie. Little Women and read a chapter to me, then for me to read a chapter to her and then I would choose a book and do the same thing. It was a good way to read some of the classics and talk about them and also for me to pick stories I liked/wanted to read.

I would go with Indigobell's suggestions. She can clearly "read" ( as in decode the words) so, although it would be good if she did enjoy the experience of reading, it's not essential, it's the discussion that is key!

Thanks for the advice.

I'll take a look at audio books.

Can you download them on an ipod?

Can I just ask, how far behind is a 4c (she just scraped it, apparently) and does the lack of progress indicate a bigger problem at all?

I'm quite worried and am anxious to help her where at all possible

I thought a level 4c was supposed to be the national average for a child at the end of year 6.
Really it depends on how much weight you give to the result of one test done under timed conditions compared to the work done in class on a regular basis.
It could just be that the exam pressure that SATs often seems to generate has affected her this year.
I would say that the teacher assessments done over the whole year are more accurate and it is usually this teacher assessment that is passed onto secondary schools.

can you find books that she is desperate to read? whats her interest? fashion? history? jokes? funny books? we read at bed time, snuggled up together wityh snacks and a warm milk

Level 4 is average for an 11 year old. She hasn't fallen too far behind.

4b started out as being the average a Y6 child should get. Gradually it has become the target. 4c might only be 1 mark away. The test is a test of comprehension, assessed through a variety of questions: some need 1 word answers (usually require retrieval skills), some need whole sentences (need inference, empathy or paraphrasing skills). Some excellent readers do badly because they read more into the questions than is there, or come up with an interpretation that is so original or sophisticated it hasn't been envisaged in the mark scheme and so gets no credit.

I would forget the score, see the real challenge as being to develop more of an appetite for reading for pleasure and follow the advice given by other posters.

Some excellent readers do badly because they read more into the questions than is there, or come up with an interpretation that is so original or sophisticated it hasn't been envisaged in the mark scheme and so gets no credit.
Oh exactly! One of my level 5 readers missed the cut off by 1 mark because a couple of her answers didn't mention the key words-even though they were perfectly valid answers!

I would first try to find out what type of books she does enjoy (given your reference to her not being a keen reader). Go to a large bookshop together and let her browse, read sections of books until she finds something she is really interested in (might take several trips before that happens). I love those bookshops with a cafe where you can take a pile of books to the cafe look through them have something to drink and a chat before deciding what to take.
In addition, I would start reading books together (as you suggest, you a chapter and your dd a chapter) and then spent some time discussing what you have read. You could do the same with girl's magazines if she is really not keen to try books and spend time discussing the content. If possible try to set significant time aside each day to do this, e.g. 1 hour a day, so you do not have to rush things. If that is not possible then I would only do it on these days that you do have sufficient time available so it is a pleasant experience for both of you. Good luck.

Level 4b is where she should be, not level 4c.

No, she definitely isn't just one point off 4b, her teacher said she just scraped a 4c.

I think it's the lack of progress that worries me as much as anything - only one level and one sublevel in 4 years. That seems really bad to me.

It could be exam pressure. Her teacher did say that she seemed tired on the morning of the reading exam (Monday morning)
I definitely don't think she'd have over-analysed it ...it's not really in her nature to over-analyse anything.

There are no books that she's desperate to read. This is an on-going problem and one that I've mentioned at parents evening every year since she learned to read.

I'm going to try the audio books first and see if I can get her more interested in stories.
I thought we could listen together at bedtime? This is the only time actually that we can get 1:1 time (she has two younger sisters).
From there I'm going to try us reading a chapter each.

I'm desperate for this not to be a problem for her in high school.

plonker, is this actually an issue with her reading and lack of interest in reading... or her ability to complete a comprehension paper?
Have you had a look at any comprehension papers? Did she bring any home for practice perhaps? the reason she may scored lower than you expected is that she didn't complete the paper or realise that some questions were 2 marks and therfore needed 2 points.
What exactly did the teacher say?

I don't know Ingles

The teacher just said that she only just scraped a 4c. The only other thing she said was a reference to her seeming tired that morning. She didn't say what brought the scores down and I assumed it was all areas of reading.

School has finished now, so I can't ask for clarification

She didn't bring home comprehension papers in the run up to her SAT's. Her teachers were concerned that she wasn't going to reach 'target' on her Maths so asked her to focus on Maths in all her extra work.

so she was struggling for her maths as well! starting to sound like crap teaching to me, ...seriously...
I wouldn't worry too much now... Get your audio books, and stick it on a mp3 player for journeys,
choose a book for the summer and read it to her, then talk about the story after, ask questions, like what do you think will happen next?, how does the character feel now do you think?
join the library reading scheme and fill in the chart for stickers etc..
then start afresh in Sept, hopefully you'll get a decent teacher

Will do, cheers