If your Y1 child is at a private school, what book band are they on?

[applypie]

curious to see how far privately educated childred are actually ahead already after only a year of school.

IMO majority of people who choose private v state do so for more reasons then just reading ability(reading level not being the only part of child education that counts)
Things such a wrap around care, facilities of the school (sport, music, art, drama) small classes, attention to detail and so on.
I don't think children in private schools are ahead of their peers in state schools as per say, but there have more opportunities, often good prep. and independent schools feed into excellent secondaries.
IME, DD is in local independent school with excellent record and reputation, and she is there for lot of reasons, pastoral care and gentle approach being one of them, not the academic excellence alone.
She is excellent swimmer, in the class of only ten, they all read pretty much the same level, but they are all very articulate, very able writers, and few of them excellent at spelling(way ahead of others).
In addition to beautiful food served at lunchtime, cooked breakfast if children arrive early, beautiful grounds, tennis courts and in general whole look and feel of the place.
DD has a cousin of similar age in state school, Y1 who is currently on higher level of reading, bright little thing one of 30 in the class, and struggled great deal last year due to disruptions of a such a large class, in her mother words:
dd vocabulary is lucking, her comprehension is not great, and I wish they would slow down with reading levels and pay bit more attention to comprehension.
IMO different children have different needs, there in no wright or wrong, perhaps OP's question should have been phrased differently, to get an accurate answer.

Can we just knock the facilities are better at private school myth on the head , please?

It depends entirely on school.

My kids state primary has it's own pool and huge pitches which the prep over the roadpays to use.

Secondary has it's own indoor football pitch and olympic sized pool they won't rent out to the private schools as all the school children swim twice a week.

And we also have guitar, rugby, cycling, Judo, dance, drama, orchestra, fencing , multisports and French.

And it's a state primary. Dunno about the reading levels, all of mine have been free readers by end of year one.

Pissfarter

Exactly, where does the idea that state schools don't have wrap around care (assuming that's a good thing) music, drama and language clubs? Ours even has a sailing club...

Do people say these things to rationalise why they are working so hard to pay for private school?

I agree lot of it is geography, lot depends where you live and I think you are very lucky to have such facilities in your local state, on the other hand we are not that lucky, state schools are of decent standard, but they don't have the facilities you mention Pissfarterleech, nowhere near, two independent schools do.

If the children of the policy making classes had to use state schools, they would be properly funded countrywide. By sending your child private you are effectively paying twice for their education. imagine what could be done to improve the life chances of all children if even half the money poured into private schools was spent on the state sector. This could be done through higher taxation but at least an excellent education would be available to all and people would not have move house and adopt 'religion' in an effort to get their children into a good school. There is no political will for this, because as long as alternatives exist, the rich will always want to keep themselves in a separate club.

Our state school is one of the top two non selective schools in the country in terms of the numbers it sends to top universities. The government are looking at why it works so well, in the hope of copying best practice around the country.

I went to a state comp where class mates went to both borstal and Oxford. I genuinely feel that knowing a wide variety of children from all social backgrounds at a young age helped to relate to people better in later life, when working as a professional with the general public. I also appreciated my home circumstances more when I realised how some of my class mates had to live.

Another echo here re state school facilities and opportunities. At dd's state primary - they have a fab IT suite, amazing outdoor teaching spaces and regular access to the local university's outstanding sports facilities. After school clubs include mandarin or Italian (alongside french in the curriculum), various sports from basketball to curling, dance, performing arts, storytelling, school magazine and a whole host of others. Musical opportunities include the school choir, the school orchestra, a string group, a brass ensemble, a woodwind ensemble and individual instrumental tuition in instruments ranging from the cornet to the tabla. And there is a breakfast club and after school club for those who need wrap around care.

I know that not all state schools offer such a range of opportunities but I don't think we're unique either - a lot of state sch

Another echo here re state school facilities and opportunities. At dd's state primary - they have a fab IT suite, amazing outdoor teaching spaces and regular access to the local university's outstanding sports facilities. After school clubs include mandarin or Italian (alongside french in the curriculum), various sports from basketball to curling, dance, performing arts, storytelling, school magazine and a whole host of others. Musical opportunities include the school choir, the school orchestra, a string group, a brass ensemble, a woodwind ensemble and individual instrumental tuition in instruments ranging from the cornet to the tabla. And there is a breakfast club and after school club for those who need wrap around care.

I know that not all state schools offer such a range of opportunities but I don't think we're unique either - a lot of state schoils offer an incredibly rich range of activities, alongside excellent differentiation in the classroom. Private doesn't always equal better!

Oops - posted too soon the first time!

Mine were free readers in YR (at independent schools), but that's because I'd taught them before they went to school, not because of anything the school did.

That said, the school did cater very, very well for them as free readers. I can't say whether that would have been the case in a state school. I suspect (to judge by several friends who have moved their children from our local 'outstanding' state primary, as they are sitting there bored rigid by learning letter sounds that they already know) that it wouldn't have been.

My DS1 is in Y1 and he is on ORT level 7 although at home he is reading Roald Dahl with a little bit of support and is pretty fluent. My DD1 was similar in Y1 - both at state school.

I do think that reading progress is a lot to do with development and practice and that is the one thing that is easy to make up at home, so you won't find the difference to be that vast in many cases.

Originalposter.
I'm probably what you would call " rich". I use state.

Enough with the generalisations on here!

Damsel you must have missed the bit where all my state educated kids were free readers in year one

Gold leaf

Being a free reader is a pretty useless measure Damsel as there is no clear definition of what the term actually means. Some schools con IMHO into believing they are doing a fantastic job by calling children free readers when in fact they are still just apprentice readers allowed to self select from the books provided

Pissfarter sorry, you're right, that was a generalization. We're high earners, too, and we choose to send ours to state schools.

weirdos, aren't we?

I'm a weirdo as well, then.

I know that state provision varies around the country, but when I look at the free education on offer at dd's state primary, I honestly struggle to understand why anyone around here would go private! We are relatively high earners, and only have one dd so we could afford to go private if we chose to. We also But I guess people have their reasons.

I'm a weirdo as well, then.

I know that state provision varies around the country, but when I look at the free education on offer at dd's state primary, I honestly struggle to understand why anyone around here would go private! We are relatively high earners, and only have one dd so we could afford to go private if we chose to. We also place a very high value on education, so we'd happily invest if we felt it was worth the money, but I can't see it myself. But I guess people have their reasons, and if we were in a different catchment area, who knows, we might think differently.

Sorry for half finished posts - keep pressing "post" too soon on iPhone!

me too!

If the NHS gave such a poor service that many higher earners chose to go private, and this was the norm, would that be ok? Or would people demand adequate healthcare for their taxes?

If the people who choose private education directed their influence and skills on improving patchy state education eg lobbying MPs, exposing poor schools, writing about it etc, sponsoring schools, supporting careers advice, much could be done. Instead they feel it's not their problem, as they can 'buy' their way out of the education lottery. It is everyone's problem if schools fail children, the results of illiteracy and innumeracy are expensive in social and economic terms.

BTW in answer to OP dd4 is on level 6,ort but is a 'free reader' at home, reading Roald Dahl etc.

I never understand the criticism of schools that books only get changed once a week. Do you not have books at home?

We get 5 books changed once a week, but have lots of other books to read if we get through them quickly or they look rubbish.

Ds1 is in year 1 and on blue, but I think his lack of enthusiasm is holding him back rather than ability (desperately tells herself).

He is at good state and levels range from pink to off the scale I think.

To add my tuppence, we could possibly afford private if I worked full-time, but instead would rather be around to pick him up at 3:15. Personal choice though.

DS also does plenty of extra activities outside school as well as in.

All state schools are good here though and people choose private either because their children would struggle in state, or just snobbery/class reasons. Heaven help their precious DC might meet a poor person

It's very relevant lockets.

Shows just how bloody superb so much of the state sector, is, wouldn't you say?