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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

Reading readiness in reception - anyone else (esp EY teachers) experienced this?

27 replies

BeingHumum · 21/10/2011 20:10

I am a primary teacher, my DS has just started school and his teacher has a policy of not giving a reading book until children are 'ready'. I can see the reasoning behind this of not wanting to put young children off. However my DS knows all his letter sounds, can decode 2 and 3 letter words independently and is starting to read high frequency 'tricky' words. He is able to read patterned stories from Oxford Reading Tree Stage 2 with me at home. In my experience this indicates reading readiness, I can't see how he could possibly be more ready! Another child in his class knows all his initial phonemes, can blend and read 60 words on sight, and also has no book [hshock].

I feel as though I am being asked to prove he's good enough to receive a reading book. He needs the books to move on and build his skills. Do any early years teachers reading this know what criteria for reading readiness could be responsible for this strange approach? At parents evening the teacher said she 'couldn't see it in DS' without defining what 'it' is. Obviously I am going to pursue this after half term if no book is forthcoming. Anyone with similar experiences?

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Shakey1500 · 21/10/2011 20:19

My ds is 4, been in full time reception since September. His reading age is about 7/8 (going by the OLT books I've sourced). The class is learning letters and their sounds (Jolly Phonics) and he gets the same homework as the rest. I fully appreciate they have to concentrate on getting the other children ready to read but I fear ds is getting very bored, losing interest and momentum :(

I've a parents evening Nov 8th and intend to bring it up there. Sorry, no advice but will be watching the thread with interest.

Original poster

BeingHumum · 21/10/2011 20:25

Oh dear Shakey, your plight is worse than mine! Don't you have a reading book from school either? Your DS sounds very well ahead of his years. My DS is more of a Mr. Average, but it seems weird teaching him to read so he can have a book, talk about cart before the horse

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Shakey1500 · 21/10/2011 20:31

No, no books from school :( Just a jolly phonics book where he has to trace the letter, find something beginning with said letter and stick it in the book.

To be fairer (and elaborate) he is the youngest in the class. He was 4 in August and many of them have already turned 5 so socially and physically he is behind you know? His writing skills are not as good as some and he'll never make the football team . He is an only child so used to the company of adults. Consequently, his vocabulary/expression is also ahead of his years and I think a lot of the other kids just don't "get" him.

Original poster

BeingHumum · 21/10/2011 20:34

Mine is also an only, but a December birthday and looking more likely to be in the football team than the 'top table'

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Shakey1500 · 21/10/2011 20:41

It does seem weird (your plight). I take it you are a primary teacher in another school that has a different policy etc? Apologies if I've misunderstood.

Original poster

BeingHumum · 21/10/2011 20:47

Sort of, I taught for several years, then moved to be an education advisor with the local authority. I taught infants, and my year 1 children always had a book whatever their reading ability. This idea is just plain bonkers, he's not even getting a library book to be read to him.

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DeWe · 21/10/2011 21:02

I'd ask what the teacher deems "to be ready" signs.

Ds is in reception. He's been having books for about a month. He could read ok before he started school, but I wasn't sure they'd manage to persuade him to read in school to a teacher. But they've made a huge effort to find books that interest him (one of last week's was about computer games) and he's really enjoying it.

I think that all the children are bringing home books for the last month, even if it's a book for them to "share" with the adult if they don't seem to be ready to start reading.

Seems strange not to give them anything.

MissBetsyTrotwood · 21/10/2011 21:07

My DS has not been given a book either - we are given a book to take home every week but we're given the instruction to just enjoy it together. He's able to blend and can read the most basic level of the reading scheme they have in the library. I asked about this on parents day and they explained to me that they'd tried him with the school reading scheme once or twice during phonics sessions and he'd totally switched off. He's happy to curl up with me on the sofa at home and do a very short session but that's it. I think there is just too much other interesting stuff going on in the classroom at the moment for him to focus and they're terrified of 'turning him off'.

DorisIsTheDarkDestroyer · 21/10/2011 21:42

DD is R and has bought a couple of books home week, to enjoy together. Sometimes she can sound words out sometimes I help. However they are still learning the phonics sounds so I wouldn't expect much. She has her reading scheme book and a library book which she chooses. They also get change religiously twice a week.

Runoutofideas · 22/10/2011 08:28

Are you sure any of the children are getting reading books yet? My dd2 only turned 4 in Aug so is one of the youngest but they have all been bringing home books to share, ie for the parent to read. They will start to get reading scheme books after half term. DD knows her letters and can decode 2 letter and cvc words.

For those with more advanced readers, my dd1 was a good reader before starting school but she still didn't get a reading book for the first half term. Once they did start giving them out though they seemed to quickly assess their abilities and she started on yellow level books. missing out pink and red completely. I think it should be easy enough to treat children as individuals and choose appropriate books accordingly.

iggly2 · 22/10/2011 08:34

Do not think DS was given a book till near christmas and he was reading fluently so everyschool is different.

mrz · 22/10/2011 08:48

The easy solution is to talk to the teacher as only your child's teacher will know their/the school's criteria for allocating reading books.
Some schools give out wordless books right from the start (to keep parents happy) others have a set date when everyone gets a book regardless of whether the child can read (to please parents) others teach children reading skills and send home word cards to practise decoding skills , some delay sending home books until they are confident the child can actually read the words independently and some insist on children completing all of 44 phonemes and accompanying word banks before getting a book. Only your child's teacher can tell you which applies (or indeed if they have a different method)

BeingHumum does the school need to provide a library book to share?

spottypancake · 22/10/2011 08:53

Some schools have a policy of not providing books to any reception child until a certain date. I think the teacher has made her position clear (even though it sounds wrong) so in your position, I would avoid locking horns with her and just get your DS reading books from a public library so that you can continue helping him with his skills.

vincentvangogh · 22/10/2011 10:38

My reception DS can read fairly fluently (ORT 5 and 6). He knows all his single letter phonic sounds and plenty of digraphs and blends (that's how I taught him to read). His school has a policy of not giving children books until they are "ready". Still no book.

His brother in Y1 reads chapter books at home but is still being given books that his little brother can read.

whenIgetto3 · 22/10/2011 11:59

We have had books with no words for the last 4 weeks. At parents evening I brought up that DD could read, the reply was yes she read us a book today we needed to see who was ready for books and who wasn't first and it has been hard to assess the other children some even held their books upside down and didn't look like they had ever seen a book before . DD came home yesterday with a book with words which is 3 levels harder than the no word book and a note in her reading diary saying try this if it is too easy we will go up a level each book till we get where she is . Guess you have to remember that not all children are as far ahead as yours but once they do get a book they will fly up the levels. You could always just go to the library in the mean time

tallulah · 22/10/2011 15:41

My DD is 4.7 and in YR. We have had wordless reading books for 4 weeks but she has just started getting books with words. And she hasn't a clue :( Don't quite know what we are supposed to do with her because even trying to get her to sound out the words was a no-go.

mrz · 22/10/2011 17:21

Does she know the sounds?

Merrin · 22/10/2011 18:52

Read them to her :) Enjoy them with her :) It will come. I would get her to spot a sound here or there.

RobynLou · 22/10/2011 18:57

is it essential that the books are from school? I think in your situation I'd just be getting books from the local library.

Original poster

BeingHumum · 22/10/2011 21:43

Wow, a huge range of approaches here from different schools! A few of the children have been given books, so if I'm honest most of my grumpiness is down to the competitive mum factor and I swore I would never behave like this .

I have word cards and a few ORT books, and plenty of lovely books and a fantastic library, so will keep encouraging him until he is deemed worthy of a book. Sneaks of to plan snooping strategies to assess the reading of the book worthy children

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Original poster

BeingHumum · 22/10/2011 21:44

Whoops, obv. meant to use not bold!

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mrz · 22/10/2011 21:45

Is he worried about others having books when he doesn't?

kennythekangaroo · 23/10/2011 11:20

DD has also not had any reading books in her reception class (ecxept for library books for mr to read). I have borrowed books from my school and she is happily reading them, knows all her phonics and knows about 25 of the phase 2 words.

I spoke to her teacher on parents eve and she said she is not planning on giving out scheme books till the children know the phase 2 sounds and are blending cvc words confidently then the first books they bring home should be totally decodable.

I can see where she is coming from but feel DD is at that stage now. Luckily I have had some of the pearson books from mumsnet and she is happily reading those so when she finally gets one from school it shoul be easy.

blackeyedsusan · 23/10/2011 17:52

we had this too. parents meeting about reading, "children will be given a book when they have a bank of words." All children were given reading games. after 2-3 weeks I asked how many words they need to be able to read before they got a book. (dd could read at least the 1st 100 words and quite a few more besides) the answer (not answering the question) was that they had to have 5 or 6 reading games before they got a book.

what they say and what they do is sometimes not the same thing. we joined the library and bought quite a lot of books cheap off the book people and got on with learning to rerad ourselves. she now reads chapter books (y1) and has just gone onto yellow band 3 books at school. (was reading this level a year ago) school books are just for fun.

Elibean · 23/10/2011 18:45

dd2 was given a reading book once she knew 15 high frequency words. She also knows her basic letter sounds (single letters, plus 'oo', 'ee', 'sh' and 'ch') - but I think the benchmark for getting a reading book is just the 15 high frequency words.

Mind you, she loves playing games with her words (and now has moved on to the 'tricky' ones) but is reluctant to read from the books. She's a recognition-comfortable child, as opposed to her phonics-comfortable sister.

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