If your Yr1 child had not read to a teacher/TA since 1st December, would you mention it?

[ceebeegeebies]

Would you be concerned?

I think he is one of the best readers in the class so I don't have any concerns and he is changing his books regularly but am slightly concerned that he should have read to one of his teachers in this time?

i'd be gutted tbh
i am very lucky -ds is read with twice a week with teacher or TA
I noticed on monday teacher wrote a paragraph in his book on expression etc
i'd just check in with the teacher - it may just be that she does not write it in the diary

Hi ceebeegeebies:

Aside from the question about whether reading is happening or not - which I think can be solved by just gently asking/ reminding the teacher (either in the reading diary or in person), I wonder if some of this isn't down to the pre-Christmas frenzy of plays/ parties/ special trips/ etc... and starting things back up again post-Christmas. I know that at our school there always is a drop in sending guided reading books home before and after Christmas - however, to be fair to the school they do use this time for several things:

reassessing SAT/ APP levels
reorganising groups (moving children up or down groups for reading, maths, etc.)
meeting with Children to set new targets for the term
meeting with Children to discuss their work from the term

If your school is like ours and has all sorts going on just before Christmas and maybe field trips as well - it actually can be a while before it settles back into a routine.

Hopefully things are clearer now - but if you don't know what's going on - best to just double check with a teacher. It will settle your mind.

My ds reads once a week with a parent helper or TA but they cannot change book level. However, he reads once each term with a teacher and has been moved up a level each time. I'm pretty sure no child has gone up 2 bands in one go. So, only a teacher can move them up, they only move up one level at a time and the teacher only reads with them once a term then by default they will all move exactly one level each term. Usually children progress in spurts not a steady linear progression, so its strange how this entire class are all progressing at precisely the same rate- one level per term!

I really can't be bothered with talking to the teachers about this as early last term he accidentally came home with a book 3 levels higher than his official level and read it perfectly. When I mentioned it, very diplomatically, to the teacher she said he 'only read it so well because he was interested in it' (a non fiction book about snails) so there was no reason to move his level.

I thought her reasoning was entirely spurious but rather than get into a debate I just enrolled in reading chest and he happily continues to read well above the levels he's having at school.

I'm a teacher and very rarely hear children read on a one-to-one basis. There just isn't time in the already busy school day. I do, however, hear each guided reading group once a week. Unfortunately, if a child is away on their group's day, they miss their turn.

I'd love to sit and listen to readers all day but who would be looking after the class? They are too young to be left to their own devices/working independently for long enough to hear readers individually.

My ds reads once a week and does guided reading

Just because your child isn't reading a home reader to the teacher doesn't mean that there is no reading going on in school. There will be a daily phonics lesson for starters. Then English lessons. And then reading in practically every other lesson. Your child's reading level will be formally monitored because (I'm pretty sure) it's something all schools monitor and record.