Reading colour bands. Concern about daughter not being sufficiently challenged.

[evremummy]

Just wanting some advice on how to approach this to stop me going in all guns blazing!

My DD started reception in September. She could already read then. The class started getting reading books sent home about 1 month in. Some of these had no words in and I asked about this and was told that it was to stimulate their imagination.

Thankfully, a few weeks later, I was told she could choose books with a green sticker. She read these easily and quickly finished all of them in the basket. I went to the teacher and told them she had finished all the books. I thought they would say they would reassess her reading and give her some harder books to read. Instead, they just said not to worry as they had plenty more of the green books. She completed these ones again but they just sorted her out some more. Then on Thursday she came home with 2 blue stickered books. I thought, great she's been reassessed and put up to the next band. I wondered why she had been given 2.

However, since these books seemed quite easy for her. I decided do some research to see how the levels equated in the different reading schemes. There is a mix of All Aboard, ORT and Sunshine spirals and the TA mentioned that the individual schemes had been mixed up into the colour bands, hence why some in the same colour band seem easier than others and perhaps why she had been given 2 as one was much easier than the other.

It seems that the colour bands are a national standard and that she has actually been put down a band. Am I correct in coming to this conclusion from my brief research? Why would this be when she is managing to read and comprehend them easily? I don't want to come across as a pushy parent but I don't want her to get bored at such an early stage in her education. How should I approach it?

Sorry for the essay!

I'm guessing your best bet is to go in and ask the class teacher politely to explain what level she is on.

However, nothing is stopping your from reading lots of lovely and interesting books at home

We sometimes get books with the same colour but different in terms of how difficult they are. No need to blaze, just a chat should do the trick

Thank you. We do read other books at home when we get the chance. The other night we discovered she had been reading her book on My Body after we had gone downstairs!

I will ask the teacher politely about it but just wanted to see if anyone else could tell me how the the colour banding works. The teacher and TAs are not very approachable and seem very defensive when you ask them anything hence why I'm asking for advice.

and if they are older books (which they sound to be) then they may be using the publishers colours rather than the book banding system which often don't match

But would a blue band book be lower than a green band book?

The books bands at DD's school bear no resemblance whatsoever to the "normal" ones so its worth checking with the teachers

So it's not necessarily a national colour banding system then?

Don't think there's a national scheme.
The teacher ds has at the moment isn't as, on the ball as last year's so we just don't set much store by what comes home. Do your thing with her, school books aren't the bee all and end all of learning to read.

Not if it is the publisher's book colour rather than the national book banding method commonly in use. I should point out there are a number of book banding systems in use the most common being the IOE system and the Cliff Moon system

There's no actual problem with your dd reading stuff that she can easily do for a while of course. Also a lot of teachers massively dislike the banding system, I couldn't see why for a bit and now i work with an older child who's really struggling I get it, she absolutely won't go near the books she can read because they are banded 'too young' for her.

Do parents get to choose/change the books? I would have a good look tbh and see if you are right that she has been given a lower band - she might just have liked the look of a particular book and the teacher said OK, have 2 from that basket. If they were ORT books, a lot of the lower band ones are a lot more fun IMO. But you are right, if the stickers are the same as the ORT scheme, then blue is lower than green. IMO all publishers do a different scheme.

TBH I would just stick a (library?) book that is more her level in with her school books. Then any time she reads and finishes the book she has been 'set', she will be getting out something more interesting as well.

Generally, blue is a lower band than green.
Trying to remember the order!
Pink
Red
Yellow
Blue
Green
Orange
Purple
Can't remember any further on a sunday night!

Turquoise might be before purple.... I'll check tomorrow. Ridiculous I can't remember - I look at it everyday

Dd's school seem to have their own colour banding system. They start with black (no words) then red (lots of different stages) then yellow (not expected to reach until yr 1 but some reception children already are) the other 2 schools my friends children go to both are totally different to that so nit sure all schools follow a national banding (might be easier if they did!!)

Buy your own set of the Oxford ReadingTree books from the book people (online) and do those with your daughter instead. They are very cheap on there - about £15 for the whole lot. I was really irritated by the totally inappropriate books coming home from school so now I home ed instead! Mind you, just buy lots of great books and use your local library a lot and then even if the school books are crap, your DD will bring herself on anyway.

I've got that set from the BookPeople - it is awful and I wouldn't recommend it for early stages. Biff Kipper and Floppy makes me lose the will to live. DD is in reception and doing well with blending etc but even the easiest books in that set is full of words that DD struggles with, even though she decodes/blends everything in her school reading books.

these usborne early reader books are very good

There is a set of songbirds phonics on the book people at the moment that looks good though

I can't tell you how much I HATE the Chipper books, please don't buy them. DD had 'miserable' in hers this week - she could read it just because she finds them too easy to memorise

Get some decent phonics books like Songbirds instead - Book People usually do them cheaply.

What's black band then?

Use the library.
Buy your own ORT.
Don't stress about ' colours '.
It's not just about the ability to read the words- they have to demonstrate good comprehension before they move up levels.
Also, you don't want ' challenging ' all the time.
Typically we have a less challenging book sent home ,( which is good for their confidence,) coupled with a more challenging book .
I wouldn't make it too much of an issue with the teachers tbh.
Our DD is bored at the moment with the level sent home by her teacher.
But we are always a stage ahead at home so that she doesn't get frustrated . She was bored to tears with ORT this morning , and so was adamant she was reading Horrid Henry instead before going to bed .

Book People do a fab series called Superphonics which my 2 really enjoyed

In Ds1's school it's:

yellow/red (can't remember which came first)
green and then blue..

He is in Y1 and on their green level which includes a vast range of ability fiction, non fiction, poetry etc including a few of the dreaded Biff & Chip stories which are usually ORT Stage 4 or 5.
I really really wouldn't sweat about which book ban he's on - spend your time & effort keeping his interest up with a wide range of interesting books at home.
LCN

Ds3 (5) is reading ORT level 2 books in school which are far to easy for him but they have a book each week and do lots of activities to go with each book so it is about more than just being able to read the words. At home he reads books of his choice either bought or from the library some too easy some to difficult that I read with him. he reads comics, signposts, sauce jars ect. Don't worry if she is a good reader she will do just fine.

Thanks for all your replies. I had to go to work a short while after I posted ( I work nights) and didn't get a chance to check your replies until this morning. Couldn't bring myself to say anything this morning as I was too tired as had a busy shift as usual and had my poorly DS with me so decided to give it a more few days.

Parents/carers are expected to help the children choose a book in the morning from the reading scheme. They can also choose another book to 'share' from the non-reading scheme selection. She is reading 1 reading scheme book per night and then she often reads the 'sharing' book to me too. We don't really get much chance to read anything else as I feel she needs a little bit of down time when she gets home from school.

She reads signposts, things on the internet when I'm surfing the net, TV stuff, anything and everything, she amazes me as she kind of taught herself to read with very little help. I just don't have much confidence in the school's capability to bring out her potential and ensure she doesn't lose her enthusiasm for learning. I just get so little feedback from them on how she is doing, why the change of colour band and what they are doing at school or what is expected of them at this stage. Sorry, I'm waffling now tired and frustrated!

Pink
Red
Yellow
Blue
Green
Orange
Turquoise
Purple
Gold
White
Lime
Brown
Grey
Dark Blue
Magenta

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