Grrr! Fed up with Reception DD having books that are far too easy!

[evremummy]

Posted a similar thread a couple of weeks ago about book bands. I finally plucked up the courage to put a comment in DD's home/school diary about the books being too easy for her and asking if she could be reassessed. When it was noticed a couple of days later, there was a comment that said they would do it today. Yesterday, she didn't come home with any books and she said she had read to one of the teachers so I assumed they had been assessing her ability. We usually go to choose the books when we drop them off in the morning, so I asked the teacher where her reading diary and book was as she had not been sent home with them. The teacher just spoke to my daughter and said something like "Silly Miss M forgot to put them back and didn't realise until about half past 5 last night". Tonight she has come back home with the same band of book and no comments about being reassessed in either her reading diary or her home/school diary. What should I do now without coming across as a pushy, problem parent?

Sometimes children are held back because of issues with comprehension or not using expression. However, the teacher should be answering your question, even if it's just to say that she isn't ready to move up. I think it would be reasonable to ask her again.

The teacher should also explain why she thinks the child isn't ready otherwise nothing has been gained.

after school see the teacher and ask her outright
"the books seem very easy for x, what do you think? did you manage to assess her last week?"

if you listen to her answer and take it on board, that's not being pushy or a nightmare parent, that's just caring about your daughter.

Thank you for your replies. I am not a very confident person and the teacher is not very approachable. She always seems to be very defensive if you say anything at all. My husband has found this too, so it's not just me.

I think I will have to be brave and speak to her directly about it as I am fed up with getting books that are far too easy for her.

I am disappointed with the lack of communication with parents on what the children do at school and what is expected of them and my 5 year old is not very good at telling me exactly what they do all day. I think we have our first parents evening in March. Look forward to that .

We have the same issue here and I help in school reading with another year group and assessing them. My DD 5 has reading books that are far to easy and if she was on them in the class that I assess I would be telling the teacher to move her up a level (or 3). I have given up the reception teacher is not approachable at all over reading so we now just get books from the library every week, don't read the school ones and I just lie in the reading diary

Might have to do that Pimmsgalore, if I don't get anywhere as I feel reading these books is holding her back. She is currently upstairs reading a Children's Encyclopedia. I will go up in a few minutes to turn the light off and tell her to get some sleep.

Glad I'm not the only one with these issues .

My daughter is in reception and seems to be doing really well with her reading skills - she has completed all the 'key words' for yrs R, 1 and 2 and is now learning to read the yr 3 words outlined in the national literacy strategy. I enquired as to why the books didn't seem to be keeping up with her reading ability and was told that they don't like to push them on too far as then the gap between their reading, and writing and comprehension becomes too wide. We just get sent home lots of books (2 different ones every night). I have to say it doesn't bother me as I just get her to read lots of other things at home, or go to the library and choose some more challenging books for weekends and holidays.

Go to the library and get her some books that are of the right level, while you wait for the teacher to get sorted. ORT are pretty dull even when they ARE the right band....

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The literacy strategy was replaced in 2006!!!

Mrz.....So how should they be learning to read the former 'key words'? Is there now a different approach?

After tearing my hair out trying to get my son to learn flash cards that were sent home, I have decided to relax. We read the books that are sent home from school. If they are too easy, I give him a big star in his reading diary and feel joyful that we've had a confidence boosting reading session.

We spend a lot of time reading other books, just for fun, and mucking around with the iPad writing words. He likes that. I am leaving the rest to school, as I'm sure there will come a time when reading bands are a dim and distant memory.

DD's school have a deliberate policy of sending home books a band below their 'in class' reading level.
This is to build confidence apparently.

www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/1175/Rose_Review.pdf

If she is reading other books at home, how will reading 'easy' books at school hold her back? The school should have told you why your ds was not given a harder book, but there could be many reasons to be on an easy band, such as learning about punctuation, (for example). So I agree you could ask the teacher if she was assessed and reasons for not moving up a level, (or leave another note in the reading record if you don't feel up to asking).It may have been overlooked in the busy school day.

Having said that, imo 'real' books are more interesting and helpful inenabling children to pick up any book and read it, so we just read the school reading scheme books, commment in the record, and see it as just a small part of learning to read.

I am surprised to hear from another poster that parent helpers help assess children. Unless they happen to be qualified to do so.

Please just encourage her to enjoy books,if she finds the books easy she will feel a sense of acheivement and pride and will begin to develop a joy of books and reading.Take her to the library/bookshop.Get her to write about the books she reads,write books with her.It really doesn't matter which level she is on.Let her enjoy her early childhood.If there is an underlying problem with her school,then move her.if you are not happy now,you won't be happy for the next 6 years.Chances are she is reading a higher level in Guided Reading.

I went to a reading workshop at my DD's school and at her school the books the children bring home are always a band lower than they are reading at school and the reason for this is because at home they want the child to enjoy reading at home and not struggle. They are at school to LEARN to read and at home to ENJOY reading. My DD reads so much more confidently when she has a book she can read independantly than one I have to keep helping her with!! x

Don't worry my daughter is 4 and at reception and can't een get the alphabet and phonics right yet. You are pushy, but I guess it is a way of life. Your children will probably be high achievers like you and your husband and mine will be the average working class relying on benefits to top up income and renting forever.

The thing is that so many schools hardly read with the child at all, even in reception, so the books you get home are their practice.
Apart from with one teacher both my dds were/are always on books way too easy. I just gave up and do my own thing. I often just give the easy book for them to read to themself at bedtime and do something else as a reading book. In all the time my dds have been on reading books a teacher has never offered a reasoned explanation of why they needed to be on such easy books. Vague comments that they need to be sure they can comprehend are pretty meaningless if the teacher doesn't actually check if the child CAN comprehend harder books or not. Its frequently just a mindless stock response.

at sississy. Mine hasn't even got a reading book yet. I'm actually pleased about that.

Do you like to read? Do you dismiss books as 'too easy'? What on earth is wrong with reading a book that is easy?
There is no such thing as 'way too easy'. It will not hinder her reading progress. In fact, it may benefit it.

Peppa jay - precisely :) and now I think you're speaking of my school. :)

hahaha I was wondering why my DD always have baby books in her bag and now I know the answer!

It is difficult, as a parent to understand what reading actually is, especially if you see your children gaining confidence and ability in decoding.

However, reading is about understanding a text (decoding, phonic knowledge, etc are obviously necessary precursors that allow this to happen).

Parents of early readers often think that their children are way ahead in reading because they can decode words and recognise words by sight. The children's teachers, on the other hand, are monitoring the children's decoding skills and their comprehension. Lack of comprehension may be the reason why children are not 'moved up' to the next level.

As an example, we had a pushy parent who pushed and pushed in Y1, so her child was reading at white level. Seven month's later, after the introduction of the benchmarking scheme (which tests for the children's comprehension and decoding skills before they move up a band), she is still on white books.

Reading and learning should be fun and not a competition between parents of who has the best reader or the brighest child, these children we are talking about are only 5 or 6, let them enjoy reading and not see it as a chore!!

Spot on, pj