Primary One or Reception teachers - How many children in a class start school able to read?

[Poppledowntown]

Some of my friends whose children have just started Primary One tell me their kids are reading already. Is it quite unusual to have 6 or 7 in a class already reading on entry or are these just an exceptionally bright group?

I'm not worried about my non-reading child - I take it those who aren't quite so advanced will catch up in due course :)

Doesn't it depend on what you / they mean by "reading"?

My DD (about to start Reception tomorrow ) has begun to read simple words like cat, dog, mum, and can recognise quite a few high frequency words like like, away, I, me and so on. So she can "read" a whole book of the "cat sat on the mat" type. But I wouldn't say she can read as she can hardly just pick up any book and read it.

But interested to hear replies to your thread .

As wigeon says, it all depends on what you mean by 'reading'.

Yes, it would be unusual to have 6 or 7 out of form reading fluently when they started reception, but not that usual for a good handful or more of children to be at the level wigeon describes.

Reading is a marathon, not a sprint. Being the fastest out of the blocks doesn't have any huge significance.

I really wouldn't worry, DD3 starts reception tomorrow and is at the same pace as wigeon's DD but that is because she has 2 older sisters and uses apps like eggy on the iPad lazy parenting or what!?

DD1 & 2 didn't have iPads in their day couldn't read any more that I, on, is etc and they were both free readers by end of yr 3.

I read loads and have always read to the DC and have lots of books, kindle, iPad etc around the house for them to pick up. I think reading at home is really important.

DS turns 5 next week and starts reception later this week.
He knows most of his letters but would rather be hurlting round with a light sabre
He's a bright little button but just hasn't been interested in reading although he loves books.
As rosebud says, they all get there in the end!

My youngest has just finished reception, when he started he was sounding out CVC words like jet, cat, hen etc. There were a few others in the class doing the same but no-one reading as in picking up a book and just reading it.

As others say, depends on your definition of 'reading'... over the years, I've had quite a few parents who have clearly had a different concept from me . Also, depends a lot on the area / type of school you teach in. In the schools I've taught in, I can only remember 1 child who could really read before starting Reception, but I'm sure in some other areas there will be a couple of children each year.

None in my kids class - though one who was a free reader by the end of reception. She was exceptional though. Everyone starts off at different times according to age, interest, parental involvement, but there seems to be a stage when they all zip off - around ORT 5 or 6 in my experience (by then they've got the basic hang of it).

The question has been asked on the TES forums once or twice over the last few years. The answer, from teachers, is generally 'none' or 'one or two'.

It really isn't at all important in the scheme of things. What is more important is that when your child gets to school they get excellent phonics instruction to give them really sound foundation in the basic skills.

It is very unusual for any of the children to enter our reception class able to read. I might have one in a class of thirty every four or five years if I'm lucky.

Dd1 was a very keen reader and was fluent before she started school. She was ahead in year 1, but that may have been partually because she was a winter baby and all the other top readers were late summer borns. By year two you wouldn't have been able to pick out the early readers from the others.

I don't think early reading marks a child out for anything but that-they read early. It doesn't mean they are markedly brilliant at English for life, or anything else. Dd1 just loved books and reading in the way ds loves aeroplanes and wants to find out all about them.

I'll also note that the child who was pushed into class with dm hissing "tell the teacher you can read and you'll be the best in the class" wasn't even in the top group when they grouped them in the summer of year R.

My Dd couldn't read a word (apart from her name) when she started reception, she has just finished year one as a free reader. She is October born, so old amongst her peers, and that probably made a difference. However, I don't think it matters if they can read or not when they start reception-lots of the children that couldn't read at all are now on higher book levels than children that could already 'read'.

mine is starting reception this year and is same as widgeon's
i dont know any dc his age that are reading fluently although i have heard people saying it on here - i do think it would be quite rare though

My August born dd was reading fluently when she started school but it all levelled out and at 11 she was bright but not genius material.

When my ds started reception he knew his letters and a few of the sounds. Within the first half term he was among the first five children to move on to the second stage books- therefore I know that not a single child in that class of 30 was able to read when they started school- hope that helps!

DS could read Songbirds books level 3, but that's not being able to read . Now just about to start Year 1 he's well on the way to being able to read.

When DD started school 1 out of 18 children could read already when they started. That was at an academic school too - so not held any of them back.

Unfortunately, they don't 'all get there' in regard to reading. Some children don't learn to read properly for a variety of reasons despite spending many years at school.

Whilst I am of the 'let them be' persuasion, I would be concerned if my children didn't progress from whatever starting point throughout school.

Probably better that they DON'T read, rather than having been 'taught' the wrong way at home or at nursery.

Much more important that they can manage the 'housekeeping' routines : toilet, washing, dressing, eating and drinking in an acceptable way, listening to instructions, listening to stories, sharing, not fighting/biting/spitting etc (and some do do things like that!)

Leave the Teachers to teach them to read.

I haven't got a clue what other children in my son's class are doing. It isn't discussed. My son couldn't read before he went into reception and just before he enters year 1 he still avoids it as far as possible. He designed a very effective child lock out of Lego though, so I know the intellect is there, he is just very choosy about where to apply himself.

DS1 could read when he started school. He taught himself how to blend phonemes around his 3rd birthday. By the time he was 5 he was reading Harry Potter. I was a little when his teacher said to me at the end of the summer term "I've just realised your child can read, we need to move him to junior school books to assess where he should be", although in fairness he does have high functioning autism and spent most of the first year hidden under a desk.

DS2 new a few phonemes before he started in reception. By the October he was doing literacy with the year1s. So actually it was better for him that he just learnt really fast when he started school as the teachers knew exactly what he can do. They only have 15 children in a year group though.

DS3 is just starting in nursery, but I think will probably be reading to some degree before he starts school. But if he were a day or two older he'd be starting reception this year. He has just started writing down phonically plausible spellings for things, and realising that he can't read the words in books but wants too.

Thanks for replies everyone. One of my friend's children is definitely reading. His mum used to get him to read out magnetic letters and numbers as a sort of party trick when he was 2 and now he's reading Roald Dahl stories. He's a very clever little boy.

The others I now suspect are maybe exaggerating a wee bit! Just wondered how common it was. DD will be fine - she enjoys stories so will learn when she's ready. She can do all the practical stuff, is very considerate of others and I'm very pleased about that!