Refusing to put dc on next reading level or even assess

[Blueschool]

Dc in in year 2. Has been on same reading level since September.

My dc may not be good at a lot at school, but reading is dc strong point. Not the top of class but quite advanced. Not just my opinion but her previous teachers and helpers.

Her current level is not a challenge anymore. Mentioned this weeks ago. Given a huge list basically telling me why dc is a crap reader in teachers opinion. Very surprised as one area always was praised on reading.

Took it on chin and we worked hard to resolve the issues like "not enough expression".

Dc reading is just fine. I can not find not fault.

My comment I wrote last week was the "book was not a challenge". Teacher took a whole page up in dd reading record to again tell me how crap dc is.

I felt the comments were utterly unfair and do not reflect reality at all. She also told me I could buy books to read at home! Very unfair assumption dc reads for pleasure all the time and has 100+ at home.

She said IF she wants she will assess her after Christmas she will.

My issues are

• I thought parents and teachers were meant to be in partnership with education. How is this a partnership?

• IF dc is genuinely reading badly at school WHY? Why is there such a difference? Why is her educational environment not making her feel confident and supported to show her real abilty?

• Another parent has told me they have had similar issues as the teacher gets herself stressed. Im sorry, but holding a child back because you are stressed is quite something.

What should I do?

I don't get the fetishisation of guided reading to be honest.

Avon - if that's true it's pathetic and unprofessional

Brycie, it is true! It's very frustrating! DD is not my PFB, so I've already been round the block with reading levels. I've brought up the discrepancy between DD's school reading books and the books she reads at home, and just get told that they'll be assessing soon... I know the LSA shouldn't have said anything to me, and I shouldn't have told motormouth DD, but there you go. A friend who teaches primary openly says that often the parents who push and push and the ones who make the teachers dig their heels in (and I'm pretty sure I'm not that bad anyway ). I come from a family of teachers (secondary and sixth form). But in the end, I know* what level DD is at, and in a few years it won't really matter as they'll nearly all have levelled out.

Interesting!! Clearly didn't mean to make that post all bold!

Yes I have two trained teachers in the family too. One is a parent: she eyerolls also.

and that's a conservative estimate teacherwith2kids because reading doesn't work like a conveyor belt ...there will always be a few minutes from one child finishing to the next beginning ...so more than half the day just listening to readers before starting teaching handwriting, spelling, grammar, composition, maths, science, PE, RE, History, Geography, ICT, DT, Art, Music, PSHE

I prefer listening to my pupils 1-1 and we don't do guided reading in my school in any year group but I can't hear every child every day.

I can assure juniper I but just 1poster no split personality :).

Im not dissing guided reading.It has its place.

Maybe im being naive but was led to believe in old school

that the teacher did read once a eek 1 on 1 with child.
also few reading helpers and ta as they signed reading book.

1 was retired lady lovley met her few times.
A couple were pushy mums doing it to compare where their dd was.

During year 2 as she was low i was told she would be heard daily by various people.

But it dident necessarily benefit her she was stuck on same level for ages ginn4 moving to ginn5.

I think if parents queering their levels then teacher should ensure just to check one to one as well.

If childs being assesed end of year then yes should do both for purpose of that assessment as some kids will be fine in guided reading others may not.

I must admit dd loved to get some attention from teacher they all do and love praise of things they do well think most kids do.
I think if properly vetted and trained i cant see what damage one to one reading could do.

I think its about teachers knowing their kids and which approach is best for that child and adapting their approach to get the best from that child.As a teacher I be concerened of childs stagnating and maybe offer parent more advice or step up reading with that child.
I dont know if they have tracker chart maybe they dont realise themselves ho long that childs been on that level sometimes things just click and they can make rapid progress.

I do feel in inafant years reading should be prioriterised as its difficult to access otyher subjects if they cant read only in paper other day was kids gcses hindered as they couldent read the exam paper.

Its not teachers fault we doing too much at keystage 1.
we should be doing less topics spending more time and more detail.But thats just my opiniom.

Considering kids in other countries dont start until much later we wouldent be missing out on much.

Brycie, maybe you should become a teacher advisor!

I don't think anybody is saying that 1:1 reading is not valuable, but WHEN do you think the teacher should do it, and what should the the children do in the time it takes to spend real quality time with one child?

If you read for about 20 minutes every night with your year 2 child (as I expect you do) and obviously you are doing a good job at it, as it's easy isn't it? then why would an extra five minutes with the teacher make such a massive difference?

18th-early 19th? mrz sorry for not seeing earlier

I don't think it needs to be every day by a teacher. Well here's my view, which you probably think is worthless, but here it is. They should read one to one every day in school with a TA, parent, dinner lady, head, school dog. They should read twice a week with the teacher one to one if possible, if not then at least once, one to one, every week.

Yes I'd love to be a teacher advisor but a. I don't know what one is and b. teachers don't like advice

And what would you like the other children to be doing for the 5 hours (conveyor belt stylee ) that the teacher is reading one to one?

Serious question.

If the primary timetable was not so chocca block with subjects then more time could be spent on the basics.

If a teacher never, ever does 1:1 reading how can they properly assess a child?

How can dd teacher give me a list of what she believes is so very wrong (that is miles away from the reader she is at home) when she has never given her a chance 1:1?

Gosh do they have to do it all the same time on the same day? I had no idea.
I had no idea teachers were so bad at organising their time they couldn't work out that they could do 20 mins in the morning and 20 mins in the afternoon. Stilll, if you say so.

When the teachers are doing it they can be reading or have colouring in letters set, the sort of independent work you normally try to encourage. Is this a problem? Is there a reason why this can't happen?

When parents are reading they can be doing anything else apart from maths or something messy.

20 minutes - that's 3 children in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. So 5 times a week - that's only once a week, Brycie.

You want the children to colour in for 40/80 minutes a day? Seriously?

18th -early 19th century we still didn't have universal education in the UK but more children were accessing education (in this period education became more available across the classes and genders- girls went to school! ) so an increase in literacy levels reflects this widening of availability and has nothing to do with methods of instruction.

Oh my gosh - tough one -- half an hour in the morning, half an hour in the afternoon? If they're Y2 they can be reading. For that matter through half of Y1 they can be reading. Is there no other independent work they can do than colouring in? My children were given adding up books, handwriting copy books, books books. They worked in class without a teacher teaching them. Work was given out and they did it.

~For that matter, so did I! Why has it suddenly become so difficult?

What was the method of instruction ?

Brycie,

I'm afraid that you do need to address Feenie's question if you are to be taken seriously. What are the other children to be doing in those 5 hours?

In a class a did work experience the TA lead a session or read a story while the teacher did her 1:1.

Yes, I sort of did. Perhaps you missed it teacher? I think we may have cross posted.

"Half an hour in the morning, half an hour in the afternoon? If they're Y2 they can be reading. For that matter through half of Y1 they can be reading. Is there no other independent work they can do than colouring in? My children were given adding up books, handwriting copy books, books books. They worked in class without a teacher teaching them. Work was given out and they did it. "

DD is in reception and reads with her teacher every week (it is timetabled in) and at the beginning of the year we got a letter saying what day our child would be reading with the teacher...

She does not read with all the kids in the same day.

DD also seems to be reading with the head of EYFS on another day when her teacher has time off for planning lessons...,she also has a guided reading lesson ("mummy today I read with X,Y and Z, we took turns").

Blueschool: I haven't liked to assume there is a TA. I would hope that Reception would have TAs in which case hopefully there would be a lot more guided reading. But they seem to be in quite a shortage. But yes, if there's a TA it shouldn't be a problem at all.

"in which case hopefully there would be a lot more guided reading"

Gosh I would never say that - I meant to say "a lot more one to one reading"

Brycie, I think that you have to ask the question:

Overall, will children make more progress if:

• they do colouring in or similar 'makework' (as in, work that keeps them busy but does not move their learning forward) for 40 - 60 minutes a day BUT have 5 minutes of teacher's time for 1 to 1 reading OR
• They have teacher-supported, proper work that moves their learning forward IN EVERY LESSON (an Ofsted requirement, by the way, for a school not to be served with a 'Requires Improvement') but have a 25 minute reading lesson every day, in which for one day a week they read in a small group with a teacher's full attention....