my child reads and write at top level, but her Phonics group is not!!!

[B4r4joon]

My daughter is a very bright child at Y1...she is reading and writing very well...however when it came to grouping them, she is not been located in the top group in Phonics, although she reads the same level and writes the same as those children on the top group. This is very confusing for her amd me, as I dont understand on what basis this happened. She can be at times shy and she observes her peers very well and learn from them as she is bi-lingual. In the gropu she is in now, the difference between the level she reads and the level of some other children is huge...perhaps 7 colour reading band!!!

This has affecte dmy childs confidence as she thinks she hasnt been good enough, or why she is reading the same book as her reading partner, and he/she is in another group. ALl confusing for me, I am gonna talk to the teacher tomorrow, and I dont know how to say it. i dont want to convey that I dont trust their judgment, but this is gonna hold my child back and crashes her confidence, as the groups are gonna stay the same until the end of teh year! Can I ask the teacher to move my child to the other group? Is Phonics the knowledge that they learn to apply to their writing and reading, so how can she read and write higher than her phonics knowledge? She is already reading sounds that she has not been officially taught, by working it out on herself....

"I have to wonder what percentage of early years teachers stick to the guidelines" but they aren't guidelines IWipeArses, they are legal requirements so I would imagine only very foolish teachers are going to knowingly break the law. Of course there are schools were staff are under pressure to rush children and introduce concepts they aren't developmentally able to understand.

Lots aren't ready at 4 or 5 either though.

Having taught reception for two decades I would disagree that lots aren't.

The 'bottom' table in DS class has the most children on it.

does that mean they aren't ready?

I've got to say that would be another negative for the school ...bottom table

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure that our school doesn't do anything horrid like have top tables and bottom tables. But if it did that would sure be an incentive for me to prep my child at home. Would you want your child sitting at the bottom table?

Not sure what they have in reception but from yr1 onwards they are put onto ability tables.

The children are not told but work it out pretty quickly (who is where - well DS did anyway )

We don't have ability tables in any year group and children move tables lesson to lesson (or even activity to activity)

The bottom table blows goats really badly. What's that all about?!!

im not sure about reception dont think that was set.
I dident realise about tables until half way through year 1
at end of year 1was told dd bottom table.
she started year 2 on bottom table really made her feel rubbish as .lot of her freinds were on higher tables.

new school doesnt really do bottom /top tables within class although its mixed year 1/2 so all year 2 sit together. but some things like guided reading, phonics and handwriting is ability set but much more discreet and less competative amongst the children than old school was.

I think some of the teachers should be made to sit on the bottom table for a few months and let's see how they feel about it.

I'd love to sit on the bottom table (if I had one) it would be a change from standing all day but seriously I think teachers often feel they are "on the bottom table" by articles in the press, statements from good old Mr Gove and parents. Apparently I'm a bad teacher because I let a child wear her wellies all day

I can't speak much about Mr Gove because I don't know much about him beyond the fact that he's presiding over education in a period where half of the system seems to be taking the other half to court which is so bizarre that if it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

Who said that about the wellies?!

It's not called the bottom table, all the tables are named for animals, but it's obvious which table is the top table and which is the bottom. Not too sure about the other two tables.

Mrz - sorry, another question.

One of the things my ds likes about the ability groups, is he is usually working with children who are at a similar level, and are focussed on their work.

So, in maths, for instance, he sits with a boy who he works very well with. They enjoy the work, and bounce off each other.

In subjects such as history etc, they mix the tables up. I do agree this is fine, but the children do moan if they are sitting next to a child who messes about, and doesn't enjoy the subject.

Also, how do you get around the situation where a child who is working at year 6 level is sitting with a child who is at year 3 level? Does this not demoralise them more than having separate groups? I'm not sure half the children in the class are fully aware of the spread of ability at the moment.

Just wondering how you manage it?

The mother of a child in my class in her letter of complaint

Just because they are sitting together doesn't mean they are doing identical work. The level 3 child may have resources to support their work or they may use different methods of recording, the teacher will use questioning aimed at each child's ability and done well it shouldn't be obvious to anyone.
Last week I was observing in KS2 and in one lesson the Y6 class moved groups/partners 3 times. The whole lesson was slick and the children were buzzing and not a single disruption they aren't allowed.

If the teacher is imaginative I'm sure even the silliest boy can focus. For example if he's only interested in dinosaurs, soldiers or aeroplanes then he can be working on one of those subjects in his history lesson.

I'm afraid not learnandsay

Oh no? Why not?

In yr2 they have to cover The Great Fire of London so all the pupils do the same thing...

My DC teachers probably wouldn't know what floats my kids boats outside of school as they have set things to teach (not so much for DD as she is in reception).

I also know that yr1 were learning about Florence Nightingale the other week when I was reading with some of them.

because it's unlikely you are going to have level 6 and level 3 in a Y2 class more likely Y6

Also if my some miracle there was a level 5or6 child and a level 3 child in the same class (say yr3 - unlikely but just as an example) both kids would be interested in learning about the Romans and Myths and Legends (which is what DS has done in yr3).

According to Pepys' diary, on the orders of the king, Lord Arlington and the Duke of York had soldiers pulling houses down in order to create a wind break in order to stop the fire from spreading. (It didn't work.) Soldiers and their work is a constant thread throughout civilisation. I'd rather have a child who knew much about soldiers, their families and livelihoods throughout history than one who only had a patchy grasp of history or no grasp of it at all.