DCs starting a new school after half term...what do I take? Should I mention G&T?

[FishfingersAreOK]

Due to a move my DC (YR & Y2) are starting at a new primary school on Monday. When we left their old school on Friday I was given all of their work/folders/old reading records etc.

Not so worried about YR stuff but should I take Y2 literacy/numeracy/handwriting stuff in with us for the first day for the new school. Or would that look...er....I don't know...unnecessary? Would it be useful or just a pain?

Also, Y2 is on the Gifted and Talented register for her reading. Not sure how this has actually benefitted her tbh. She doesn't know she is on the register. We are not that bothered in many ways. We were happy she was being stretched at her old school - and she was happy and thriving. So again, is there any need to mention it? The new school is bigger, and one of the appeals of it is there will be more peers for DD (Y2) of a similar academic ability - rather than her being pulled into Y3/Y4 classes. If I don't mention it will it seem odd? If I do will I seem pushy? Does the G&T transfer to a new school IYSWIM or will it just be dependent on the others in her year.

These are probably all questions I should have asked the school(s) last week but we only found out they had places on Thursday and everyone agreed beginning of the half term was the sensible time to start....but has left me with very little time to get my head around it!

Not sure if posting in correct area....Oh....blasted half term

domestic, you can't be implying that, by contrast, the school's job is to supply an unimaginative and boring supply of books, can you?

I think I've made the point before, a release mechanism from the scheme (call it G&T) call it what you will) is only necessary because the scheme books are artificially formulaic. If the schools used real books then a release mechanism wouldn't be necessary.

A lot of schools do use "real" books as well as reading scheme ones, that's why The Gruffalo and Winnie the Witch is levelled at stage 9 and Horrid Henry books at stage 11/12.

I guess the next stage, if our school has any, is to give them to the children.

The school does seem to have a supply problem in which the better books are already being used by older children.

Another incorrect assumption L&S being on the G&T is NOT a release mechanism

You can call it what you like, being excused reading the endless stream of tripe I've seen so far is a release mechanism.

Yes you can call it what you like but being G&T doesn't excuse you from anything L&S

Yes of course, that's exactly what I'm implying .

Learning to read is a process - most children couldn't just pick up The Gruffalo and start reading. They need to learn the basic sounds and combinations of sounds before they start building them up and moving on. The scheme has worked brilliantly for my DS1 and I really don't understand why you find the books nonsensical. Yes they're repetitive but they're supposed to be! If your child doesn't understand the books then she's clearly not G&T .

I think she understands them fine. I'm the one who doesn't. She's currently reading Fantastic Mr Fox and Hans Andersen at home. I'm not quite sure why we've got a Boff & Kopper book in the book bag.

But this thread isn't abut the G&T of my daughter (or lack of it) it's about whether or not mums should mention it to the new school. And I think if you don't you're daft and you deserve everything you get.

You sound like every teacher's worst nightmare L&S .

And is your deliberate misspelling of Biff & Kipper suppsed to be funny?

So your daughter is happily reading other books at home - what a total non issue.

Supposed

The issue is whether or not a child needs to go through all the crap books. If she's [sensibly classified] G&T doubtless she doesn't.

I should only be a nightmare to a teacher who can't give a child the appropriate reading book. If, as you suggest, that's every teacher, then perhaps Mr Gove is right after all!

The point is, L&S, that the new teacher will assess the child's reading (taking into account any information coming from the previous school if it is supplied, simply through his / her own assessment if not) and put them onto an appropriate reading book, however the child is or is not labelled. It's what we do, daily.

If you believe that your school has not properly assessed your child's reading and therefore isn't given the correct reading matter to move her forward, there are two possible explanations:

• they are too rigid in their use of a reading scheme [as I say, I am aware of 1 RL school which is guilty of this - but only 1] OR

• their assessment of your child's ability is different from your own, perhaps because in the classroom she is not showing what she is truly able to do, OR because she is unable to replicate the supported reading she does at home in less supported environments OR because they are looking for her to develop specific skills (such as robust methods for reading wholly new words by sounding them out) before moving her on to books containing a large number of these.

Which do you think is most likely? =The situation that you describe with your daughter is IME unusual.

I've heard several people who are familiar with Reception readers saying that none of the Reception children are on higher bands than blue. So, I'd imagine my situation is not that unusual.

The solution, obviously, is for my daughter and other to prioritise non school books. But if someone posts asking how should they approach school schemes, mums whose children are stuck with a pile of shit reading books can happily post their opinions.

Odd. Highest child in my last school's reception class in a deprived area was on lime by this time last year - and that was very typical.

Have you had an open and in no way demanding discussion with your DD's teacher in which she has explained to you how she has assessed your DD's reading to date and thus placed her in a particular point on the scheme? And also how the scheme is used as your daughter progresses? Perhaps even more useful if your DD is there and reads for you both from a variety of books, so that you can hear your DD's teacher's thoughts as well as having your own opinions on it? Do you understand how the scheme works in practice? IS it one in which every book must be read, or is the school actually more flexible than you think but simply assess your DD's reading in a different way to you?

(I did once have a parent of a child with significant SEN coming in to insist that he could read The Hobbit ... a very short session in which he read to us both was sufficient to resolve the issue)

I don't mean, btw, that lime was typical. I mean that it was normal for one or two able pupils to be at very much higher levels than others, with bands ranging from pink, a majority on yellow / blueish, all the way up to white or lime. It may be that in some schools no Reception children need to be on bands higher than blue and by reading blue they are moving their learning forward. It will depend on the cohort.

And I will say again that I am sorry that your DD's school has not invested in good new reading schemes and banded proper books - plenty of funding has been available to replace these in recent years. However, the fact that one school makes poor choices does not mean that your experience should push others into making oor decisions when moving schools.

"I've heard several people who are familiar with Reception readers saying that none of the Reception children are on higher bands than blue. So, I'd imagine my situation is not that unusual."

Who are these people?

When I taught reception my spread of book bands at this stage in the year was red to gold/white.

I don't know about varying policies, but I've heard it commented that none went to Y1 already higher than blue. I don't know why. But I would have thought it unlikely that in all of the classes where this happened not one of the children could suitably read higher books. If you can effortlessly read a blue book you can read a green one.

As far as my own daughter is concerned since her last reading promotions I haven't spoken to the teacher. But I shall have one last discussion with her before the end of the year in order to see if some progress can be made.

L&S I think your situation is due to a conflict of opinion regarding your daughter's reading needs

Ooh, mrz, that is SOOO much more politely put than I could have managed! I shall remember that phrase!

How would either of you know?