Is it unusual for a child to stay on the same book band all year?

[CairngomRockHunter]

Just wanting some perspective really, how unusual is it for a child to stay on the same colour cool band all year?

BOOK band, not cool band!

My little girl was on the same band for a year in year one and has only moved up one band this year, she's end of year two on stage 3 but does have Sen, it depends what level your child is on as further on its not just about how they read but also about understanding etc might be worth asking your teacher for the reasons they haven't moved your little one up this year.

I listen to readers in YR and I think there are 3 or 4 still on Level 1. DD2 is on a higher level, but only her second level this year

I am sure it happens more than you would think, it also depends I expect on what the level is. For example you could have a child on a very low level for a very long time because they just haven't got the basics yet, level 6ish is a level where the teachers REALLY expect fluency, comprehension, expression etc as a whole package so I could imagine a child spending a long time on that and then with some of the higher ones it can be linked to building stamina, tackling more complex sentence structure and punctuation, understanding the use of different types of words and so on.
I think (as a complete bookworm) that I would ask to speak to the teacher and ask what the child was struggling with/needed to focus on.

Have you noticed a problem with the books being the wrong level when you read them at home or do you think it is right?

No obvious problems or issues with reading. He is on level 9 at school. His favourite 'party trick' when reading at home is to read them either upside down or with a mirror !!!

I can't seriously go into school and ask them. I am 'that' parent .

Of course you can ask his teacher to reassess his reading if his current books are presenting no challenge to him.

If you're concerned then there's absolutely no reason why you can't go in and speak to his teacher. I spoke to my 4yr old DD's Reception teacher recently about the very same thing and she was very receptive, assessed her reading the next day and moved her up immediately. I don't think she'd quite realised how well my DD was reading so since i spoke to her, i've found she's been reading with her much more (rather than the TA) and has been challenging her much more which is what she has needed, so it definitely helped me going to see her.

The higher the book level generally the longer they are on them as there are more skills to acquire.

If you feel this book level is too easy you can always ask for them to be re-assessed or are there any skills lacking that he needs to master before moving up.

Which year is he in? If he is young then a lot of it can be down to maturity ( or lack of)...

What's 'that' parent?

I think once they are above level 8 it is much more hit and miss to be honest. looking at the difference between a level 8 scheme book and a level 10 there isn't much to pick up on but the skills to go with the levels are different.

You could have 2 children capable of reading the same text fluently and understanding it but on different reading levels because of their 'other' reading skills. The jump between say 9 and 11 would (I assume) include the stamina and ability to read a chapter book rather than a short book if that makes sense. Reading actual ability might be the same but maturity, interest, ability to follow a story over several days and so on might be different.

If he is reading them so easily at home I would have a quiet word and just say that he is doing these 'tricks' (we get them when it is too easy) and see what they say. It may well be that when he reads at school he is messing around with it so they are waiting for him to stop doing that. It could be they are waiting for him to gain in maturity or develop another skill, it could be that due to age (if he was still in reception for example) they are holding him at that level because he hasn't had the opportunity to develop the other skills they want them to have to move up the levels. Some schools are much more relaxed about it than others, some like them to be able to demonstrate all the NC requirements before moving up, others see the levels as being separate to NC levels in a sense so base it on their ability to read, enjoy and understand the text without being able to write a synopsis to go with it or whatever other things they have with the NC levels.

To be honest though if he is on level 9 then he can read anything and everything at home so it probably doesn't matter what level he is on at school and he will have a new teacher soon. I would just invest in a few library trips or some new books for the summer holiday and they will reassess him in september anyway. Try the Sainsbury's early readers/corgi ones (they are the same titles) as they are early chapter books, £3 each and they have about 20 titles all on different things so would appeal to lots of children, most of them humerous.

DS only has 6 weeks left at infant school but has been on the same book band since the 2nd term of Y1 so over a year now.

I have been considering speaking the the teacher as I am fairly certain his NC level is higher than that book band from what they have said and based on SATs results. It is the last book band they have but they do have a free reader set of books also but no one seems to be on it.

I was told they considered him a free reader in YR but he was on levelled books for guided reading etc.

I have been getting mixed messages as they told me they had never had a reader at his level in the school and needed to buy higher level books for him yet they have never moved him up.

I am debating if it is worth even bothering to discuss it with 6 weeks to go TBH.

just to add apparently his understanding is there also based on what the teacher said and SATs scores so I am a bit confused but also hate having to ask the teacher these things as don't want to be a pain.

The problem with not discussing things is will it be the same next year? Is it the teacher or the school which is keeping a child's reading static?

My DS is moving schools as its a stand alone infant school, I think part of the problem is if they move him up he will not have a guided reading group to work with.

I think I will ask them just as its bothering me maybe.

Lots of children seem anecdotally to be doing guided reading at levels lower than their home reading book. It seems, from what some mums have said, to be fairly normal. Others don't seem to do guided reading at all. If you ask you get some info. If you don't you don't.

MrsM my son is in Y1 and off the reading scheme, but for guided reading he reads reading scheme books with the rest of his group (who vary between about stage 9 and up I think). Guided reading (as I understand it) seems to be less about the actual reading and more about the themes and ideas that the book is trying to get across.

Thanks flakjacket - so maybe that is why he hasn't actually changed, he doesn't really have home reading books now as they said for him to read what he wants, ie Harry Potter, Horrid Henry, Football Academy or whatever he wants.

I am working more so not really there at pick up etc so I haven't really had chance for a quick word in passing and didn't seem a big enough deal to go in specifically to discuss.

ah ok Mrs Melons - if he doesn't bring home school reading books then they obviously have HIS personal reading level as free reader because he can read anything so has moved through all the levels in that sense but for his NC levels and class work he will be on the level the group are doing for logistical reasons I suppose. The text won't be different enough to affect what he can gain from the session as it is much more about literature appraisal (not sure that is the right word but you know what I mean) than the story or how hard the words are.

The scheme books have sample questions buried in the blurb (or some of them do) and some have a plastic sheet of questions tied inside which can double up as a book mark. But how are parents to know what type of literature appraisal questions to ask their children if their children are no longer using schoolbooks or scheme books for home reading?

I think the thing is learnandsay that all we are supposed to do at home is practice reading as in literally listening to them read not teach them to read. Now in practice some parents will do a much better job of helping teach them to read than others, some will literally listen to them read, some won't do anything and others will listen to them, talk about the book etc and look at other books too. I think they don't 'expect' us to know what to ask them because they don't 'expect' us to do that bit of it.

Thanks periwinkle, that makes sense now. This is why I am reluctant to go in and say something as I do trust they are doing the right thing (most of the time) so don't want to look silly when there is likely to be a logical explanation.

it does sound quite logical to me in your case. (and I am a bit of a reading nut to be honest, I LOVE books, reading, children's books etc and find the whole reading scheme thing and the process of learning to read quite fascinating - yes I know I am odd)

my daughter is on level 11 now from what she is bringing home (I thought she was on 10 but they seem to all be 11s now) but when she finishes those I am not sure what they do as she is still young. We will probably find out in a term or so when she runs out of books.

I see what you mean. But the blurb on some scheme books explicitly instructs parents to do exactly that. I'd imagine teachers are OK with that otherwise they wouldn't be sending the books home, or buying schemes with instructions for parents in them.

But from a parents point of view I suppose the interesting bit is whether once the child is so good at the mechanical aspects of reading that she doesn't need school reading books any more, if anyone as a parent believes that she is still "teaching" her child to read?

If the child can already read it's unlikely. But some families discuss books naturally and others don't. Presumably if teachers don't help parents who aren't natural literature analysts then the naturally bookwormy families are at a permanent advantage.

I think sadly that will always be the case. My children could be rubbish naturally at reading but because our house is full of books and we like reading then they would be hard pushed not to learn something and develop an interest. If I have a bit of spare money then I buy them books, I see them as an investment and the local library isn't great. We have encyclopaedias, reference books, non fiction, stories, picture books. a completely advantaged (literacy wise) family I suppose. The poor little souls whose parents either don't have the knowledge, money, time, skills or inclination will always be at a disadvantage. I don't know how that could be evened out as so much of learning is from exposure to things. Sadly that is probably one reason why literacy rates are so low in some areas, not because the children aren't capable of doing it or being taught it but because the support isn't there.

Possibly, but all the children sit the same exam, so in a narrow sense, if they've had the same lessons, apart from natural ability, they should have an equal chance of answering the comprehension questions correctly.