Should my reception twins be on higher reading levels?

[lovessummer]

My 5 year old twins are nearing the end of reception & every time I read reception reading threads on here, it makes me worry! One is on green ORT & one is on blue. We read loads of books etc in the house & I realise i could push it more, but to be honest, feel they are knackered most evenings and want to relax at weekends. They get two books a week & we read them a few times during the week. They are always confident by end of week if not on first or second read through. But by end of year, they are clearly not going to be on higher levels. It's a pushy middle class school, so I am presuming most of the other kids will be on higher levels. (One mum said in passing her child had been given a poetry book last week) On MN all the children seem to be on much higher levels by end of reception. I guess what I am asking is should I be pushing them more and going in to request more books, as I know they are capable- they are bright and engaged with a love of books? Or shall I just leave it to work itself out & not pressure them in their last few weeks of school? We'll do lots of reading over the holidays I am sure. Are they reassessed in September? Maybe they could catch up then?

I always think on these sorts of post that the advice should be to change schools!

Both my DC finished Reception on blue.
DS was in the top quarter of his year.
DD was in the top few of her class (think there were only a couple of better readers).
Most of the year group (both DC) was on pink or red.

School results at end of Y2 were average to above average based on national ones.

Come to my DC's school and your twins can be geniuses!

Sock you can't compare.Said higher child may have just started a newer level and will have far harder words to decode,harder punctuation and more text on a page ie a more challenging read.I'm sure he/she could be just as fluent on a lower band.

They ebb and flow.

At the end of the day kids differ and comparing can be counter productive as you don't know the full picture.

If their teachers are happy and the school is doing well with good results I wouldn't worry though.

Sock, yes, blue/green is great but it's not white or lime. It's all relative. But the rules and reasons for which child is reading which book are multifarious, so comparing between schools is a bit silly.

Blue skies - I'm not comparing as I don't know said child, however my SIL was comparing and she has read with this child all year - in her own words 'the school want to get the kids through the levels as quickly as possible' - therefore they have a child on a higher level who can read ok but makes a lot of mistakes, isn't using as much expression and isn't very clear or fluent. My point to the OP is to try not to compare - her school may take the slow and steady approach - other schools may be fast tracking but the underpinning knowledge isn't as good. As long as her children are enjoying reading and are where they are supposed to be ( which clearly they are, if not a little above expected levels actually ) then she shouldn't worry about what reading level other children are on. Her kids are doing great.

DS2 has just moved onto blue but FS1 was a few ahead of this when he left reception.

They are all different and it sounds like your DT are doing well and enjoying it.

For me enjoyment is the key.

Learnandsay - White and Lime is not expected for a reception child - even green level is slightly above expectations so just trying to make the point that yes her children are doing brilliantly for reception. Not referring to you specifically but feel like some women on mumsnet cause other mums to worry unnecessarily about their children because they like to brag about their children's reading levels a little too much. So to say that green level is not brilliant when it clearly is great really gets my back up to be honest.

How do you know re other schools not underpinning the knowledge?

I've had kids reading very challenging books in rec which they needed to be on and others at levels far lower which suited them.

My 5 year old Ds (yr 1) is only on blue, he was still on red at the end of reception. I'm not concerned and nor are his teachers, he's the youngest in his year and is improving steadily all the time.

My 7 year old Dd1 (yr 2) was the same but has come on much faster this year, she is currently reading lime with no problem so should imagine she'll be free reader by the end of term.

I agree re MN bragging but some kids will need very challenging books in rec.It doesn't mean parents of the rest should worry I agree.

Kids differ- birth,home environment,maturity,ability,memory etc.

It really is a marathon and not a sprint which is why I say foster the love of reading instead of focusing on levels.The best readers are those that read- a lot!Aint going to happen if they don't adore it.

How often do the school read with your children? My dd is in reception and I notice in her reading comments book they only seem to read with her ever 2-3 weeks. Is this normal? It seems very little to me. I read with her every day but she is a very reluctant reader.

ooh I am intrigued noisytoys what a Y could stand for!

Unless someone is confused about reading levels, in which case, ideally they should speak to the teacher, she should have a balanced view of them. That green is neither white nor lime is only a fact about colours. It shouldn't upset anyone. (And neither while nor lime have anything to do with my daughter.)

If someone is upset about reading levels it can be of great help to express that upset on mumsnet. She probably won't get the answer from mumsnet, but what she will get is a thorough exploration of the issues which is worthwhile in itself. Personally I don't think it makes any sense to be upset if another child in the same class is on a higher reading level. But if another child in another school (or via mumsnet) is on (or alleged to be on) a higher reading level and someone gets upset then that's just crazy. The best thing to do in that case is stay away from mumsnet. It's only a web forum.

Blue skies - I just tend to think that learning to read is not a race, I'm certain that some schools have pupils who need to be on a much higher level because the children have done a lot of reading at home and are very fluent in their reading - but then I also think there are a lot of schools like my SIL school that likes to get the kids through the levels as fast as they can and that just seems pointless to me.
As far as my own twins go, we read a lot of different books at home and I know that in reality they are probably capable of reading a few levels above green but if the school take a slow and steady approach then I'm happy to go with it because their reading is very clear and concise so taking it steady obviously has its benefits.
OP - You're twins are doing great, don't compare with people on mumsnet as there are a lot of very pushy parents on here, a high proportion of privately educated children - and to be honest I think people whose children are on a normal reading level are scared of posting in case it makes them look bad.

ds2 is still on pink (again not 5 yet). DS1 was also on pink (or red can't quite remember) and now in year 2 reads on the top band fluently.

My Little Diva - my daughter in reception is heard read twice a week to TAs or helpers and can have up to 3 book changes a week

Sock not necessarily so,not all the schools I've taught in had pushy parents,far from it. Many never, ever heard their dc read.I had to hear readers though every lunch hour in one as it was simply only me listening to them, however much I nagged.Still had very able readers in rec. Reading a lot at home can help (if it's not a chore or pressure) but as I said kids can differ in maturity,when it clicks,inclination etc.

Rec is a huge year,they are learning masses of new things and as I said kids don't learn in a linear fashion.Those worrying now may all find they suddenly zoom on in year 1 which is why I'd concentrate more on fostering the love of reading if there are no issues.

Thanks peri. It really doesn't seem enough, do you think I should approach the school about this?

They don't even seem to have any system to know what level the children are on. I have never been told what reading level books dd is on. I change her books or she would just come home with the same one.

mylittle, that sounds totally unacceptable. But it also sounds far far too disorganised to fix this late in the year. I'd hope that things are better next year. But if they are not I would approach the head directly with a list of written concerns.

Yes my thinking that it was too late also, hoping for better in year 1.

They do white boards and the rest seems to be free play. I thought this was the new approach to learning so didn't want to be too pushy with the school but can now see that they are doing too little.

Teachers have to do all sorts of assessments on the children. Those assessments aren't optional and they're nationwide too. It's not upto individual teachers to choose to assess this or that. So, I'd be surprised if the teachers have no idea what level the children are on. But the teachers' view of what level a particular child is on might be completely different from mum's view. And the school might be hopeless at communicating with the parents about what exactly is going on. On the other hand maybe the class (or whole school) is actually in chaos and is not fulfilling its obligations.

Thanks everyone for so many reassuring replies!!! I don't know what I was worried about! I think it is the kind of school that concentrates on getting the building blocks right rather than whizzing through the levels (except for those who clearly are able to whizz through and need more of a challenge obviously.). I hope so anyway! I guess I worry more about ensuring they reach their potential. I don't know what they should be doing, so I just assume that the pace the school sets is the right one. We have been reading other books with them- the Oxford phonics ones and library ones etc. Which they do seem to enjoy more. And they seem more able with other books. It just seems to take forever with the school reading books. They generally are confident with them the next night after they get them and then there is nearly a week to wait till the next ones. But they seem to be insisting they have every single one from each stage before moving up regardless of their ability. At two a week, I see my life stretching before me!! Hence my question about whether they are reassessed in the beginning of Y1 so they may be able to skip a few books at some point! But in a school with very keen parents, I guess I worry that we aren't pushing them forward too. I would hate for them to get left behind. But yes a few of you have commented that its reception and its important not to get too hung up on the reading books. I am frustrated that I have got lured into this, as before they started all I wanted was for them to come out of their first year happy, confident and with a few new friends! I thought that was the most important thing. (& they have achieved that) But I obviously I also want to be sure I do the best for them. But you have all made me feel so much better. I should have posted a while ago, rather than lurking in other posts and feeling worried!

I do think (hope) it's a communication thing im sure they do know what level she is at. Will see what is said in the school report.

I do feel that they should be reading with dd more but I feel they think it is up to the parents. I do read with dd every day but she still finds reading very difficult and would have hoped for more support.

Websites like mumsnet make other mothers feel very insecure. Many posters are probably pathological liars when they post about their children's achievments. Being anomonous website posters can write whatever bullshit they like!

There is a huge range of ages and development in reception. The oldest child will be 5 in september where as the youngest will have just turned four the week before. A year's maturity makes a dramatic difference to language skills memory, gross and fine motor skills.

My son was not a free reader until year 3, but he did really well in his key stage 1 SATs. Comprehension is every bit as important as barking at print.

Have just realised from looking at the book bands in the link a poster suggested, that whilst the books they are on are ORT blue and green covers (i.e. the 'floppy, oh floppy' ones), looking at that website, that doesn't correlate with blue and green bands. It's more like red. Now I am wondering all over again if I should worry?!!

Well, sure they can. But if people are going to get an insecurity complex from reading mumsnet then they should stop reading it. Whoever said that people were supposed to take what you read on the internet seriously?