with so many children ending year 1 on levels 2a/3c etc....

[xxwowxx]

I just wonder what levels they get on year 2 and 3...? It seems like all kids here are geniuses, who are years ahead of them, the question is, are they really this good? are all these 5/6 years old working at the same level of a year 3 or 4, some maybe but I doubt that many kids achieve this... I mean a year 1 child with a level lets say 2a would have to finish year 2 on level 3a in order to make 3 sublevels progress, I mean isn't this ridiculous? Either there are a LOT of geniuses or a lot of liars...

My ds is amazing at maths. Seriously amazing- he's in reception and is working way above his age group. However, school also have him down as amazing at reading but I really don't think he is - he is nowhere near as good as other kids I read about on here! And writing - he's definitely not amazing at that! I mean he's doing ok for reception but still reverses some letters and would never sit and attempt to write a story or anything.

But I agree with other posts - I can say on here he's amazing at maths, I can't say it irl (except to my mum of course!) so anyone from his school might not realise there's a kid multiplying 2 digit numbers in the reception class. I'd say they probably wouldn't! And if there's a similar child in every class in every school or more than 1, and at different things, it stands to reason that there may well be lots on mn! And these are the type of parents who would have concerns/questions that they want to ask anonymously about how their child will fare in the state system.

Ah, I see, that is how it differs to our school. There they read up to lime in KS1 and then become a free reader until they start juniors when they start the 12-16 level books. Which DS1 found quite hard - going from reading what he wanted in KS1 to having to stick to school readers at school (They can read what they like at home as long as we discuss it with them). He complains that the stories are boring in comparison to what he likes reading, but I think it is actually the comprehension stuff alongside the school readers that he doesn't like really ie. reading with effort rather than for enjoyment.

I agree Cat. I don't think my daughter's reading is amazing or exceptional, she isn't reading as well as my sister and I were at the same age but she is doing very well and obviously is doing better than they expect them to in reception. Does it mean she is a genius? not on its own it doesn't no. I think she IS very bright but that is a) because I am biased and b) because of other things not based on her reading. Do I think she could be further on/is capable of more? yes if she was taught on her level, is it likely to happen? no but I am sure the school will do their best.

that makes sense LittleMissGreen. The first 2 years of our school don't have access to the library because of the separate site so I suppose that is probably why they hold off making them free readers. I will be interested to see if they want my daughter to read the school scheme books in September or whether they will let her read her own chapter books. It depends on what their focus is I suppose. If they really are just using them as books for them to read then I can't see they would care too much assuming what she takes in is an appropriate level or harder.
It makes more sense to use the higher level ones for in class reading IMO rather than put them off reading completely by making them do them at home.

i am a bit confused by all the different levels, I don't really mind what my kids get as long as they are healthy and happy. I have 4 DC ranging from 8-18, and as another poster said it does seem to level out as they get older. My eldest is expecting good A'level results, keeping fingers (and toes crossed)
My youngest who is 8 and leaving yr 3 is I am told a bright boy.
His report today was smashing, his grades were 4a in everything.
I think that's fairly good. DS is no genius, just a happy bubbly 8 yr old, he enjoys school, and finds things easy. From past experience I imagine it will all just even out in the end though.

I think a lot of schools will have a ceiling on what level they award at each year, which they don't necessarily reveal. This doesn't necessarily mean that they're limitting the child, but in a lot of ways I'd rather that they did a lot of sideways stretching rather than dash them through the levels, which may be the temptation, and often what parents would expect to see.

I think I'd prefer not to have levels given except at the key times. Maybe a tick next to "working above expected levels" "working at expected levels" or "working below expected levels" with an explanation as to how that applies to your child.

I don't think anyone said children reading the higher level books were said to be working at the higher NC levels, I certainly didn't. I said they were reading the books

But they DO say that. They look at grids, see their child is reading books beyond lime level and assume that means their child has a NC level of at least a 3c!

DD2 isn't performing at that level! She's 1b for maths and 1a for reading/writing. Just where she should be.

My dc's school class a 2c at the end of year 1 as 'average'.

I'm assuming this means that a good percentage of the year one children are level 2 at the end of year one, and a fair few will have reached the top of that level/level 3.

I wouldn't say they are geniuses (sp?) or liars.

State, non-selective primary ...if that makes a difference.

The school I volunteer in say a 2C/1A is average for them at end of yr1 (I would not know I am in reception).

My DC school aim for a 1A in reading and every other subject to be a 1B.

Their KS1 results are not fab but KS2 results are good.

Official National Curriculum points tracker shows 1B/1A as 'expected' for Year 1.

I think that this shows why parents aren't generally provided with levelling information, although of course it is freely available on the internet. For me (and from my knowledge of our school as a governor) our school will only put the children up reading levels if they are working at the correct 'level of comprehension'. Which is why they tend to keep children in KS1 away from the higher level books (there are rare instances where this isn't the case, because a child really is gifted in literacy and able to cope with the comprehension level of the higher books).
Blue books (level 14) are described as:
"Blue level

Children reading at Blue level will be reading between National Curriculum level 4B and 4A. They will be able to gather information from more than one place in the text and use inference based on what is shown rather than being told. This allows for greater complexity in building character and setting.

How to support your child reading Blue level books

The books at this level are written in a much more subtle way than in previous levels which means that it is important that the reader is fully engaged with the process of reading and alert to the language and vocabulary the writer is using. This level is more advanced than many books that are sold to adults but these stories are not intended to be just ?leisure reads?. Although your child should enjoy them, the books need the reader to be fully alert and willing to learn.
You can help them by:
? continuing to make a time available for regular quiet reading sessions, and reading your book while your child reads.
? Suggest that your child invites friends who are also reading the book to a ?Book Group?. If you skim-read the book first ? or ask your child?s teacher ? you can prepare some questions for the book group to discuss.
? Before a reading session, ask your child to find and note down some particular information. It could relate to the plot or it could be something like: a really good descriptive passage; three words which are adventurous; two words you want to use in your next piece of writing; an example of something typical a character does or says; how one character?s reaction to another shows their relationship ? There are lots of questions you can ask which don?t mean you have to know the book yourself, but just serve to alert your child to its possibilities.
and it would be expected that children reading those books would be reading them with the comprehension expected, rather than for pleasure. "

Equally, if a school provides these books for younger children to read for pleasure I guess it isn't an issue, as long as the parents aren't sat scouring the internet assuming their child is working at a level 4 just because they are reading the books.

but what books should a younger child read if they are needing more of a challenge? my daughter has read an enormous amount of poetry as well as non fiction. lots of the old jackdaws books which have fiction mixed with traditional tales from other cultures etc. last night we were talking about native Canadian Indians as a result so i try to widen her reading as do school but there is a shortage of books available. she has read 25+ at this level. personally i would prefer her to spend a good few months reading her own early readers and chapter books so i hope they dont make her read the higher bands. i always assumed the NC reading level would come from their guided reading not their personal reading book band. i suppose like you say though people read different things into it.

Once a child has become a free reader they can choose (within reason) what they like to read. DS2 has come home with some very challenging fiction books, and lots of fact books (his favourite type). I know from reading the fiction books with him that they area above his comprehension level so we have discussed them at the level he was able to read them at. They were certainly harder than lime level books he brought home. Equally sometimes he has come home with very easy books, we then discuss them in a completely different way - if you were writing this story how would you have made it more exciting, would you have used the words 'she said' or what would you have chosen instead. I guess that they are working then on 'reading for pleasure', along with learning how to make good choices. The parents do tend to be kept well informed about what specifically their children are working on e.g. at them moment DSs current target is "can you work out what the writer is trying to tell you" i.e. can you make inference from the text even when it isn't actually written down. This is a great target for him, as he is autistic so does tend to be very literal. He will probably be on it for a while. But if we can help him in understanding that everything isn't black or white I will be very pleased.

Within the school they are fairly fluidic about which reading groups children go into. DS (yr 2 next year) will be doing guided reading with year 3 next year as they are at the same comprehension level as him. I have no idea which level of books they will be looking at there, I guess whatever comes after lime, I am assuming (if things are the same as when DS1 was there) that he will still be a free reader in the evenings. DS1 never brought a higher level book home to read as they were definitely only being used for school group reading.

I actually have responsibility for maths as a governor, so know a lot more exactly how the maths teaching works in the school e.g how they set for ability, work out which children in which group etc. which I have found very interesting, as it has made a lot more sense how they work out which outcome (Welsh NC level) children are attaining (doesn't seem as simple as just ticking things off on a list and assuming therefore a child is outcome 5 for example, which I think is the way things can come across from internet lists.)

yes a list of things they need to be able to do does seem very simplistic and clear cut but I know it isn't. I suppose not everyone does. My mum was a teacher so I am used to a lot of it.

That would be good if she was able to do what your son does and read her own things at home and school texts in school but with a clear idea of what to work on. That would suit her very well I think. Her new teacher is apparently so I am sure whatever she does will work well for DD. I think there are quite a lot of things my daughter needs to work on, she CAN read with expression for example but if she is tired she doesn't as her processing problems take up more of her concentration so we need to work with her on that but she is more than capable of doing it when not tired so I am not too concerned.

mind reading with her can take AGES because she has SO much about the story she wants to discuss, why the illustrator drew that face or picked that colour etc and what might be going to happen and what has already happened and why and so on and so on and it can take forever. So much for 10mins reading a day or whatever they say. she takes that long to tell me stuff about virtually every page...

I guess some schools are getting lazy then about what free reading 5 yr olds are being given.

DD has read stage 12/13 books with no problems but is clearly not at that level.

DD's HT is compiling a list of books suitable for her to read over the holidays and I will be interested to see what is on it and also what type of books they will give her next year in yr1.

ooooooh please share with me by PM if you can Simpson when you get it, would be great to have some ideas of what a school think is suitable.

Our school is very limited free reading in reception/yr1 wise I think because the library is on the other site which is probably why they have the scheme books there. I will have to find out in September.

I think it is much better if they read a wider variety of things at their true level rather than move up just because...

What books do they give her at the moment Simpson?

Will do, she promised the list on Monday.

She also wants me to write a list of books that DD has already read (I don't put them in her reading diary) so she does not get books twice.

I just hope DD has not read them all!

(I was having a chat with her re DD's report and what is happening next yr).

On the stuff she gets now its mainly picture books (like The Gruffalo) with the odd little chapter book (not a school scheme one - Angelina the ballerina was one).

thanks - see I wish my daughter was getting things like that, mind to be fair I think we own more books than the school and I am not sure I am exaggerating there.

I didn't know there were Angelina chapter books, will have to look for them.

We also have loads of books too but DD reads at such a quick rate it's hard to keep up sometimes.

Will be interested so see what is on the list too

it will be very interesting to see what they class as appropriate. I know in Yr2 in our school the lime box includes Dick King Smith and a couple of Rainbow Fairy books and no doubt others but those were all I saw as I walked past but the reception/yr1 lime box doesn't as far as I know.

I wonder if she will put any of the sort of old classic ones on there like Gobbolino the Witches Cat, Magic Faraway Tree etc.