National Reading Average - is it very low?

[Crouchendmumoftwo]

My son is in the top reading group in his year one class - he is on level 6 blue book band. I looked this up and it says its is a level for year 2. I'm not sure if this is the case. To be honest he is aged 6 and he isn't a free reader and his reading is quite slow and laboured. We think it should be a lot better for his age and he should be reading more confidently . We are thinking the national average must be very low, the school must have very low expectations or not be pushing the kids much. He is at a good state school but I guess the question I'm asking if the state school national average is very low as well as their expectations.

We get him to read with us just once a week and wonder if we should be doing more - pushing him harder. I know there is no rush. We have parents evening this week so I can find out more.

[LittleMissGreen]

Mrz said that children from her class freely chose to read Harry Potter/Hobbit/Alice/rewritten Shakespeare from the library, at the end of year 2.
I don't find that all that hard to believe. DS1 read Harry Potter easily in reception. I have no qualms that DS2 will have read it before the end of year 2.
Can't remember when DS1 chose to read the Hobbit, probably year 3. Think he re-read it in year 6. Not my cup of tea, but he enjoyed it.

They haven't freely chosen Alice to be fair... maybe the 'girly' name in the title put them off .

[Bonsoir]

The "free" in free reading means "free from impediment" ie fluent, not that the material was freely chosen by the pupil.

[mrz]

Where did you find that definition Bonsoir ...it isn't one I've seen used in any school.

[mrz]

"found the famous mrz quote about how all her Y2 pupils are reading The Hobbit etc...

mrz Sat 16-Apr-11 12:20:28
^Mine are reading Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, the Hobit and Shakespeare in Y2 - link here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/1194780-Learning-to-read-seems-to-be-no-structure-to-it/AllOnOnePage"^

and I wasn't telling parents their children were free readers because they weren't ... they were still reading apprentices.
I find the idea that a four/five/six/seven/eight .... year old with age appropriate reading skills and understanding should be regarded as "fluent" or a "free reader" insane to be honest

[columngollum]

insane or inane?

As a scientist upthread (who gets out of her depth quickly when reading remote fields of scientific study) implied, none of us, adults included, are actually free readers. We're all tied to what we can understand readers.

[mrz]

insane as barking mad

[columngollum]

I think the greatest part of the problem is the rationing of sensible school reading books. When you or your child go to the teacher and ask for a vaguely meaningful school reading book (a) the answer is no and (b) the child's reading abilities are tested commensurately with the abject drivel that has been meted out via the dreaded book bag. Forget a race to the bottom and start researching black holes!

[mrz]

A level 4C is a reading age above the child's chronological age (actually above the reading age of many adults) a level 5 is the expected level for the end of KS3 (14 years of age)

LaQueenOfTheDamned I'm assuming you are referring to the PISA rankings which have been somewhat discredited of late

[mrz]

www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6343921

[columngollum]

Anyone who can read can read better than many adults.

[mrz]

"I think the greatest part of the problem is the rationing of sensible school reading books."

I think the greatest part of the problem is the status parents give to reading scheme book band colours.

[columngollum]

That could be true (although I don't know what you mean.) I haven't yet seen a Roald Dahl, or Blyton's Famous Five book regardless of what its colour might be. Although I have seen some of Aesop's fables with all the Aesop and most of the fable stripped out. What the point of mangling a perfectly good story like that is I have no idea. (We just read Aesop's versions instead.) (--accepting the age old argument about who Aesop was/wasn't.)

[mrz]

then your child doesn't attend my school

[columngollum]

Do you have correspondence children?

[mrz]

Examples of our KS2 reading scheme books www.pandorabooks.co.uk/ecommerce/primary-fiction-books/year-3-and-4/2321000W-Character-Led-Narratives-for-Years-3-and-4.aspx

www.pandorabooks.co.uk/ecommerce/primary-fiction-books/year-3-and-4/2320900W-Different-Writing-Styles-and-Literary-Conventions-for-Years-3-and-4.aspx

[mrz]

although last year my more able Y1 children were reading these

[averywoomummy]

4Fags the children who are struggling are the ones who are not doing daily practice at home (or so says their teacher...).

That is a very sweeping statement to make. My DD is struggling with reading and I can assure you that I read with her everyday, I read to her every day and we also do word games/chat about phonics etc.

I do not think it is fair to say that a struggling reader = a disinterested parent!

[mrz]

Actually LaQueenOfTheDamned they came SIXTH when the playing field was even.

[mrz]

When I say read I mean read not decode LaQueenOfTheDamned.

[columngollum]

I'd like to know how the playing field was evened out in the PISA tests. But I digress.

The best reason I can think of for trying desperately to climb the bookband colours is the distant speck of hope that you'll find a book written by a proper author before you and your child lose the will to live.