Proudmama72
DD1 finished Y2 KS1 SATs on NC L1 for reading (so below expected progress - which is NC L2). No help was offered in Year 3 -but the teacher was out a lot on sick leave (due to breast cancer but fortunately recovered) so Y3 was endless round of substitutes.
My solution was threefold:
Always be positive with your child that they'll get there in the end. Show them you believe they can do it and they'll believe it.
Make reading part of a daily routine (just 10 - 15 minutes daily will make a huge difference) - Hunt out reading material of interest to your child - Nintendo DS instructions (Professor Leyton/ Pokemon games brilliant for this)/ comics/ magazines - don't just go down the book route.
READ in front of your child (so they see you read regularly - newspapers/ magazines/ cookbooks/ letters/ e-mail) and with your child. Read signs, text messages, labels, captions, etc... - don't limit reading to books, try magazines (tons for children for nearly any tv show) or comics.
My advice is hang in there, ignore what other people are doing, most kids catch up in the end and yes, your DC may be behind, but it is totally possible to catch back up.
Just think of each time you help with reading as pennies in the bank - it will add up to a securely independent reader before you know it. In fact, you'll be quite crestfallen when they say, 'No Mom, I want to read to myself tonight'.