Reading individually to an adult in school

[negrilbaby]

...how often?
DS is in year 1 and is a strong, competent reader. He does guided reading sessions but hasn't read one-to-one with an adult since the end of March. His teacher has never heard him read on his own.
I asked him at the week-end why he wasn't reading in class and he told me that the man who hears the reading has said he's too good so doesn't choose him.
I do know that there are others in the class who require more help than DS but surely he should not be overlooked because he is doing well.
What are your experiences with this in Year 1?
Am I expecting too much?

I hate group reading in the early years and infants, but sadly it seems popular. I can see how guided reading could work well with older children who are developing comprehension skills, as discussing a books with your peers does improve understanding.

I feel that early readers really benefit from one to one attention. My daughters reception class does guided reading and I feel it holds the more able children back. You need a sufficiently large group of proficient readers to work on comprehension in reception.

I suspect that the only children who get one to one reading are those who struggle. There aren't many parents who are prepared to listen to children read without an ulterior motive. Having parents listen to reading can be problematic as you do learn some quite confidential info about children. I think its vital that parent volunteers don't work with their children's class. However many parents simply want to snoop and its hard for schools to find people who are prepared to work with a different age group to their children.

I listen to ten year 4s read once a week and it takes up half the morning. It also takes children away from their classwork. I can see its impractical for a teacher to listen to children read on a regular basis. Perhaps this shows the importance of TAs in the early years.

My year 1 twins are currently having the same experience. They only do guided reading every so often - probably once every 3-4 weeks and they haven't had a teacher or TA listen to them read individually since way before Christmas. They are very good readers so I try not to let it bother me, but deep down it does irritate me especially when a couple of parents tell me their children are being taken out for 1-1 reading every single day for a twenty minute session with the TA. I guess I just feel that they are left to coast whilst the teacher/TA concentrates on other children - not sure what can be done about it though without coming across as an awkward parent so I keep my mouth shut. Would be interesting to see if this happens in other schools though.

Also, I volunteered in school last year and was always given the same children to listen to - the ones who were way behind because their parents didn't listen to them. I can see why those children needed more attention at school (still makes me feel like my kids are being hard done to though ),

I teach yr 1 - my LSA and I try to hear all my class read individually once per week plus guided reading. It is extremely hard to fit in within a cramped timetable so I can understand if teachers don't manage it.

In the school I taught in recently, our policy required us to read with every child in year one and above every day. Years one and two have assistants, so te children wouldn't necessarily read with the teacher every day, but would read with an adult at least. In ks2 teachers are expected to read with the children individually every day, by themselves as no assistants in ks2.

In nursery I was expected to 'read' with each child three times a week and in reception they must be heard reading twice a week.

Reallytired I hear readers in the classes of both my children every week. No ulterior motive - I want to help and I enjoy it. Some of us are just nice.

SockPinchingMonster I agree with what you say about being left to coast. I'm trying to decide whether to talk to his teacher about the level of work he is doing. He's doing well but I know he could be doing so much more. His maths homework, he finishes in a few minutes - all done in his head - very little effort needed.

If it was the opposite i.e. DS struggling with his work, I don't think I'd hesitate in going in.
I don't like confrontation, and his teacher is an older woman, very traditional - and (to be honest) scares me!

It looks like it varies considerably across schools. I understand that the teacher and TA are pushed. DS is in a class of 30. I have no problems with who hears him read - I would just like him to feel that someone wants to hear him read.
TwllBach how do you do anything else if you have to find time to hear everyone read every day?

Negrilbaby, I know what you mean - I would be straight into school if they were struggling but I find it difficult to approach the teacher with my concerns about them being left to get on with it because I don't want to come across as a awkward parent. The school is currently insisting that my dt's read every single reading book of every level which means they are coasting along on level 9 but at home are reading much harder books - any notes I put in their reading record asking for something a little more challenging is ignored. I understand the teacher not wanting some children to get too far ahead of the class (there are at least 2 other children in class who can read as well as my 2 ), but it really doesn't feel fair.

DD1 is also Y1 and only seems to read with an adult on very rare occasions- either individually or in a group. She actually had GR today and seemed quite excited by it, as if it was a new experience for her.

When I went to the last parents' evening (back in Feb) they didn't seem to have a very clear idea of her reading ability at all. (To be fair, it has been difficult due to long-term teacher absence, but by the time I met with the teacher she had been there for about 6 weeks).

My daughter is now in year 3 but when she was in year 1 we had the same experience. She could read well so therefore didn't get much one to one time with an adult. TBH I question the benefit of it if it's just with another parent rather than a teacher anyway. It as frustrating and I do think it held her back from progressing to her full potential.

My son who is now in year 1 struggles with reading so gets regular one to one time. And it's not because I don't listen to him SockPinchingMonster. . Comments and perceptions like that are exactly why I am not keen on parent 'helpers'.

DD is Year 2 and a very competent reader; reading KS2 NC level 3-4 books at school. She reads to the teacher once a week and the TA once a week. She also reads to a parent helper every week too.

My daughters have both gone through phases of absolutely refusing to read at home and no amount of bribery or coercion would persuade them to read to us. Thankfully they still reluctantly read to their teacher, got over the barriers and can read well now. It isn't always just because the parents don't listen to their child read.

When ds starts school in September I don't mind if he isn't heard reading very often. He enjoys reading and reads loads at home anyway. It is fine for him to coast at school because we have lots of challenging books at home which he can move on to. When I think he needs to go up a level I will mention it to the teacher but otherwise I would rather that any helpers listen to the children in yr 2 and yr 4 who are on lower reading levels than him. It's not for purely altruistic motives either. I would rather that they get the support so that when they are working with my daughters they can read the tasks and participate fully in the curriculum as it is much harder to progress a class further up the school when some are still struggling to read. It is in your children's interests too that as many of their classmates as possible become fluent readers too otherwise they will require even more teacher time when the curriculum is more challenging in ks2.

Hopefully once ds is in school I can volunteer to hear other children read just as mine have benefited from kind volunteers before. Ask your schools to get more parent helpers in and if you are able to volunteer and you don't already then join in.

:) cross post with woodpecker I'll try not to be 'one of those' parent volunteers! We have taken dd2 off the reading scheme as the books at her level in the school are fairly dire. sockpinchingmonster I would talk to the teacher after school and say (tends to have more effect than notes in reading records) that you would like their reading levels reassessed and if that doesn't work then just ignore the reading scheme and give them more challenging books at home anyway instead. Do check with the teachers though as it might be that they can't go up due to other factors such as comprehension or expression.

I volunteer in school with yr 1, 4 &6

My dd is in yr 5 and I'm not allowed to help in her year

I read with the same group of yr 6 who are able decoders but need support with comprehension -sometimes it's 1-1, sometimes in groups of 4

Yr 4 I listen to everyone on rotation but the the year group do guided reading 3x per week where they take it in turns to read a page of a novel and they read their own reading book to an adult once a week

Yr 1 do guided reading once a week with the teacher and read individually with an adult once a week as a minimum

Some children get additional support through reading recovery with a HLTA for a 6 week period and then are reassessed

I help in Yr 2, usually hearing readers, and did so when DCs were KS1. There are a number of 'regular readers' who are heard daily by a parent or TA, and we aim to get through everyone else at least once during the week (those who don't read at home are prioritised, regardless of ability). However, even with at least one parent in school for most sessions, the morning is often spent changing books for an hour or two and we often don't get to the free readers. I don't think a teacher ever hears children read, except for a termly assessment. I think they are timetabled to do guided reading once a week throughout the school.

My reception aged child reads one-to-one to an adult in school every day. He also reads to us every day, and we read to him.
The class is split in two, and half read to the teacher, and half to the TA, then the next day the groups are swapped.
Once a term or so, they get to read to the Y6s- which they (Reception) love!

This isn't because he struggles with reading, this is because he's in a fee-paying school with small classes, and also because the school day begins earlier than many other schools.
At home he reads things such as Claude, Olga Da Polga, and Tintin to himself, and to us.

Every day, to the teacher, TA, or volunteer.

Woodpecker, I was not generalising that every child who gets 1-1 time reading with parent volunteers do so because their parents don't listen to them read, it was just the case that the teacher told me I needed to listen to these particular children read because their parents don't listen to them read at home - very unprofessional on the teachers part to tell me that to be honest. I have absolutely no issue whatsoever with children being listened to if they are struggling with their reading - I do have an issue however with my own children not having been listened to individually since about October. Every child should have the opportunity to be listened to - yes my children don't need to be listened to as often but they shouldn't be ignored.
3 Bunnies - I have attempted to talk to the teacher and TA about the fact their reading books are not challenging them and I get the same pathetic answer - yes Mrs Sock we know your children are capable of reading much harder books but we don't like to move them too far ahead as the books start to contain themes unsuitable for a 6 year old such as sleepovers and boyfriends. There is no issue with their comprehension or expression.

My dd seems to read to someone 1-1 about three times a week - usually a TA but the class teacher once every 10 days maybe.

She also brings home a new book most nights and we read that.

She's in YR.

It was really difficult! I hated it, in ks2 you find yourself planning a lesson a day for absolute silence/completely independent work so you can try an whizz through 30 readers in an hour, and I always felt that I wasn't really helping those I'd heard read because it was simply a case of getting their reading records signed so I had proof I had done it. Of course I knew which of my pupils were struggling and spent time with them etc but that's another thread

In nursery I had twenty readers to get through in a Morning session and it was HARD work. Plus overseeing four focus tasks and the free choice areas.

If the stage 10+ books are anything like the ones at our school you are better off without them. They are dire, boring and as they say not always appropriate. If they enjoyed biff chip and kipper books then we have found that the time chronicles are a good safe series. Alternatively you could ask for them to take a break from the school reading scheme and just write your own choice of books in the record until they are either beyond the scheme or they are older. I am planning to do that for ds as he will be much too young for some of the books to be relevant to him. Fortunately going off the reading scheme at this stage doesn't seem to break the system!

It's one of the big differences between private and state. In private schools there is much more time to hear individual reading, and as parents expect it the schools provide it.

It'll be a mixture of teacher, TA and maybe parent volunteer, and would be minimum of 3x per week and probably daily.

Thanks 3 Bunnies, I'll look into the Times Chronicle books. They do quite enjoy the Biff, Chip, Kipper ones but they're not much of a challenge. DD is currently enjoying the Rainbow Fairy books which are truly dire but I do find it difficult finding books which are just right for their reading level without being too grown up. They have only just turned 6.

My youngest now in Y1 only reads in a group. She has been listened to individually by her teacher about twice. If I did not read with her she would not be the reader she is. I also read with another child in her class who is a weak reader. If parents don't read with their children they are seriously disadvantaged. I also think it send out the message reading is not important as other local schools read daily with reception children, who surprisingly are generally excellent readers.
Also I think when you are learning something it can be inhibiting to read infront of others. Also some children warm up after a few pages... No chance to do that if you only read a small amount.
The only reason they get away with it is that most parents do their bit, but for those who don't they can struggle. :(