Reading levels at home and at school - does it matter if they are different?

[Hooliesmoolies]

This is a hard question to ask without sounding like another over-inflated parent who thinks their child is a genius and why doesn't the blasted school notice.

Basically, the books that my DD is getting from school are very easy for her. In particular the Biff and Chip ones, which seem to be quite a lot easier than the non-fiction ones she gets (not sure if this is the level of language or her level of interest).

School have her on level 5. The other evening she was reading a Horrid Henry early reader out-loud to herself (in fairness, I think that this was a rather easier and shorter one than some others) (cue proud mummy moment because she said she was quite enjoying it, even though she was also in a manic over-tired state and declared she wanted to finish the book). She didn't get it perfect, but I did ask her about what was happening and she knew. Most often when she gets things wrong in her reading it is because she is predicting the story too much and so essentially reading too fast and looking at the first letters and not the whole word. When she slows down and reads, she can read it fine. So I do know her reading is perfect (obviously!). However, she can read the level 6 Biff and Chips with minimal faults already, and all of the Read at Home series (the old one for which, as I understand it, the 5c books are actually equal to level 7). She isn't particularly daunted by the number of sentences on the page, and had a really good stab at reading my 1967 ladybird version of Cinderella the other week.

So, my question is, does it matter? Should I just let her speed through the school books and then get onto what ever else she wants to read for the rest of the week? Or should I be talking to the school (and probably sounding like the aforementioned pushy parent)? I will add that I don't at all think that she is a genius, I just think that she seems to have 'got' the reading thing in the last few months and is on a roll at the moment.

DeWee - interesting what you said about the level of the Horrid Henry early readers. I'm really interested to know where you found the information. When I looked, it was mostly chat boards saying that people thought they were levels 8ish. I found one reference on an Essex Council website which put one of them at level 10. Level 10 sounded much too high, but they do seem rather more complicated than the level six ORT. The Biff and Chip ones, at least seem rather more straight forward. But I'm no expert .

PastSellByDate - it is a really good point about not reading the ORTs on the Oxford Owl site. I'd not thought she might then end up with them from school. Since we have no way of telling the school what she is reading at home, I think you are right she is best reading other stuff. Since yesterday, she is the proud possessor of 30 Early Readers (thanks to the Book People - my book buying Saviors!).

But, the most exciting thing for me is definitely that she is so excited to read to herself. She insisted on reading to herself at bedtime last night too. She started really keen, got bored with the effort for a while, but seems to have rediscovered a real enthusiasm now she thinks that she can actually really read. Ultimately, at this stage, considering she is more than happy with Biff and Chips from school (actually she'd much rather have them than anything factual), we can just keep going and see what happens next year .

Although, saying that, it does amaze me how many discrepancies there are between home and school for this sort of thing.

I think the actual Horrid Henry books are around 10/11 but I am not sure with the Early Readers. I thought most of the Orion Early Readers were classed as about level 8/9ish.

Hi Hoolies:

The Book People have Horrid Henry Early Readers as ages 5+: www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&productId=293180

other books in series have various ratings - e.g. 5+ or 7+ : www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_searchResult_tbp?catalogId=10051&langId=100&storeId=10001&searchTerm=horrid+henry

Just to warn you op, I got my dd a series of special reading books and by the time she had read two she had advanced so much she could do chapter books....

so keep an eye on her advancing.....and don't hold her back as it were at home if she does shoot on as reading can..

amazon are also great for books, as are tk max, and charity shops.

Although the age suitability doesn't give much of a clue as to reading level.

The "normal" HH books are NC Level 3(c) so I guess they must be stage 11.

There is an awful lot of inference in them (reading between the lines) which must be why they are such a high level even though the plots are easy to understand.

At home my dd2 reads easier books than her level in school. Both her writing, spelling are well above her own age. I try to be relaxed about the levels about her own chosen books. I just want her to enjoy reading. I believe she can learn many useful words and expressions from the books that she enjoys.

I have the same issue. DD is on Orange (Band 6) at school, but at home I recently bought the 'Read it yourself' books from the Book People and immediately DD decided to challenge herself and picked up Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (which is a Band 10 - with this set of books they have kindly but the equivalent book bands on the back) and read it with ease.

Whenever she reads the books at home, I list them with their bands in her Home Diary. The teacher always marks it to show that she's read my notes but I never mention moving her level because they have to be sure that she is as confident reading with them as she is reading with me at home.

She's only 4 though so has plenty of time to work through the levels at school.

By the way, we bought the Biff, Chip and Kipper ones in levels 4-7 and they are actually a level lower than the ones they have at school. So level 4 in the set is actually equivalent to Level 3 in the school book bands. I only know because there were some titles the same at school that were Level 3, yet on the back of mine they said Level 4... HTH

Ah, the more I read this thread the more I wish the school at least had a reading diary that the parents were allowed to comment in! But, as many of you have pointed out, it doesn't matter so much what the school thinks at this stage.

KEGirlOnFire some of our Read at Home level 5 are leveled at 7 on the Oxford Tree website, some of the RaH level 2's were 3 in the new biff and chip home sets (and online) etc. And don't get me started on the fact that sometimes the level 5 books (specifically the non-fiction ones I think?) are actually colour banded differently (we had a turquoise one the other week). You'd think they'd be able to create one consistent system and stick to it wouldn't you! Ah well, I guess it keeps us on our toes

oh yes the joys of rebanded books..... ORT non fiction ones are notoriously levels out if they are ranked by their stage.

Our school includes horrid Henry in the book choices and different ones are banded differently

Oh!!! BillnTedsMostFeminstAventure do you have any idea what the titles of the easier ones are? The toddler one (can't remember the name) about the baby peter is a great level for my DD, but some of the others are rather harder. I wish there was a definitive list somewhere.

The truth is, it's entirely likely you have a much better idea of your child's reading ability than your DD's teacher, who may not ever listen to her read, if she/he farms this out to a TA.

Schools have this model of children smoothly gliding from one reading level to the next, whereas in reality, children progress by fits and starts, and when they 'get' reading, they can go really very rapidly into chapter books. My ds1 took ages hanging around the fairly easy scheme type books, struggling to decode, then got to reading Beast Quest independently over the course of a summer holiday, and I don't think that's an unusual way for it to go.

I'd just show the teacher the books she's reading at home, ask really nicely if they'd mind letting her read the same at school, or bring in books from home. When I was a teacher I'd have been really happy to do this: we're not in the business of deliberately holding children back!

Don't be afraid of being 'pushy'. It's a really ingrained part of our culture that we can't speak well of our children's ability, and teachers do respond badly to perceived pushiness, but the most important thing is that your child enjoys learning, and crucial to that is being set work at the right level.

Vorpent I really appreciate your reply - it is really nice to get a view from an ex-teacher. The teacher doesn't often read with my DD. She reads sometimes with the TA. The last time she did the TA chose a book that was a book band below what she was bringing home (I hadn't sent in the reading book so I wonder if she even realised at the time). She has complained about her reading group as well - I'm not sure if it is because they often read level 4 books, or because she just wants to be moved to another group (what she says). Either way, I'm going to see what happens when she comes home tomorrow. She did do reading with the teacher and she said it was very easy (it was a stage 5 book), so we'll see. If she doesn't get moved up a level I will risk the pushy mum mantra and just ask them what she needs to work on to move up in their minds.