phonics phases and reading levels

[golemmings]

Is there any correlation?

Dd started phase 4 phonics in February but is still having to read her way through a gazillion level 3 books before she can start level 4.

Do phase 4 tricky words appear in l3 books? Or am I trying to link 2 entirely separate systems?

The schemes we get from school don't tie up to letters and sounds phonics phases, no. What books do you get? We have had songbirds, floppy phonics, big cat something? can't remember the rest as DS keeps choosing songbirds at the moment.

But also the whole class learn phonics together whereas children get reading books at whatever stage they are at individually.

That's interesting. We have phonics comics and some random stuff. At home we have biff and chip.

They are in small groups for letters and sounds which are effectively set by ability and they have guided reading but I don't know if that is in their groups or whole class. Reading books seem to be random. Last week she brought home a book she read in april. This week we read the book she brought home on monday, it came back again yesterday and she was told she couldnt change it today. Since there are about 20 l3 books she must read before she can move on I think she may still be on l4 when she does her gcses.

Ah, is this one of those "must read all the books in a level" schools? There's a thread about that around I think. At our school the kids choose the books so at least the weird selections are DS's own fault!

Only had one or two phonics comics (do reading schemes send schools free samples? we've had a lot of random scheme one-offs!) so I don't know how closely they tie in. I'm sure someone else will tho.

It sounds right. Letters and Sounds phases describe the process of learning to read - eg Phase 1 is about distinguishing sounds and learning to blend. NC levels measure what a child can read. This is a bit confusing but I can see that the phases are used for planning teaching process.
Books at NC band 3 correspond to L&S phase 3/4. Books at band 4 are phase 4/5.
One can get lost in all of this - and this is before you are introduced to other levels like 1c to 1a progression, for example. :))
Main thing is, thought, not to get to entangled in levels, stages, etc but to make sure you DC is enjoying reading and has access to good books at home!

Good luck

Main thing is, thought, not to get to entangled in levels, stages, etc but to make sure you DC is enjoying reading and has access to good books at home!

^^^^^^
THIS!

Thank you. That's very helpful. And school has finally given us a l4 book along with sending home again the one we read on monday (which they seem to be refusing to change for some reason).