What is the average ORT level in your year 3 class?

[HumphreyCobbler]

I was just wondering as I have been to a parents evening and queried the level my dd was on, only to be told that no child in the class is on a higher level than 9, so book band purple. It seemed low to me, but I have not taught a year 3 class for a while so wanted to check with other teachers.

TIA

I know there are several children (including my dd2) who are still reading reading scheme books (dd2 is on green) in her year 3 class, I'm not sure why other posters seem shocked that this is the case!

But for none to be above purple does seem a bit unusual, op.

All my boys started Y3 as free readers. My current Y3 was a free reader at the beginning of Y2 - he's certainly not alone in his class.

Ds is in Y3 and a free reader.

Some children will be reading scheme books hazeyjane, it is just that I would have expected that many would have gone beyond that stage by now.

Thank you for all your responses. I am increasingly annoyed by this situation, it seems to make a mockery of teaching the individual child when they have a one size fits all policy. Surely good practice would mean that, after the scheme there should be good quality chapter books offered, with guided reading (not group reading) and learning objectives taken from higher level reading skills!

DS can choose scheme/non-scheme books and he has 'high level' targets set and checked regularly still.

Can I ask how you all sem to autimatically know which stage number a colour corresponds to? is there an easy way of remembering?! I know that my DS is on stage 9 (he is in year 2 and suspected dyslexic), but I cannot remember what colour that is, or what colour preceded it or anything.

sorry for all the typos

Don't think they still use out in yr 3, kids are mainly free readers by then if not long before

My son started Y1 at purple/Level 9. There were about five other kids on a similar level. They were allowed to choose whatever books they wanted in Y2 (free readers). By the end of Y2 around quarter of the kids were off the reading scheme and free readers.
The class range was from Level2/3 in Y2 to Free reader.
This was as at ordinary inner city primary.
So I'd say very odd.

Incidentally, my son changed to a Junior school in Y3 and has been put back on a reading scheme (the school does not allow free readers in Y3 and Y4 even if children are fluent and have good comprehension). The books are terribly dull - L15 or L16 and I don't make him read them (I toss them extravagantly onto the kitchen counter). I simply cannot see how they have any more worth than proper books that come out of the library. I particularly object to the abridged boll*cks that do little more than ruin the story for the real books.

Just to say, my son's infant school was not a slave to phonics and the teachers were creative and happy to skip some of the books if they got a bit boring at a particular level.

His current junior school has a tedious and unimaginative approach and the children are forced to plough through every single title. There are f***ing millions of them. They are churned out like a mills and boon factory - but less engaging.
I think the more rigid phonic based approach might encourage a more rigid, less imaginative approach to learning how to read.

Chinkingcurtains, I couldn't disagree more! Teaching phonics systematically has nothing to do with having a rigid approach to teaching. My last school taught phonics properly and in no way made children read every single book, or indeed read boring books at all! The children were, however, because of the excellent phonic teaching, able to access interesting texts much sooner than they would have done if they had been taught using a look, say scheme.

I would also say that my dd's school sadly is in NO WAY systematic in their phonic teaching.

WellTidy if you google ORT and colour bands it will give you a link.

Sorry, chinkingcurtains, I didn't mean to sound so aggressive

Also have to disagree Chinkincurtains.

Very few phonic books go beyond level 6 (orange) or possibly level 8 and none that I'm aware of beyond 11 (lime).

From the surprising amount of posters that say their DC's school insists a child reads every book in each stage, there has been nothing to indicate that this is related to the quality of how children are taught to read. It seems poor practice that is related to trying to keep all the children at a similar level and has nothing to do with using systematic phonics whatsoever.

When can they actually come off the flipping reading scheme? DS goes to Year3/4 class for his literacy and brings home stage 15/16 books. These are tediously dull. I think he should just be given normal books to read, but perhaps be guided in his choice to ensure he doesn't only read a single formulaic type of book.
I'm unclear of the benefits of scheme books at this level when you don't need to worry about graded language and children's ability to decode words anymore.
I think the scheme is damaging the enjoyment of books for him.

At many schools they continue with banding until year 6. At my daughter's school it is simply not possible to become a free reader until year 6.

Humphrey is that what everyone does then? Talk about colours for each stage, and then refer back to the ORT and see how that corresponds to the stage number? Wouldn't it be easier if we all used stage numbers rather than colours?!

Just musing.

Our lower school does not do free reading - even if you are a reading genius. DS is in year 3 and is on topaz or bronze or summat - they've just changed reading schemes. He's towards the top of the class.

OP, a couple of children in DS' class were free readers going into year one. I was gobsmacked. He is now in year two, so I can only tell you the stages the children in his class are now on. It ranges from stage 7 to free reading.

my personal opinion is that they were right to extend the reading schemes because I THINK original reading schemes only went up to about level 6, so they extended them up to 11. great, that makes sense. level 11 includes chapter books and whilst yes before 11 children can read lots of non leveled books it makes sense to give them more structure in school until they really can tackle more. However I don't understand the extension beyond that to level 16 etc. I can't see how that benefits anyone. I could think yes for guided reading it makes sense, the texts are much shorter so it is easier to use it as a class reading book but why can't they use a more classic text instead? why should children spend their time reading drivel when they might actually enjoy something much more interesting, longer, something to get their teeth into? Of course they need some guidance, of course they need to be given set stuff within class, of course they need to be made to read a mix of non fiction, fiction, poetry, different styles and so on but there are so many thousands of books out there that I think being restricted to scheme books just 'because' doesn't help anyone.

I agree nonick. DS went from level 9 to free reading after only a few weeks at level 9. Free reading means you bring home whatever book you want without any input from the teacher at all. I don't think he brought a book home he could actually read properly for the first 3 months after that!

I would have liked the teacher to be way more involved in choosing appropriate texts for early free readers - going up to band 11 would effectively solve that.

I think his confidence was badly affected by seeming to struggle so much with books in year and reading became a real chore.

I have less of a problem with a reading scheme that goes on to appropriate level books - in DD's case they are keeping them on a lower level than their ability. Their scheme stops at stage 12 anyway. It is a very old ORT with some rather good phonic non fiction added in.

In our school they are for the most part off the reading schemes by year 3. They instead go to the library and have help from the teacher in choosing suitable books. DS2 is having a run on Michael Morpurgo books and so has just read I Believe in Unicorns and Cool. I'm not sure what level they would be graded at.

However I do think that whatever level book they are given at school is irrelevant really. Sometimes it can help them to have easier books at school and then they can read more difficult books at home.

There are easy books and there are boring books though! The books dd is reading are unsuitable for learning the higher level reading skills as they are written at such a basic level, no simile, metaphor, distinction between third and first person etc etc. Basically I worry that these skills are not being taught appropriately.

We have the extended level books, and I really dislike them. DS was free-reading from the end of year 2, and he was relieved to be finally away from the scheme. He did well on his own books, and we monitored at home.

Then he got to Year 4, and we were told the school had bought a load of higher level books, and all kids had to go back onto these. So now we have new levels, and he struggles to find one that looks interesting. :/

But that's why you read with your child at home, to expand their knowledge and vocabulary through reading more interesting and engaging books.