Is it right that early readers do not get as much reading time?

[Emstheword]

I've spoken to a few other mum's in my DD's year 1 class and discovered that some get as much as 3 reading sessions a week with the teacher, whereas my DD only gets one guided group session each week. Teachers may be able to explain better how this works and I may be totally barking up the wrong tree, so happy to be put right if I am. On the face of it, it feels like the children further along with reading, instead of having the same number of sessions (yet at a more advanced level) have less of the teacher's time in order to get the children not doing so well up to expected levels. Do I have the wrong end of the stick? Or are the bright kids not given as much time because they'll already look fine on the statistics? I really hope I'm wrong, because it doesn't feel fair.

Well being able to read isn't just about stats but also is vital to access the curriculum later on, so it's vital all the children can read and those struggling need additional help I guess. There are loads of threads on this with varying views We're in much the same boat as you, although dd did read to her teacher this week but that's because she was double checking the book band. They also do daily phonics?

Of course we also read daily which probably doesnt 'help' either!

No, ours all get one guided read a week apart from the few who need a bit more help, often from the TA. Of course those who are struggling or still learning their letters should get a bit more help.

DD has been every level from next-but-bottom to top set and it's one guided read a week all the way through at her school so far. She's gone from not knowing letters to a 7 year old with a reading age of 12 on one guided read a week, plus all the class-based phonics. No evidence here of her being pushed aside for the less able.

It did seem like a tiny amount of reading with the teacher at first, especially with them never really reading one to one. But helping in class i've seen the resources, energy and planning expended setting up every other group with educational activities, just so the teacher can read with one group for 20mins. Now I think it's incredible they do it every day (one group per day = each child once a week). And while one group is reading everyone else is doing other literacy/reading activities, whether with a TA or parent helper, or not.

Children regardless of their individual starting point need to make progress or the stats will look poor. Yes you're barking up the wrong tree

I used to listen to the infants at my DD's primary (currently listen to Juniors).

My take on it is this:

• some children don't get listened to at home, so it is extra important they are listened to at school.
• if the whole class can read competently, that benefits all the class later as adult time isn't used up helping individuals read captions, instructions or whatever. So able children benefit from their peers having extra help on their reading.

I think you have to take the longer view here. It really is in your dd's best interests that the teacher can get those who don't yet have her ability level up to a stage where they can read without assistance. Your dd is in the lucky position that she can improve her own reading to some extent by practising, whereas there are others who haven't got to that point. Once they are able to read more by themselves, they will need less help in all areas of the curriculum, freeing up the teacher to spend more time with everyone on other subjects as well.

If they don't get more help with reading from the teacher, it will take that much longer for them all to be able to work on other topics which involve reading for other purposes.

Ah thanks for your replies.....she's my first one, so a little clueless and still trying to understand how it all works! You've put my mind at rest, I definitely jumped to conclusions! PFB....I really need to calm down!

The children getting extra reading time will be missing out on something else though ... so you could equally phrase the question "is it fair that late readers have to concentrate on reading and don't get as much time to do x y z?"

Yes, you're right there redsky, I think I really was worrying over nothing...probably best not to compare notes with t'other mummies