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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reception Reading Level

99 replies

louisejxxx · 18/12/2014 14:14

Shamelessly asking how your reception child is doing with their reading? Not a stealth boast - my ds is floating about between pink and red book bands (seems to get a mixture of both home) just interested really as I'm not brave enough to ask any other mum's in the playground!

I think ds is probably average but am interested to see how others are doing..

Waits for flaming - at least I'm admitting I am just being plain nosey!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

OriginalGreenGiant · 20/12/2014 16:08

With ds1 (now age 6 and on level 8) I've noticed that the higher they go, the less of the 'whole set' of books they have to read if their ability inxreasrs quickly.

I think levels 1,2,3...in our school they read every single book and need to make sure they understand the story too.

Whereas ds 1 read only a few books of levels 5 and 7 because he got to a level where he was able to start reading books at home alone and came on in leaps and bounds over the space of a few weeks. Now he's on level 8 he seems to have plateaued again and has stayed on one level a while.

On a random note, I've found nothing so fascinating as the dc learning to read. Even though I know ds1 can read to a good standard now, he's still only 6 and still surprises me every time he reads a label on something, or a random leaflet when we're out! It's hard to get out of the habit of automatically reading something out only for ds1 to roll his eyes and say 'I know, I can read you know'!

mrz · 20/12/2014 16:52

As a teacher I've never met anyone who uses the 90% method. I want children to read accurately with understanding.

tobysmum77 · 20/12/2014 17:03

no mrz, i don't think any teachers do, but parents constantly quote it as evidence that their dc needs to be moved up ime...

mrz · 20/12/2014 17:05

That's the point I was trying to make

TalkinPeace · 20/12/2014 18:08

My son is a late summer boy and the archetypal reluctant reader

I have his reading record from year R, 1 and 2 - the frustration of his teacher drips off the page.

He did not have a reading level at all in Year R - just would not do it.
Memorised what I read to him but would not read.
Would not write either if it adds to the picture.

Then one day at the end of year 1 the switch clicked.
KS1 SATs were all 3's
KS2 SATs were all 5's no 6 paper at the school
GCSE predictions are looking good.

The main thing with reading is to encourage enjoyment of it.

In year R, the September babies are 25% older than the August ones
imagine mixing 16 and 12 year olds and comparing reading skills
so the impact of age, birth order, maternal education, goodness knows what have been reading Freakonomics today on the subject is pervasive.

PaperMover · 20/12/2014 18:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheBakeryQueen · 20/12/2014 19:48

Imme, regarding you 'not understanding why kids should learn to read at 3'. It's not that anyone thinks that they should, and nor is it to the exclusion of other activities.

My ds2 could see ds1 learning phonics etc & wanted to join in so we went with it & he picked it up quickly & loves reading & stories.

He has always been a really boisterous boy too, climbing trees, wrestling his brother, always dancing, singing, leaping about!! He never stops talking, he is very intense in most things really.

He loves swimming & gymnastics, playing minecraft on the xbox. All sorts! Early reading is not the only thing he does. He hasn't been hothoused but he has been encouraged with pointing out words when out & about, given activity books (to keep him quiet!) etc.

He had a brilliant pre-school teacher who gave him his own reading record & books to take home so he could be like his older brother.

Also he is October born, so one of the older ones in the year.

TheBakeryQueen · 20/12/2014 19:52

The downside is that unlike his older brother, who started reception as a non-reader & made lots of progress in the first term, ds2 is still on the same stage as when he started. I think they tend to just give him literacy sheets & leave him to his own devices. There isn't much differentiation as far as I am aware.

I feel a bit sorry for him. And we are still having to provide him with more challenging books & tasks at home. The school was fab for ds1 but isn't doing much for ds2 as of yet.

erin99 · 20/12/2014 20:25

Trouble is, OP, those with precocious readers are massively overrepresented on these threads.

There are red readers still in DS's Y1 class.

Progress is sooo far from linear. Like Millionaire I deliberately chose a preschool that deliberately didn't teach reading. My DD finished YR on yellow, which is right after red. She's now 7 and has a reading & comprehension age of 12. Reading's like walking IMO - parents can be desperately proud of, and competitive about, what ages they pull to standing, crawl, walk etc but that bears very little relation to who will be the fastest runner when they are 4, or 6, let alone older. Or maybe my early walker has "failed to fulfil her potential" running-wise :)

TheBakeryQueen · 21/12/2014 09:12

Erin99 maybe its because those parents who are really interested in education, maybe the slightly 'pushier' ones (not a bad thing imo if child-led), come & read these boards in the first place.

Anyway, I gave a balanced view, ds1- red, ds2- orange. And I do think red is more typical & also very good!

SuiGeneris · 27/12/2014 07:57

DS (Jan born) is on red, loves bring read to but not reading himself (can't blame him, given the books he brings home)...

HaplessHousewife · 27/12/2014 09:20

It definitely just clicks at some point. I can't remember what level Jan born DD was on at this point in reception but she started school already reading and didn't get school books until after the October half term.

I have a feeling they kept her on red for a while just to make sure her comprehension was as up to speed as her ability to read the words but she finished reception on turquoise.

She went up to purple straight away in YR1 but at the end of the first half term skipped past the rest of the reading scheme and is now on chapter books like Horrid Henry and Roald Dahl –she can pretty much read anything now.

She also had to go and read to the head of year and the literacy coordinator on the last day of term but I have yet to find out what that's all about!

DS looks to be heading the same way, he's just turned 4 and can read CVC and CVCC words already.

mrz · 27/12/2014 11:02

It's dangerous to assume it will just click

tobysmum77 · 27/12/2014 21:28

mrz you are correct to some extent but with normal readers that is what happens surely? The op's child is surely reading at a normal level for their age....

mrz · 28/12/2014 07:31

I'm afraid not ...

lisbapalea · 28/12/2014 07:42

Just clicked on this thread and feel woefully inadequate as I didn't even realise there was a colour code and thought the stickers on the books just marked them as school books!

What is the colour order?

spanieleyes · 28/12/2014 08:34

This is the one we use
resources.collins.co.uk/free/Big%20Cat%20Free%20Resources/CBC%20Component%20Chart.png

Many schools stop at white/lime and children then become "free readers" others continue or have different colours after lime depending on the school system.

mrz · 28/12/2014 08:51

We don't use book banding at all as it doesn't match with good phonics teaching.

TheBakeryQueen · 28/12/2014 09:38

Mrz, how do you decide what books to give the children to read at home? Does it match the phonics phase they are on?

mrz · 28/12/2014 10:24

In general the books match the child's level of phonic knowledge (we don't use the stupidphases)
Once a child knows the first set of sounds and is able to blend and segment words they will take home books that provide practise with those sounds. The texts used match the phonics taught in school so it is easy to allocate suitable books. Once children are secure in all the common alternatives the books we use focus on other reading skills/knowledge but aren't ""traditional" reading scheme books, rather we use age appropriate books.

Original poster

louisejxxx · 28/12/2014 12:17

So do you use books from any reading schemes at all mrz or do you use normal story books which have the relevant phonics? If the latter, it must take a lot of research!

OP posts:

mrz · 28/12/2014 12:52

Our main reading scheme books are the Dandelion Launchers and Readers which perfectly match our phonics programme (Sounds-Write) and we've "slotted in" other phonic books where they fit to our teaching structure these are followed by age appropriate books from Pandora books.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 28/12/2014 13:09

That is probably the one good thing about letters and sounds. Up until phase 4 it provides a sort of 'national' order for publishers to write books too. Makes it slightly easier to mix and match books from different schemes without having to try to slot in too many books.

mrz · 28/12/2014 13:32

We don't follow Letters and Sounds order either

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 28/12/2014 14:01

I know but sadly your school is very rare in its teaching of reading.

If you have a scheme that has a good supply of readers and resources that align with it you have a head start. Trying to assemble something cumulatively decodeable from a ragtag assortment of various schemes is a bit of a headache and there's no handy bookband guide to help.

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