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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

Y1 reading - I feel like I am constantly pestering the teacher

76 replies

Naicecuppatea · 03/02/2015 09:22

My DD loves reading and is zooming through her school books which she gets every night. Since starting Y1 she has moved up a few reading bands, each time I have asked if she could as the books are very straightforward for her, she is reading them on the short journey home without any problems, and then going on to her much loved, much more difficult chapter book she is reading at home.

I need to ask her teacher again if she can move up another reading level as I feel the books she is sent home should challenge her in some way. Last week when I asked her teacher said she should read more books in the same level so that she can improve her comprehension and understanding. We've been doing this and asking questions about the story and her understanding is fine.

Am I okay to go back to the teacher do you think? And why isn't the teacher picking up when she needs to change level before I need to say something?

Thanks for reading - sorry for the long winded message!

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Feenie · 05/02/2015 20:51

The new NC is statutory. I wouldn't call up to £6000 in match funding for training, books and materials lack of support, either.

KnittedJimmyChoos · 05/02/2015 20:52

Still a bit galling about school though

Reading and levels is such a contentious and little understood area I think teachers could do more to explain to parents about the bloody books and bands and what they think of it all...teachers at the school, for instance when they do meet the teacher at the beg of the school year.

then we can all stop worrying about it

KnittedJimmyChoos · 05/02/2015 20:53

So feenie, can you translate this please for a lay person.

Does this nc mean my dd should now be reading books at school up to her level at home?

Feenie · 05/02/2015 20:53

I agree!

Feenie · 05/02/2015 20:55

How old is she? If she is an early reader, then the books she is given to read must match her phonics level.

KnittedJimmyChoos · 05/02/2015 20:57

she is 7, she can read charlie and choc factory, spiderwick chronicles, has finished all lemony snicket, her reading is excellent, and in those books, a word a page - if that she has issues with.

When I hear her read, its fluent and its unusual for her to stumble over a word. Her comp is great too....

her book band is 8.

KnittedJimmyChoos · 05/02/2015 20:58

she got 40/40 on phonics test and all her teachers have noted her excellent reading skills.

Feenie · 05/02/2015 21:05

In Year 2, she should be taught to read aloud books closely matched to their improving phonic knowledge, sounding out unfamiliar words accurately, automatically and without undue hesitation

So if her phonic knowledge allows her to read books like the ones you've mentioned, that's what she should be reading.

KnittedJimmyChoos · 05/02/2015 21:08

Thanks Feenie.

Whether I can be bothered to bring this up at PE is another matter. But its good to know what should technically be happening

Feenie · 05/02/2015 21:12

Choose your battles, that's my advice! Have been in a similar situation with ds - we paid lip service to the school books (and ignored them totally when he was a very early reader in favour of phonics schemes which didn't make him sob with frustration) and he read what he wanted after that. He is now an avid reader in Year 4.

poppy70 · 05/02/2015 21:18

By experts I meant the research. They never agree with any NC. Liked the last one though. But then the NCs are always wrong because you can't get it right. Hence dogma. Let your daughter read what she wants. It matters little what books the school have her on anyway. It isn't going to affect her.

poppy70 · 05/02/2015 21:19

Phonics test doesn't cover Y2 phonics. What group is she in?

Feenie · 05/02/2015 21:27

You can see that her reading material is beyond the reading level of Y2 phonics though.

Feenie · 05/02/2015 21:33

As soon as pupils can read words comprising the year 2 GPCs accurately and speedily, they should move on to the years 3 and 4 programme of study for word reading.

The sooner that pupils can read well and do so frequently, the sooner they will be able to increase their vocabulary, comprehension and their knowledge across the wider curriculum.

poppy70 · 05/02/2015 21:34

Not necessarily. I have a stage 8 reader (can resd anything but comprehension doesn't keep up) self taught, who has phonics gaps all over the place which for oral reading purposes mean we are jumping all over the place phonics wise.

poppy70 · 05/02/2015 21:37

It isn't a simple story reading. I am an adult, teach phonics but my own explicit phonic knowledge is poor and I am a terrible oral reader when I meet a word I don't know.

Feenie · 05/02/2015 21:39

That doesn't sound anything like the description of Knittedjimmychoos' dd's reading, poppy.

It doesn't sound like your stage 8 reader is reading the correct books for his knowledge - but your description is confusing, how can he 'read anything' but have ' phonics gaps'?

KnittedJimmyChoos · 05/02/2015 21:40

Choose your battles, that's my advice!

I am generally very pleased so I am not going to kick up stinks about this. I have raised it in past in light way and its not like she has been forgotten or something so will carry on as am.

poppy70 · 05/02/2015 21:49

Well I don't know that child or done a reading assessment of her. The gap is just what it sounds like. He may not know how to pronounce ure and the like correctly but know all others in stage 3. Happens all the time. He sounds like a perfectly fluent reader to anyones ears modt of the time though. He taught himself to read. He is going to have some gaps.

Feenie · 05/02/2015 21:51

I am an adult, teach phonics but my own explicit phonic knowledge is poor

Why???

poppy70 · 05/02/2015 21:59

Because I was never thought the rules. Split digraphs are a classic example. If I see nonsense words I am useless. Obviously, these aren't Y1 nonsense words, the adult version. Obviously I am a bit of tyrant now I teach it... but on my ownn without learning it...awful.

Normanpriceisnotarolemodel · 05/02/2015 22:13

Interesting to read the responses. My DS is in reception and was reading before school, which the school knew about, but still started him on the lowest level. He then moved up levels after every 2 books, then was left on level 4 for a month or so. He was reading them fluently, and no one seemed to notice. I did speak to the teacher about it, and she said that they don't like putting them up levels too quickly because if they finish the KS1 books too quickly, they don't like moving them on to KS2 books because the content isn't suitable for their age. Which seemed to me that they didn't have a proper strategy to deal with early readers, as basically this was an admittance that they were holding children back. Anyway, she said she would test him and change his level if appropriate. He went up to level 6, and I think that is right for him as he does need help with a couple of words per book. He's not the best reader in the class either, but he told me that the child who I know is a better reader than him is on stage 6 too, so it sounds to me like they are being held back! It is a 'good' school, but one of the reasons it wasn't 'outstanding' was that it didn't stretch the more able children. Thought they were supposed to be addressing that, but it doesn't sound like it.

Feenie · 05/02/2015 22:17

So find out! I wasn't an expert on the Vikings, but when I had to teach it, I boned up and made damn sure I became an expert. It's what we do!

Feenie · 05/02/2015 22:36

No, normanprice, I would agree - doesn't sound like they are addressing it at all.

catkind · 05/02/2015 22:39

I don't know your situation but in most cases there is a reason they are on them and parents don't understand what exactly is being looked for and then think the book is easy.

The reasons are not always educational sadly. I believe we've now discovered the reason DS was being held for ages at one level - and the reason he whizzed through the next 3 levels in as many weeks. Nope, not a developmental leap. Turns out school only owned 4 books at the next level up, and DS had already read 3 of them in guided reading.

They're due an ofsted inspection soon. I look forward with interest.

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