How often does your Childs teacher write in their reading record/home-school contact book?

[elphiethegreat]

Very rarely in our case! The entire term, since starting back in January, my DDs teacher has written one comment in her reading record! She's in reception.

I write in it every evening after reading with her, often commenting on any issues we may be having with particular sounds or words but never recieve a response. I wrote last week on a feedback sheet for the school that I felt communication was lacking and she wrote me a comment back in the book saying she's 'sorry I feel that way and she will endeavour to write more often'.

She also said she does read with my dd regularly. But I'm doubtful because why wouldn't she write a comment in her reading record? I thought that was the whole point of them. I have asked dd on many occasions and she says she hasn't read at school. She only said yes last week, the day the comment appeared in her book! Which makes me think it is not that regularly.

Is this normal? I'm thinking it isn't, but dd is my first child at school so I dont really know.

Well I think the teacher has answered your question. She reads with your DD, she doesn't write it in her reading record. For comparison, when my DC were in Reception their book was written in when they read individually with anyone (including parent volunteers, TA, teacher) but not when they did some other form of reading e.g. guided reading. In Y1 and Y2, the reading at school was recorded elsewhere.

Remember your teacher has 30 books to read, she probably only looks at them once a week and she doesn't have time to necessarily write individual personalised responses to each one. If you have a specific question you would be better to try to catch her before or after school.

Tbh I've never used the reading record, I always use my own notes because I need them for assessment purposes. Reading records get lost anyway. The only reason I had them was to check if children had read at home.

As children get older there will be less and less reading with the teacher as it is rather inefficient on a one to one basis unless there is a specific issue. Most teaching of reading happens within guided reading sessions which would not be written about in a reading record.

Many classes even down to reception struggle to listen to children read individually on a regular basis and have to often rely on volunteers to get through all of the children.

If you are worried about your child's reading or progress ask for a meeting with the teacher to discuss her current attainment, targets and progress towards those targets.

Many schools treat home reading diary as somewhere for parents to record home reading and have separate records for in school reading. School may not do 1-1 reading instead using guided reading groups or whole class sessions.

There is actually only 12 in the class, very small rural school.

But I don't expect her to write in the book every day! I was just wondering what was the norm as like I said this is my first DC at school.

I have no issues with her reading particularly, I just thought I could expect more than one comment a term, it would be nice to have some feedback no and again, even if it was in response to one or two comments I have added in there.

Another question, do most schools use the Oxford reading tree books? I was always under this impression but we don't recieve any banded books/different levels. I do get them out of the library and she has her own set of Biff Chip and Kipper books, but I'm finding it all really confusing and it's hard to work towards targets when I don't know what level she's actually at.

The school is lovely but it seems all the emphasis is on handwriting and spelling tests and never anything about reading. But again, maybe it's normal!

Thanks for the replies

Ours only writes a comment when they go up a book band. So 3x since Sept. Nothing else.
Handwriting and spelling in year R !??!?

I'm surprised at the above answers. Personally I'd expect the teacher (or TA or helper) to write in the reading record whenever they read with my child. Agree with the OP - surely that's what it's for?

In reply to your question, OP, I'd expect an adult to read with my child about once a week. And in reception I'd expect there to be much more emphasis on reading than on handwriting or spelling.

I wouldn't worry too much about levels though. Unless the books she's getting seem much too easy / hard for her?

My DC are in reception, year 2 and year 4 btw.

There are different kinds of ORT books the old scheme is based on the Look & Say method and the new phonic scheme.
Schools should be using the later to meet new curriculum requirements.

Yes weekly spelling tests (!) and huge emphasis on working towards joined up handwriting. I actually haven't spoke to anyone else from other schools whose child have spelling tests in reception. I just thought that surely reading would be the basis for things like spelling etc?

I read lots with her and we sort of work through the book bands at home with the books I get for her. But nothing at all regarding book level or bands or reading at school. I do trust my dd would tell me had she read with someone at school.

We usually get a comment every week, that DS has done either guided reading, or one to one at school. I have never got a response to comments I have put in there though. I gave up raising any issues by commenting in the reading record quite quickly. Now if there is something I want to discuss with the teacher I just grab her for a quick word at kicking out time, which seems to work much better.

My DC are 10 and 9 and can't reliably remember everything they do at school in a day. With all due respect to your DD she may well forget things - plus she may not recognise "reading" when it is in some form other than sitting 1-1 with an adult. the teacher has told you she reads regularly with DD - I'm not sure why you doubt that?

I initially doubted it because in my original post I said I thought a home school reading record was so we (assuming myself, TA, teacher, volunteer etc) could record when my dd read and with very very few comments in since she started school I had begun to doubt if anyone was reading regularly with her at all. I can't see what happens at school every day so that was a doubt I had. Hence the post!

Ours do group guided reading 3x week. No spelling work as they writing using phonics at the mo. They write short story's but no spelling is corrected. They are encouraged to write neatly

My DS in reception reads at school 2 or 3 times a week and the TA or teacher write a comment each time. Teacher sometimes comments back on something I've written. He is also starting spellIng tests but these are more sounds so seem to be there to assist decoding etc which is part of reading e.g. Sam, ham etc or rip, tip etc. That is how they are used at my DS's school.

As a teacher, I use the reading record books as a check for children's at home reading. When I listen to children read (in groups, at guided reading) I record this on my own sheets.
It is time ineffective to replicate this 6x daily in reading records too, I don't know any teachers that do.

I keep my own records in school, like others.

If there is a parent who makes the effort to fill in the record on a regular basis, however, I try and write a little note thanking them for their support every few weeks. Mainly because then this sort of situation is less likely to happen.

I detest reading records.. I used to live reading with mine when they were little but the reading record is just too much effort. They are probably a good thing if a child has problems with reading. Mine were good readers and I totally ran out of ideas as to what to write so I decided to give up and put a short signature next to the date. I think it was in year 3 when DD lost hers, it seemed to have vanished at school. DD did not ask for a replacement and nobody seemed to notice at the school.

I have a child in Reception.

She reads to an adult in school weekly (sometimes 2 x week) and a comment with next steps is recorded. It has only been the actual class teacher about 3 times.

No work on spellings yet as far as I know. Lots of maths sums, doubling, halving and lots of sounds and decoding practice.

To the teachers and TAs out there - please please try to scribble something down at least when you hear a child read 1:1. We are our children's teachers too. It's useful to us to know what they've done at school just as much as it's useful to you to know what they've done at home. And particularly what skills you're working on at school as we often don't have a clue. If parents are noticing and encouraging the same aspect of reading the child will surely learn more easily. It'll probably even save you time overall as you'll get less perplexed parents asking you why little Johnny is still on level 28 when he can read them perfectly.

This thread is making me wonder if my child would get better reading support in school if I stopped writing in his reading diary.

Many many schools never ever read 1-1 unfortunately.

We only write down 1:1 reads in the diary not guided reads. So some children have more comments than others.

But parents have had our system explained to them and it is also written in the front of the diary what it is used for and how.

Guided reading isn't recorded on staff planning/records instead as it is far more useful and beneficial for our staff that way, rather than having I write in every book and then having to either duplicate the information or collecting in every book when it comes to assessments or monitoring etc.

catkind and others - reading is just one part of the school curriculum. Why is it vitally important for a teacher to write down 1-1 reading and not important for you to know every other detail of what your child has done all day? If your child is moved up a level or has a particular difficulty, I am sure your child's teacher will make you aware.

2x/week - either the teacher or a TA.

When I was a reception teacher an adult in the class would read once a week 1-1 and we would always acknowledge/ thank the parent for any comments. We would then write our comment.
My daughter who is in reception now has had 1 comment this last half term. The teacher had previously written a note saying could we please write a comment (rather than a tick). I saud I would continue to do so now but as it wasn't being acknowledged I didn't know why I was doing it.
I also asked the teacher if DD had only read to an adult once in the whole half term and she said no it's more so I asked for her to jot it in the reader. School communication should be a 2 way thing.

My DS is in reception. On average he reads once a week with an adult - teacher, TA, or volunteer parent (in this case me ) I only read with him though if he hasn't read with another adult. Adult comments in reading record. It might be worth asking your school which system they follow for reading and writing and then google it. I can't remember the system used at DS school, but join up writing and spelling tests aren't part of it. They are still learning letter recognition and formation. They are taught join up from year 2, or year 1 if they are good at writing. They do get word cards to learn - they are high frequency words and tricky words. There will be certain ones that they are expected to know as part of the national curriculum. They are not tested on spellings. He has 23 in his class.

The word cards they learn - it is word recognition only, not how to spell them.