Year one

[Orangeboat]

What colour / level would you expect a year one child to be on at this point in the school year .

The books DS, Yr 1, has bought home say:

Purple Band 8
Oxford Level 8
Phase 6

and

Floppy's phonics Stage 6

If I remember correctly, mrz recently posted on another y1 reading thread that most of her class were on the equivalent of Ort level 7 (or it may have been 6), ranging from level 2 (red) to 11 (lime).

Why are you asking op? If you are looking for reassurance you are unlikely to get it, and more likely to get posts from parents with children doing well. If you are just curious prepare for the 'don't compare' responses. Personally, I totally get the curiosity thing (honestly), but my dd is doing well at reading. Pretty average at everything else.

This might clarify a bit:

www.readingchest.co.uk/book-bands

Mrz suggested that the reading chest levels are more in line with old NC expectations I think.

My class are on Red (2 pupils) all the way up to Turquoise (5 pupils). Most are in the expected range of Blue, Green and Orange. Around 50% of my pupils use little or no English at home, and some speak better English than their parents.

In my dds class there are kids on red right up to gold and lime and even one child is a free reader. There's such a wide range at this age. My dd is on purple and can read absolutely fine but needs to work in her comprehension as she zones out a bit when reading. I've been told that they'll all even out by year 2.

It really does depend. In DD's class there are at least six, maybe a few more, reading chapter books but DD insists one child is on red so a huge range.

Also worth remembering that chronological age still plays a big role in year 1. DD's friend was born in August and she is on the same books that DD (born in December) was on about 8 months ago, which is about right and does not mean that she is a poor reader. Some children will only just be beginning to read at this stage, whereas others, especially those born in the Autumn term will be confident readers by now.

I found that DD made a huge leap with her reading, when she realised that she could pick a book off the shelf and sit and read it on her own. It meant that she was getting so much more practise and she now reads keenly and confidently.

Ds is 5 and year 1 and reading turquoise so band 7 but he is at the bottom of his high achieving class. Most schools I'd say 7 is about average not bottom like at ds's school.

Our dd is one of the better readers in her class but because of a ridiculous rule that each and every book in each stage must be read before they move up, and books are changed twice a week, she's not been able to move beyond stage 4. Despite the fact she flies through them!

On average, about green/orange. Ish. Very ish. Can I ask why you want to know? Do you have some concerns?

Orange-ish? But Y1 seems to have the widest spread, and progress can be so non-linear. My eldest was on yellow/blue for most of Y1 then suddenly cracked it and covered 5 levels in a few weeks. Her teachers were spot on in telling us not to worry.

The range in our Y1 class is red to white. Some of those on the lower levels now will suddenly click with it just like DD did, I bet.

I looked at the (now defunct) approx expectations for the end of year 1, and rolled it back a bit because there's still a term to go. I didn't imply any sort of concern for anyone who is lower than that. I include my own year 1 child in that, who is taking home yellow books.

I've taught reception classes with a spread of pink to lime so the idea that this is something particular to Y1 is false, but in most classes you will find a cluster of children around a certain point (with a few children at each extreme if the spread) which is what Panzee is saying.

The bulk of my class are working at the equivalent of orange (we don't use book banding as it doesn't fit with new curriculum) but there are children reading lower and much higher.

DD is year 1 and currently reading gold books.
Her brother was on blue at about the same stage but was a free reader by the end of the Christmas term of Y2. Interestingly they are likely to be free reading at a very similar chronological age given where their birthdays fall, if anything DD may be a little older than DS was when she gets there.
Of course speak to the teacher if you're concerned but at this age there seems to be huge variability, a lot of effect from chronological age, and the potential to come from behind like a rocket!

DD is Y1 (end July birthday). No idea about levels/stages any more, she's mostly reading the easier Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, Horrid Henry series etc by herself or to us when we can persuade her, I don't know what they equate to. She can read anything now but asks about words she's unfamiliar with or has to look them up in the dictionary. She'll read a whole Horrid Henry most days before school.

I'm pretty sure most of her friends are at least the same level, if not higher. DD was definitely behind most of them at the end of YR (she was level 5/6 then), and probably still at Christmas. The main difference seems to be the length of the book now.

'Expected' to be on green by now in Y1 at my school. The range is huge though-from lilac to gold.

Dgs was 6 in February and is on Extended Readers. He seems to be able to read anything he is given but his favourites are the Tom Gates books and Roald Dahl. The last 'colour' book he brought home was lime but that was a while ago. He always loved those Magic Key stories.
I do one to one reading in his class which is yr1/2. Out of 28 dc about 6 are on ER and 5 are on yellow or blue (3 Y1 and 2 Y2).

My Year 1 foster child is on ORT Level 2, which is red. He's been on that level since about November and seems to be 'coasting' a bit. I think he could be pushed a bit more but I don't want to put him off reading so I'm fairly happy for him to still be on Level 2; which he finds relatively easy to read. According to his teacher he's not 'bottom' of the class in reading.

His brother entered Year 2 on Level 1 but has been pushed a bit harder and is now on Level 5. In December he suddenly seemed to make a bit of a leap in his phonic knowledge etc so I'm hoping his younger brother will do the same at some point!

The minimum standard expected for the end of year one is level 6 orange.
80% of dd class were on level 10 white by end of year one but there were a couple who didn't achieve the level 6 and are now on level 9-10 in year 2 and doing really well. I read with a boy who was on blue level, a year later he in white was just a late starter!

Ds1 is reading purple which is level 8, he's flying with his reading this last term and gone up 2 levels since February.
dd at the same age was on orange at this stage of the year and now aged 8 loves reading and reads anything and everything.

Reading levels are very child dependent. I work in a year 2 class where I have children struggling with pink but others on brown. The majority seem to be on lime, gold and white. A child may be good at reading a book but they also need to understand what is being said, be able to recall what happened, make predictions and understand why an author may choose to use different grammar and punctuation.

My son was reading Ronald Dahl by this time , my daughter is reading Ort 4. Doesn't really tell you much does it?

I have known children in y1 to vary from pink to white/lime.