One to one reading in school

[Mavey9]

hello quick question around normal/expected frequency of one to one reading with children in year 1 specifically. If I recall accurately, at my child's school all children were read with a minimum of once per week roughly in reception. Now in year 1, my child has been read with once in the last 3 months (and that was as part of the check to see if they needed to move up a band) and twice in the preceding 2 months. It's an 'outstanding' school, classes are full, and my child is on gold band if that makes any difference. I know that some children are read with daily, and weekly. I am assuming they are leaving the better readers to it. Should I be concerned about this or just leave it? I know teachers have alot on their plates and their focus is bound to be getting the weaker readers up to speed, and I'm conscious of not being a pest, but my child has I think started to notice that no one ever reads with her. Any thoughts? Is this just what happens? Thanks all.

Do you read with her? If she is being read with most days and is doing well then she doesn't really need to read again in school.

Yes I read with her. But can't help but feel that a child should get some one to one teacher attention every week, or every couple of weeks? My concern isn't just about the 'reading' element, it's that feeling of knowing the teacher is interested in you and has time for you that's important as well? Or am I expecting too much? It's hard for us to do reading at home at times as husband is away a lot and I have a younger child who is very demanding and getting the peace to sit down and do quiet reading is often a challenge. It just doesn't seem ideal that she doesn't get the opportunity at school like lots of others do in class to read with an adult that's not distracted and is focussing on them.

In my year 1 classroom, the children are split into 5 reading groups. There is guided reading time scheduled for each day. Each group does guided reading once per week with the class teacher. At the same time, one group reads with a TA, one group does phonics games, one group 'free reads' and one group works on comprehension activities (and the groups rotate each day iyswim). So at a bare minimum, the children would be heard by an adult 2x per week (albeit in a group). In addition, the TA will hear individual readers during the course of the day; less able readers will be heard every day and more able readers might only be heard individually once a week. All reading is noted in the reading record.

Yr 1's read with a TA or parent helper on Mon/Wed/Fri each week at the kids school. Occasionally if there's been an event/trip they just change the books without reading but they are pretty consistant.

Mavey9- I think your child should be heard to read more frequently at school; however, with 30+ children in a class, it's never going to be a substitute for a child being heard to read at home regularly. Your child sounds like a very able reader if they are on gold level (none of out Y1 children are and we have some very able readers. However, we also have a policy of making sure children are very secure in their readling level, particularly comprehension, before moving them on).

Thanks for the info. I get the impression that the readers who are behind get read with daily, the ones who are in the middle are read with weekly or so, and the ones who are further on aren't read with nearly so much. I help as a parent helper fairly frequently (not doing reading) so I can see which children get read with regularly. It's obviously not the worst thing ever but I am just worrying a bit from a motivational and esteem perspective what the lack of attention from teacher/TA will bring about potentially.

Yes they also do guided reading at our school. However I can see from chart in the wall that the guided reading book level for the table that my child is on is turquoise level, which meets the need of most kids on the table. But I don't think it meets the needs of mine, as this is 2 levels below what she's on, so I don't think this is ideal either. So I can't help but feel that the whole time she's at school she's not really getting her reading needs met at all? Unless she just reads by herself, but that's then got no adult input? And from what I've seen of the class I don't even think they get time to just read by themselves anyway.

DD is heard occasionally - but does guided reading each week. Even if they are reading slightly easy books, the questioning can stretch even the best readers.

I don't have any concerns about her reading.

As with everything, it's about allocation of scarce resources. I heard every child in my class read once this past half term and some of them a lot more often. I've grouped them into daily/3 times a week/weekly readers and aim, with the help of my TA, parents and volunteers, to have all children heard in line with that schedule. In addition we have guided reading. I would hope that every child was heard once a week, but I suspect that my most able readers (gold band like your DD) weren't heard individually every week as well as doing guided reading. I can't concentrate on hearing children read when I'm teaching the class so I use my precious 2 hours a week non-contact time to hear readers. Along with working with children who need a little extra support with something in Maths, dealing with any friendship or social issues, photocopying, laminating, changing displays, marking books or assessments, processing data, meetings, subject leadership responsibiliies - the list is endless. Two hours a week doesn't go very far.

Thanks for your response. I very much know that resources are scarce as I see the pressure teachers are under every time I go in to help with the class. I'm in no way saying that she should be read with every week, more that once every 2 or 3 months seems pretty inadequate and there should be a middle ground somewhere. I think I've decided that I'm going to speak to the teacher about it and risk being seen as a pain. If she's noticing that others get read with and she doesn't she'll wonder why and perhaps not reach the correct reason, and given she's not the most confident of children it might help her in that regard if she had regular times to read with another adult other than myself. It's important for speaking ability and being able to talk in front of others which really isn't her favourite thing at all.

We have the same situation. My two are also on gold and so I think more reading is done with children who would benefit more.
I don't mind, I just read more with them at home. It did bother me more at the start of the year, when both were on green band and it bore no relation to what they were capable of reading, but after mentioning this to the teacher they were assessed.

I also feel that in our case it has balanced out. One of mine has had loads of extra help with his handwriting, which has helped him hugely.

Mine is in year one. He gets 1-2-1 reading every other day (mon, weds, fri), and group reading the days in between (Tuesday and thurs). They are very hot on reading and comprehension though. He gets a new book every day that he has to read 20 mins to us every evening and as we have to sign a book saying it's been done. This is a private school. They have one teacher and two assistants per each class of 18 children.

My ds was way ahead of other children in ks1 for reading, and rarely read to teacher or ta. He read to me everyday at home. Now in yr3, he is still ahead. I don't think it done any harm by not reading to teacher/ta regularly.

1 to 1 reading was rarely if ever done in dd's primary but there was guided reading twice each week. That said there weren't reading schemes either just the whole of the library's books were colour coded and children given a colour. Books from the library were "reading books" that were read with parents at home.Children were assessed termly (or more frequently at parent request) to determine their colour. Dd is an enthusiastic reader and was always unafraid to tackle any book which,in comparison with my older children,was because she didn't learn to read with a scheme. It worked in dd's school and there was no parental angst as their methods were explained at the beginning.

At dd previous school they read once a week with a TA.

It used to be the first thing missed though if they were busy with other school activities etc. she once didn't get heard for over 3 weeks.

Speaking with friends who are teachers the most able pupils are left to get on with it or read with the other DC.

Dd is heard daily now by teacher and us but this is in a private class of 11.

I was a parent helper listening to children read and received no guidance on how to do it. I listened to every child on rotation, so took two sessions (two weeks) to hear everyone. The temptation would be to listen to those that clearly aren't getting it at home. I was unsure which way was best as I really felt for those children who were on the lowest bands with no practising at home.

In an ideal world, then yes, but in reality there are children who need more targeted help. Does your DS gets a bit of extra teacher time in other areas? Also 1-2-1 reading time isn't the only time the teacher can say an encouraging word or make a child feel special.

This week ds has done guided reading with his reading group and also read 1 on 1 with a parent helper. It isn't always twice a week that he's heard read, but I have noticed that it seems to have become more frequent than it was at the start of the year. However, that's probably because there's a trainee teacher in the class at the minute so there's more opportunity right now.

I would agree that teachers interact one on one with children in other areas. For example, we had parents' evening the other day and, although the class teacher has only read with my son once each half term so far in Y1, she knows him, his personality and abilities inside out and was talking about doing maths with him etc.

I really think you only need to be concerned if it feels like your DD isn't progressing.

I wouldn't worry that the guided reading text is below the level that your daughter is on. The class teacher will be able to target questioning to develop reading skills such as inference.

I've been working on a book with my most able readers which is a level below the books that they take home to read. They could all read the book confidently. However, I made up some comprehension activities based on the story which they all found really challenging.

No doubt your daughter has noticed that your daughter doesn't read individually with the TA or parent helpers, but - if she's thought about it at all - she's probably worked out that it's because she doesn't need extra help with her reading. I'm sure she won't be upset by it.

There is such a huge difference in abilities in year 1. My own child was struggling t read even cvc can words, of course a child strugglng lie that should receive extra help in school. Now in year 3 he us n gold and doing extremely well. He has always excelled in maths so off course I understood why other children in his class who struggled with maths got extra help. Fair is not giving each child the same thing, it's giving each individual Chad what they need in order to thrive.

I do parent helper reading with DD's class every morning for an hour. Her class size is 30. I have 6 listed children who must read daily because they have very poor literacy, then I can pick and mix the rest. I'm trying very hard to be equal but the kids all have other activities going on too, so I ask for X but he's busy practising maths so I have to skip to the next child. Maybe your child is unfortunately being missed in this way?

Should add, DD is Reception.

We do our best to listen to everyone during the week, but it isn't always possible or practical. Our main focus is those who are weaker readers or never read at home.

We have guided reading in groups every day and there are other reading opportunities throughout the day, but if a child has read at home, there is not such an urgency to hear them on a one to one basis.