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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

Discrepancy between reception and Y1 reading level

112 replies

Vickster99 · 16/09/2016 19:22

I'm after some advice on how best to tackle this.
My DD is a very able reader and in reception last year she was reading white & lime books (stage 10/11) by the end of the year. Today she came home with her first book from Y1 - it was blue (level 4) and way too easy for DD. I'm quite shocked her teacher could have got her ability so wrong and am wondering what on earth is going on. Did they not have any communication between reception and Y1 teachers? Even if they'd like the kids to recap things from last year surely that amount of drop in levels is way too much?

A lot of the books they used in reception were mix and match from different reading schemes or sometimes stickered with a colour but not part of a formal scheme. I was told they'd be following a more formal scheme in Y1 (Collins). Is it possible that the teacher just needs to demonstrate progression through the levels now that they are on the formal sheme?

I'll obviously be talking to the teacher about this but not sure how to tackle it? I dont want to be "that" parent but I fear that DD will completely lose interest in reading at school if she is forced to read stuff like that. At home she is reading Julia Donaldson and other similar picture books and we are just making a start on Horrid Henry books.

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FourLittleSpeckledFrogs · 16/09/2016 19:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FeckinCrutches · 16/09/2016 19:52

Maybe it was just a mistake? You don't need to 'tackle' anything.

GoldFishFingerz · 16/09/2016 19:56

I would probably read horrid Henry at home and just ignore the school reading books

GoldFishFingerz · 16/09/2016 19:56

Or get your DD to tell the teacher

Duckyneedsaclean · 16/09/2016 19:57

Just mention it on Monday. It's very unusual for someone to go into Y1 at that level, after all.

nennyrainbow · 16/09/2016 20:01

I get what you mean, OP. You want to query it but without coming across as a pushy parent. And to the previous poster, a 5 year old would be unlikely to tell the teacher if the books had suddenly got easier.

I would just ask if you could have a quick word after school on Monday, or if you can't do that, then send a note in her bookbag or her reading record if you have them. Just say that the new level seems to be a big jump down from where she was at before. It might have been a mistake. When my DCs have moved class they have always resumed at the level they were at before.

EchidnasPhone · 16/09/2016 20:03

But reading is also about comprehension & perhoas the teacher is just getting a feel for what your daughter can read & how much of that she understands. It's still very early on so I would perhaps hold back on asking the teacher but use this time & the book she has been given to practice her spelling or asking specific questions about the story or asking her to find particular words within the story. You can do a lot with a book other than just read it.

SuperDinoCharge · 16/09/2016 20:05

It could be a drop down to do with comprehension rather than reading ability. My dd entered reception with reading age 7.3 and only finished on green as they wanted comprehension to be sound. She did comprehension workbooks from year 2 rather than phonics to help her comprehension catch up with her reading age. You may find she is progressed quickly through the levels as her comprehension improves.

FourLittleSpeckledFrogs · 16/09/2016 20:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Muddlingalongalone · 16/09/2016 20:11

Did dd choose it herself maybe?? My dd has been choosing with the ta today.
We seem to have gone the opposite way. She finished last year with level 5 but was okish with level 6 and she's gone to purple after 1 week back

nennyrainbow · 16/09/2016 20:28

Mine wouldn't have said anything. Remember this is a new class with a new teacher and children tend to tread carefully with unfamiliar people in a different surrounding. Added to the fact that we've had 6.5 weeks summer break and her DD has probably forgotten what book level she was on before.

Original poster

Vickster99 · 16/09/2016 21:31

I've chatted to DD and got some more info from her...apparently the whole group of 5 or 6 kids read the book out aloud in unison. She did want to tell the teacher it was too easy but they were told not to talk so she didn't say anything.
Its definitely not about comprehension as she has never had an issue with that, her comprehension is on track with her reading ability.

OP posts:

nennyrainbow · 16/09/2016 21:53

Ah, I think that's what they call guided reading. She's above the level of the others so they will have picked a book that everyone can manage.

ROSY2016 · 16/09/2016 23:01

My daughter was on level 5 at reception, now they started sending books everyday once they are finished them.my dd said she didn't read the book with teacher yet. So I assume once she finished certain number of books then they will move to next stage. At reception, I requested through reading record book to assess her for level 5. Her comprehension level was good because she can retell the story and answer the questions. Teacher at reception said they can't go beyond level 5 ,as level 5 is the highest level in reception. But I wonder how some of your kids are level 7/8/9 even 10 at reception

goingmadinthecountry · 16/09/2016 23:56

I'm always shocked how parents work out reading levels. I'm a teacher who has just moved from y5/6 to y3/4 and have children on all manner of odd coloured levels and I don't quite get it myself. My aim is to foster a love of reading through appropriate high quality texts. Couldn't care less if the books are green, yellow or sky blue pink. The same with sodding pen certificates. What I go on is that children are confident, enjoy reading and make excellent progress. I do have specialist dyslexia and lang/literacy pg qualifications so feel entirely entitled to do it the way that works for us in class.

ironrooster · 17/09/2016 00:12

It's all very well for a teacher to say they don't care what colour levels children are on but for a parent, it's pretty much the only thing you have to gauge how your child is progressing.

Feenie · 17/09/2016 01:31

The tests which state your dc must read a lower level because her comprehension may not be in line ignore the 2014 New curriculum, which states your dc must be reading a book which is closely matched with their decoding level, and comprehension should be taught alongside. I would query this if I were you.

Feenie · 17/09/2016 01:33

The posts, not tests - my autocorrect is on overdrive tonight.

Feenie · 17/09/2016 01:35

I'm always shocked how parents work out reading levels. I'm a teacher who has just moved from y5/6 to y3/4 and have children on all manner of odd coloured levels and I don't quite get it myself.

Fgs, Suggest you start by reading the actual curriculum then.

MsDinosaur · 17/09/2016 01:39

Lime/White is expected for the end of Year 2 so unless your child can confidently pass a year 2 reading comprehension then the teacher might have changed them for that reason?

Feenie · 17/09/2016 01:45

No - teacher should be working on comprehensive at that level, not slapping them down to a decoding level that is beneath them.

Longlost10 · 17/09/2016 05:18

No feenie, totally the opposite. And for guided reading, the book should be straightforward for them.

I agree about parents getting too hung up on reading levels. These are only a very rough guide. You can reach level 11 without actually completing everything in level 3,4,5,6 and 7, no reading scheme can possibly accurately reflect the exact linear development for every single child.
Reading in aloud unison requires and develops a totally different set of skills from reading alone, anyway, such as rhythm, expression, predication, etc.

user789653241 · 17/09/2016 07:31

"a 5 year old would be unlikely to tell the teacher if the books had suddenly got easier"

Mine certainly did. and skipped several levels.
At the beginning of yr1, teacher has shown disagreement to reception teacher who made ds skip so many levels, but she didn't challenge it. (I assume because she was one of the SLT at his school.) But if she was a NQT or something, I felt she would have put him back several levels just to make a point.

didireallysaythat · 17/09/2016 07:37

How frequently does your DD or DS read at school ? In reception we went through 6 teachers so never really had a level assigned. DS snatched a couple of books during his first week - random and too hard for him, so I wrote in the log book. If noone has looked in his log by the end of month am I unreasonable to ask about his level ?

Original poster

Vickster99 · 17/09/2016 09:10

My aim is to foster a love of reading through appropriate high quality texts. Couldn't care less if the books are green, yellow or sky blue pink....What I go on is that children are confident, enjoy reading and make excellent progress.

Well this is doing the exact opposite. She was bored stiff by the book and boredom definitely doesn't foster a love of reading. And its certainly not making progress either.

Lime/White is expected for the end of Year 2 so unless your child can confidently pass a year 2 reading comprehension then the teacher might have changed them for that reason?

I've never seen a year 2 comprehension but she does understand the books well and can answer questions etc. Her reception teachers said her reading was on par with top Y2 students.

Reading in aloud unison requires and develops a totally different set of skills from reading alone, anyway, such as rhythm, expression, predication, etc.
I get that but she hasn't been given anything else to read on her own and the reading diary says the group books are matched to their level

OP posts:

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