Discrepancy between reception and Y1 reading level

[Vickster99]

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.

Feenie, I obviously understand it. I have a PG diploma in lang/literacy and dyslexia PG qualifications. I don't get when I'm given a Y3 class who basically can't read yet, and I certainly don't get the obsession with sparkly white reading levels when most of the very basic books in our tiny under resourced school can't be easily decoded. I can utterly promise you that all of those children are heard by an adult in school 3 times a week and will all make very good progress. It has nothing to do with shite Biff and Chip books and coloured reading levels. I only don't understand them because they don't really work for many children.

If your school's chosen reading scheme - and let's assume it is decodable, as per the national curriculum - and you have readers below age related expectations, then I would absolutely expect you to.know how to match those readers to their phonic level.

If you don't know how to do that, as you have indicated, your children - and you - are in trouble.

That's the very basic legal requirement of any teacher.

Legal, as.in - it's the national curriculum. And it's statutory. You just have to sort it out - and I'd would say especially since you think you are so qualified to do so.

Definitely talk to the teacher or put a note in the book. Something similar happened with my ds - turned out she'd put him on that particular level as it was the highest she'd brought in with her and then was intending to retest later in the week.

waves at ginmummy

I don't know about year 1, but in year 2 we did a reading comprehension test paper at the beginning of the 2nd week in school and it became obvious that some children were on the wrong level of reading book and had to be moved - backwards, in several cases.
Your children may be able to read the words in their reading book, but do they actually understand what they are reading? Many children had difficulty with reading and understanding the instructions on the paper eg" find a word in the text that means the same as teacher and write it on the line below", or "tick one box". They need to be able to do these things without any help.

Feenie, I can absolutely assure you that the children in my class make way above expected progress in reading. I take the teaching of reading very seriously. There is more than one way to be a good teacher. Just because I think the system is a pile of poo doesn't mean I don't take my job very seriously. There are lots of ways to work on comprehension while not giving children boring books to read. No, we don't have a decodable reading scheme in school. If the books weren't so outdated I'm sure my attitude towards them would be more positive.

While I'm upsetting people, I'd like to add that I loathe Harry Potter because it's badly written and predictable and find Roald Dahl somewhat overdone. Don't even get me started on most Michael Morpurgo books. Obviously this (along with my dislike of reading levels) is information I choose not to share with children and parents in real life.

Feenie, I can absolutely assure you that the children in my class make way above expected progress in reading.

I should hope they do, especially if you have non-readers by Y3. Something is seriously wrong there - starting with ignoring the National Curriculum. If you're a state school, itt's statutory - it's not a choice!

goingmad, I am very curious. So if YR3 non reader made way above expected progress, what sort of reading ability do they have in the end, compared to other children in the same year?

I panicked when my yr 3 daughter came home from her new school with a level 6 book when she is pretty much a free reader. Wrote a note in her reading log. Turns out for the 1st 2 weeks they can pick their own book turns out I have highlighted myself as THAT parent already

How frequently would you expect a reading log to be checked by the teacher or TA ? Once a fortnight or once a month ? I don't want to email the office to ask if I'm just a pushy parent - I know everyone is busy.

At least weekly! (Several times really) If only to enter in the book that is being taken home or to check reading is being done!

《 wondering how dd's old school only got good and not outstanding at ofsted......

I'm feeling reassured that there are others who've encountered the same issue at the beginning of term and found it to just be an oversight.
I've written in the reading diary and hope for a positive outcome!

Update: The teacher has responded to my note in the reading diary. She said the choice was deliberate as they are working on expression, particularly pauses at full stops, but that my dd would in future have a more difficult book too. She added that she is still working on getting to know the children.
I'm not sure I agree with the philosophy of reading easy books to practise expression as i find my dd is more likely to rush through the book and not read with expression if the book bores her. However, I'll leave it for a few weeks at least before saying anything again. Hopefully the teacher will figure it out given a bit more time with dd.

i find my dd is more likely to rush through the book and not read with expression if the book bores her. then she clearly needs to practice, and learn not to skimp on work just because it bores her.

And you need to learn how to spell the word 'practise', longlost. I thought you were a secondary English teacher?

OP, the teacher is not adhering to the NC, as I'm sure you know by now. By the sounds of this thread, there's a lot of it about, unfortunately.

I'm severely dyslexic, Feenie, but hey, thank you so much for taking the time to point that out, I'm sure you now feel terribly smug and superior, so glad to have been able to boost your ego for you this morning, I'm sure you needed it.

What exactly do you teach, longlpst - and have you read the primary English curriculum yet?

Thanks Feenie

Feenie, you are being somewhat anal on this thread. I've just taken over year 3/4 and am working on it. Give me a chance! All will be readers by Christmas. After 2 weeks all are much more switched on to reading. It's not my fault they had a bad experience last year and I'm working bloody hard to catch up.

I wouldn't normally be rude, but you started it.

Why do you think your school has non-readers in Year 3 - which is v unusual, and signifes some fairly serious issues? What makes you think you can resolve those issues without using suitable books, or the national curriculum, in just one term?

Do you think deviating from the statutory curriculum has helped those children?

You say you don't understand the reading scheme, won't help the children by matching their phonics knowledge to a decodable scheme, won't agree to the statutory curriculum - how exactly will that help these children?

FYI - schools are legally required to teach the national curriculum, and teachers who.do so aren't anal - they're fulfilling legal requirements, and usually teaching children to read as they do so.

You may have the best of intentions, but promising that you're hugely qualified but don't understand how the scheme even works does not inspire confidence.

In the long run, it is actually very difficult to prevent a normal child learning to read, what ever method you use.

If only that were true.

My last message to Feenie because I really can't be bothered. I'm actually good at my job. It's not my fault the new Y3 class can't read but I can assure you that by Christmas they'll be fine. I'll work bloody hard to make sure they are. Of course I understand the reading scheme - I do have my Mensa membership along with a Cambridge PGCE. Just because I think it's narrow, restrictive and boring doesn't mean I don't understand it. Just because the way it has been interpreted by the teacher in the previous year is demoralising and depressing to the children doesn't mean I don't understand it. Lighten up.

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.

Then became:

Of course I understand the reading scheme - I do have my Mensa membership along with a Cambridge PGCE

You can understand my confusion.

Hearing of non-readers in Y3 and schools who won't adhere to the curriculum to help those children doesn't make me want to lighten up - it makes me despair. What are those children's problems that have made them non-readers by Y3 that will suddenly disappear in a term - knowing what the problems are will be the quickest route to solving them.