Year 3......Are your children responsible for bringing home their own reading books?

[pepsi]

My ds in in Year 2, but the playground gossip currently seems to be everyones dis-satisfaction with Year 3, which is of course a worry for me, my ds has some special need issues too. Apparently from Sept - Dec children currently in Year 3 didnt come home with a reading book. Im told today that its up to the child to choose and bring home a book. Also Im told that homework isnt set and if it is it isnt marked. My children go to a well respected school which did well on its last ofsted inspection so it is a bit of a surprise to me to hear these "rumours". I also wondered if your schools have a reading or homework book, our school has neither, I would prefer to have a reading record book for my dd who has just started in reception. Obviously different schools do things in different ways, but it would be interesting to learn what parents like and dont like.

DD is year 3 and has finished their set reading scheme so she now chooses her own books to bring home. They still listen to her read though and we have a reading record book so that either her teacher, me or even she can write in it. She has homework every week which is marked.

I have found that at least 50% of playground rumour is unfounded. Admittedly there may be a poor teacher in one class, but that is different from suddenly having different policies.

In infants there is a single reading/homework book where the teacher writes what is required, and parents sign off that it has been done (usually reading, spellings and tables, rarely a wroksheet or project).

The change in Year 3 is that it is up to the child to record what is set for homework in his book, whcih again comes home and is signed. A big issue is made of the fact that the homework is also recorded in a class diary kept on the teachers desk so that you can check up if something seems to be going awry.

ds had a reading book in year 3 although it was up to him to take it back to the teacher when finished and ask for it to be changed even though we still annotated his record book. In Year 4 he can choose from a particular box and again brings it home but we only have reading set as homework once a week, but obviously can do so in between and we note it in his record book. They aren't heard read each day from year 3, maybe once a week, both as a group and individually. He have a separate homework diary in which we can write ad hoc notes too.

So there is some records kept, in our school there are no such records that the parent signs off. I'd be surprised if they read to someone in class more than twice a week and even then they do it in reading groups. I worry in Year 3 that my ds wont bother to change a book. We regularly go to the library so in our case I know he/she will have a good range of books at home, but thats not the case for every child. How would you improve the ways things are done. Also, do you have access to your Year 3 teacher before/after school. Once ds goes to Year 3 you have to make an appointment to see the teacher, making things like little Jonny is being pick up by so and so tonight or he didnt sleep well last night so may be a bit tired, or whatever, impossible. Is this the usual for Year 3?

My DS is in year 2 and they are already responsible for changing their own school reading books, have been since the start of year 2. They have a reading record book and even if I write in there "please change book", if DS forgets, it's his fault, apparently. This is of great annoyance to me, he's only 6 and the youngest in his year

My DS is in year 3 and is responsible for changing his reading book once he has finished it. We have a book bag that he brings home everyday and within it there is his reading book, reading record, spellings book, timetables book and homework record. He gets homework on a monday and has until Friday am to complete it. I can look in his homework book to see what has been set (not huge amounts obviously (this week was a maths question)the teacher will put the mark he receives for it in the book, once she has marked it. He gets 10 spellings every week as well and each term he has to learn another times table (9's at the moment)
I mark in his reading record what pages he has read and any words he had trouble with so the teacher can go over them with him, and vice versa. I am really pleased with DS primary.

What happens to the child that never bothers to change his/her book and has parents that for one reason or another dont encourage it? All in favour of reading record books then.

My 5 year old, in year one is responsible for changing her own reading book & we have no reading diary etc. I did a little experiment last term to see how long she would have the same book in her book bag, & was astounded that it remained in there for the entire term How can a 5 year old be expected to remember something like that?
Lucky we have our own reading books at home. Pity those poor children that dont

My dd 5.11 has to change own book and write the book title in reading record.
I did know this before she start in her new class (went up in January) and I remind her to change before school. I write title in her reading record when she gets home. She was abit hit and miss to start with but she's pretty good now.
I think it helps that she does love reading.