Any year 1 teachers about??

[Cheesycheesytwist]

I had parents' evening last week and have been a bit worried since, so looking for some honest opinions. DD is our second child and loves school and is enthusiastic. Their teacher said overall she is doing okay and always works hard but her reading is "a bit behind where it should be", and this has a knock on affect on writing. The teacher wasn't being particularly negative or trying to worry me, she was just being honest.

I had known DD's reading wasn't amazing, she's on oxford reading tree level 4 which is way way behind where her elder sibling was at this stage. In terms of writing she is starting to try sentences but they are badly spelt and sometimes hard to decipher. How worried do I need to be? She has a very academic elder sibling so until now I'd just assumed elder sibling was ahead of peers and that DD was just getting there in her own time, but now I'm worried I've dropped the ball and should have done more with her before now.

For background I suffer form anxiety so this sometimes clouds my thinking. Any teachers who can tell me honestly (but gently!) how worried I should be?

The teacher seemed to think she was okay but if she's behind then that's not okay to me, I want to give her the chance to be the best she can be and feel I've let her down.

Sorry for the essay!

Ps I don't mean any of the above to suggest I'm disappointed in her! I'm not at all, I'm just very worried that I've been a crap mum and not helped her enough. We read a book every day but haven't done anything literacy related beyond that, so I feel responsible that she's behind

Hopeful bump

I'm not a teacher but I have DC in primary school. I don't think there is anything to worry about if she is writing sentences in year 1, spelling mistakes or not. None of my DC could have written sentences with perfect spellings every time at that age. In fact they can still make mistakes and one is in year 4.

I have taught year one. Just read with her more. Little and often is best. 5-10 minutes per day.
She’s only started year one. She will be fine. Children can make huge leaps, all of a sudden.
Don’t stress, just try to get into a good reading routine.

Thank you for replying! They are very basic attempts (eg "i wen to prrk" for "I went to the park"). My anxiety makes me prone to over analysing and oh so much guilt! I've convinced myself the teacher was being tactful but DD is actually really behind her peers and it's my fault for not helping her do more things at home

Cross post sorry. Yes I do try and read as much as possible with her, which I assumed was enough but now I'm worried it's not

Hopefully you're right Nuffaluff, it's just I'm worried the teacher wouldn't have said she isn't where she'd like her to be if that's the case?

My son is on level 4 of Oxford reading tree in year 1. He is exceeding in his reading. How can that be?

My dc is in year one too, I don't think his school do the Oxford ready tree but the sentence you've given as an example is quite typical of one that he might write. We read with him every night and he's already improved almost overnight with his reading. I'm pretty laid back about these things as they all progress in their own time and get there in the end. Sounds like you are doing a fab job. Get dc to read with you and then write a sentence from the book afterwards. Do that at least 5 nights a week and you'll get there.

thismustbemydream I would say the books you have been given from school are too easy for him. Our exceeding readers are on level 7 and 8.

Honestly, I can't remember what stage ds2 was on at this point in y1 (he is now y4), but I'm fairly sure he was at a similar point to your dd, which, similarly to your situation, was way behind where his academic elder brother was at this stage. He could not read in any way fluently (again unlike elder ds), his spelling was poor and his writing practically illegible with many letters transposed. Now he is exceeding in reading, working with year 5/6 pupils, but yet still nowhere near (as far as I can see) his elder brother at this stage.
I think, what I am saying is, essentially, don't compare dd with sibling, and she will likely catch up in her own time.

Thank you so much for the replies ♥

seen that's a great idea to get her to write a sentance out afterwards. Your attitude was exactly what I had and I think the teacher (without meaning to) has just really thrown me as I'm a bit wobbly at the moment. Thank you ♥

And thank you Sprouts. Yes I try not to compare, which is why I thought it was fine, as I guessed elder sibling was way ahead of their peers and DD was probably more where a yr 1 pupil should be, so to hear that she's behind has made me feel awful, like I've neglected DD by mistake as if I'd known she was behind I'd have made more effort when she was in reception

This thread has made me feel better though so thank you everyone xx

sven sorry

Read read read with her. Consistency is key. No nights off. Just get into the habit so it becomes automatic. She’ll soon take off. Blue books aren’t so bad at this stage on year 1. Stop feeling guilty. Every child progresses at different rates. She’ll likely make a really big jump soon.

I do a lot of hearing readers in my child's Y1 class (I'm also a supply teacher if there's ever any bloody work around - hah hah) - they're reading everywhere from Red to Orange book band at the moment so blue is pretty much slap bang in the "doing OK" level of things (our school have the expectation to have them on yellow at end of Reception, turquoise by end of Y1, lime by end of Y2 to give you some idea).

Both of mine have been or are at about orange by this point in the year of Y1 - but I have two very good readers and bookworms (the youngest's writing is diabolical though - there's a real gulf between what she can do and what she can record and she would struggle to write a sentence like what you describe).

Totally doing OK - honestly (and I say that as someone who does get a bit down when I see how weak my youngest's written work can be... she can do it if she's not required to write her work so I try not to worry too much as it's in there and we just need to get it out).

In my son's class level 4 would be perhaps slightly below average but still within the middle ability group of kids. Some were still on level 1. There is so much variation still in Y1 and everything changes alot in the next two years. Like PP have suggested just read little and often. Maybe a book in the morning and a book in the afternoon at weekends and a book in the afternoon every school day. You have absolutely nothing to worry about though based on what you've said.

Level four is not behind, it’s pretty much average at this point. Certainly not something to lose sleep over.

I’m a year 1 teacher and I would be fine with her going to the park sentence at this point of the year. It would put her towards the lower middle of ability but I find that those children often make the biggest leaps in year 1 and often close the gap with their peers (providing no underlying issues of course). Not sure avmevthe reading level, we do colour bands. I find some children seem to stick on yellow-blue for quite a while though and then it suddenly clicks and they fly. We aim for orange by the end of the y1.

I wouldn’t worry just bow OP my niece started year 1 on band 1 and finished on band 7 it all clicked for her just before the Easter holidays. I read in my daughters school and she is p2 so same as year 1 and there is a massive range from band2 upto band 7. I would just try and read everyday with her even stuff like magazines.

My Y1 kid can hardly write a sentence. Has no clue what to write, his letter shapes are all over the place and barely legible, spelling is random (he doesn’t seem to know how to spell words like “do”, for example).

But he’s on level 13 reading (grey) and understands all of it. It’s very hard to know what to make of the great discrepancy between reading and writing. I am just hoping he’ll have a development leap and it will sort itself out eventually.