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Original poster

Reading age

25 replies

piggybrownhare · 05/04/2019 13:33

So my DD is 7 and in year 2, she is an October birthday. She is reading book band 7 (turquoise). Recently, at parents evening I was told how well she is doing with reading, writing and spellings and that she has a reading age of 9years 6 months.
My question is, should she be reading according to her reading age? The book level she is reading at school is aimed at 6 years and she reads hem easily, I have recently gently asked the teacher to assess her reading books and she moved her up from level 6 to 7, I still feel she could cope with more. At home she is reading loads and loves reading, she reads Fairy Magic books and has recently been reading Fantastic Mr Fox. I can’t shake the feeling that school are not getting the most out of her and that she is happy to coast along reading easy books.

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ArfArfBarf · 05/04/2019 13:35

Either that reading age is wrong or they’re really holding her back on the book levels. It’s very contradictory.

MarthasGinYard · 05/04/2019 13:36

Year 2 at 7

Is this England?

Helix1244 · 05/04/2019 14:07

That does sound contradictory. How long is it taking her to read the chapter books?
Many of yr 2 are now free reading here.
Could they be holding kids down to show progress?

Original poster
piggybrownhare · 05/04/2019 14:20

Definitely the reading age we were told. Last parents evening (around November) it was 8 years, so she has improved in a short amount of time. She has become more confident in reading and reading much more at home (mostly of her own free will and with some encouragement). I don’t feel they are getting the best out of her.

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Original poster
piggybrownhare · 05/04/2019 14:22

She can read a Fairy Magic book in a week or 2. She likes dipping in and out of books, so reads other shorter stories in between.

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PooFlower · 05/04/2019 14:28

That doesn't sound right at all. In October my year 2 dd (January birthday) was oxford reading level 11 and school gave her a reading age of 7.
She is now a free reader and I haven't had an updated reading age but I would guess around 9 or 10.

stucknoue · 05/04/2019 14:32

When my girls were that age they weren't banned from easier books, the colours were simply a guide for when the kids chose - the teacher would suggest but not insist

Holibobz · 05/04/2019 15:25

I just started buying my own books and sending them in for my dd (also yr 2 age 7) to read. She’s working her way Roald Dahl, she reads fluently. The teachers have never said anything about the books she reads, so I assume they have no problem with me choosing and sending in books, I got fed up of the reading scheme books they were sending home way below her ability.

sirfredfredgeorge · 05/04/2019 17:32

reading ages are mostly a nonsense, especially with any test, you certainly need to find out what test was actually used to assess it. For example if it was simply a word decoding test, then it's basically just testing phonic knowledge and you'll get a lot of words a child can "read" correctly, but not have a clue of the meaning. Some tests will give a high reading age simply for that.

If she reads for pleasure, and the school books take no time at all, then that's a good thing surely? Reading school books that she doesn't enjoy isn't going to improve things, and she's not struggling, so what's the gain?

Hollowvictory · 05/04/2019 17:37

Doesn't sound right. Turquoise books would be way too easy, that's not a high reading level, dd had passed that in reception. No wonder your dd is bored of those books! . Most of dds class were free reading by end year 1 and could choose their own books in year 2.just take her to the library and let her choose her own books

Helix1244 · 05/04/2019 20:58

Sounds similar to dc1 in yr r and 1. They knew she could read well and much higher levels but for whatever reason (stats?) she didnt FR till yr 2 when it should have been yr r.

Original poster
piggybrownhare · 05/04/2019 21:18

She has a really good understanding, the teacher spoke about it and said that she understands brilliantly, so definitely not just reading and not taking it in. I am thinking of abandoning the school books at home and just focusing on our own ones.

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Friedspamfritters · 06/04/2019 10:26

My 6 year old started y2 with a reading age of just over 8 (apparently not sure if this was inflated). He is classed as a free reader and chooses apropriate chapter books he'd be bored stiff with level 7 books.

onemouseplace · 06/04/2019 13:18

How many books does she get from school a week? We only got two, so it was relatively easy at that level to go through those one night a week, and then read our own stuff the rest of the time.

Original poster
piggybrownhare · 06/04/2019 13:50

We get three books a week, but she is getting very bored of them. There is a wide spectrum of reading levels in the class. According to DD, some of her classmates are reading level 11 etc. She doesn’t seem to think any are allowed to choose their own books. She is a fluent reader and I know that she is capable of reading much more challenging books, reading age aside. It is a shame that she can’t be reading books that she enjoys more.

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Hollowvictory · 06/04/2019 18:13

She can be read g books she enj ys more 8f you give her them. You don't need to read only books from school, why would you do that? You'll find the ones reading at a higher level are reading much wider range than what school gives them. Just go to the library and pick some.

Aquilla · 06/04/2019 18:20

My daughter is 7 and has a reading age of 10.9. However, she doesn't have an understanding of a 10 year old so isn't given books for that age. Does that make sense?

waitingforwombat · 06/04/2019 18:34

Even more of a gap here. On purple books, confidently reading 2nd harry potter (aloud to me at bedtime so I know she is understanding it/following). Reading Roald Dahl easily alone. Can read rainbow fairies book easily during her brothers nap. Reading school books takes us 10 minutes if that. Written in reading diary, move onto more exciting things. Simple books allow us to talk about punctuation, reading wirh expression, induction and prediction, different styles of books (have had poetry, biography, science book and fiction this week). Challenge/extension in reading is SO easy to provide at home, and school reading books take such a tiny amount school/home day. The whole "greater depth"/mastery focus means schools really don't want to accelerate kids through levels anymore.

Original poster
piggybrownhare · 07/04/2019 10:41

Hollow... she reads loads of books at home, I meant it’s a shame she can’t enjoy the books from school more.
It seems ridiculous to me that she is being made to read books that she finds so easy. She whizzes through them, she rarely has to look at a word twice. In one breath the teacher is saying that she is in the top third of the class for reading, writing and spelling and she is given books aimed at children a year younger.

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Original poster
piggybrownhare · 07/04/2019 10:48

She definitely has a good understanding. I get that the focus is on greater depth but how come some kids in the class are racing through the book bands? I am not comparing her but can’t see a logical reason for her to be held back.

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Helix1244 · 07/04/2019 11:03

Ask why she isnt moving up? They may be able to say specifically eg comprehension, stamina etc.
I dont think teachers understand the impact. They may well do if the impact were on them rather than the parents. Such a waste of our time.
Sometimes it is luck that your dc/is ready or not when the teacher assesses. Imo if they are not listening to say a Roald Dahl book it is hard for them to tell the difference that would be there if that is what the child were reading. I mean i can read anything but there is only so good i could make a band 1 book sound.

Random18 · 08/04/2019 20:20

My DD’s
School have been slow moving them through the reading levels. I can’t remember the last level she was on.
She has been a free reader now for the last couple of months.

She is also 7 years old, year 2 and they are aiming for her to get greater depth for her reading.

CCquavers · 12/04/2019 04:48

Turquoise does not sound right if she is reading Fantastic Mr Fox. Has your DD got her colours mixed up and she should be lime? stickers do fade etc.

Norestformrz · 12/04/2019 07:51

I think you need to remember that book banding (colours) uses a very narrow set of criteria to assign levels and that attempts to match these to age are based on content suitability not on reading difficulty.

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