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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

So how often do your Y1 children get their reading books changed?

64 replies

LunarScream · 18/10/2007 22:19

ds1 is in Y1. They're supposed to get their books changed twice a week - but ds1 hasn't had his changed on 5 out of the last 6 book change days.

And as the school is insisting that they read every book at each ORT level, including all the extension stories, AND the snapdragons AND the old sparrows branch stories that's an awful lot of books. 36 to be exact for level 4 alone. Which at current rates of book changing means they won't get anywhere near completing even one whole level in a year.

This is on top of them deciding to put all the kids back a level from where they were at the end of last summer term (which were already easier than the ones he could read before he started reception) on the assumption that their reading would have gone downhill over the summer. Which it didn't - we read with him every day. So it looks like they're expecting overall reading progress this year to be negative.

Am not happy - but don't know if this is normal or whether I should be kicking up a fuss about it.

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ChasingSquirrels · 18/10/2007 22:21

sounds insane to me. ds1 is reception, but teacher changes his books on a monday and gives him 3, then I change on a thu and get another 3 - so 6 books for 7 days. Sometimes he reads more than one a night, so I change them more often, or get more than 3.
May he (or you) are meant to do some of the changes?

Original poster

LunarScream · 18/10/2007 22:28

ChasingSquirrels - No - they won't let them change books until they've heard them read. And with 28 kids to one teacher and a half-share of a mornings only TA that only seems to happen once in a blue moon.

OP posts:

saadia · 18/10/2007 22:31

Ds1 is supposed to get two books a week but it's now half-term and he has the same books as last week so today I got him to read some of his home books instead and have just now ordered some ORT books online to keep him going.

corblimeycharlie · 18/10/2007 22:42

We had this type of situation at the beginning of this term. DD has 1 book in first three weeks of the term. I made an appt to see head and explained to receptionist why. Before my appt books appeared and the head instructed teacher to send out book and let parents comment on suitability in record book. We still have to read all the trunk stories and wren and A and B stories per level but now she has a new book every day (keen reader that she is.) I know it is difficult to raise an issue sometime but I was worried DD would start to forget skills she learnt in Reception. I think it would be reasonable for you to raise your concerns.

ChasingSquirrels · 18/10/2007 22:42

so, book change twice a week, and 1 change in 6 - so he has had 2 books in 3 weeks? Is it that he has read but not known all the words and so they have kept him on the same book? I would be speaking to the teacher.

mygirlsmum · 18/10/2007 22:43

hi my dd is in yr 1 and at her school they change her book daily after they hear her read it.

Rachmumoftwo · 18/10/2007 23:04

Not nearly often enough.

Carbonel · 18/10/2007 23:44

Agreed, you need to speak to someone. My ds has his changed pretty much every day, if he has read it.

and reading every book on each stage is nonsense - it needs to be tailored to the child.

My ds started Yr 1 on a particualr stage which I thought was too 'easy' for him, but I left them to get on with it for a few weeks to see what would happen. Within 3 weeks of begniing of term he jumped up about 2 levels (hard to tell, thay have their own colour coded system) and is now reading books which I agree are suffucintly challenging, interesting but easy enough so he does not get demoralised.

So it can be done - chase the teacehrs up, he will only get this chance to learn to read once and it should be fun not dull, boring and dragged out ....

Kesh · 18/10/2007 23:49

Twice a week but they read far more in school with the teacher, with the teaching assistant and with a volunteer helper. In all, each child reads every day, on a one to one basis with an adult.

nix66 · 19/10/2007 10:42

Hi, Haven't posted before, but had to today as am totally fed up with DD's school. DD is an able reader (5.6 yrs) and is reading ORT level 6 at home but is "stuck" on level 4 in school because they also have to read all of a level before moving on.

DD only reads with the teacher once a week because she only has time to read with each literacy group once (there are 5 groups in the class so I do understand they are very busy). I go in once a week to listen to children in her class reading and another mum helps out on the same day. We are not allowed to read with our own child as the TA told us it was pointless! and that she would "endeavor" to read with our DC that day.

Today I asked the same TA if I could have another reading book for the holidays and was looked at like I was the pushy mum from hell.

I was told no they don't do that here and didn't I have books at home for my DC could read! I do but that's besides the point. I hate being categorised with parents that don't seem to care and so don't ask for more reading books and don't care if their DC's reading book is too easy for them..

sorry for the rant but it's nice to moan to like minded people! anyone else asked for extra books before? (nice to meet you all btw )

Nitnovice · 19/10/2007 19:09

We get two or three books a week, working through the current stage (3) in consecutive order.

I'm beginning to think they're a bit easy and am mildly concerned that DD1 has only read to a TA four times in the last half term and not at all to a teacher. Whereas her best friend has read every single book to an adult in class. Don't know what to make of that and don't really want to pop my head above the "pushy mum" parapet!

lljkk · 19/10/2007 19:12

Crikey -- LunarScream and nix66. Some of this is awful, like the bit about reading every book on the level before being allowed to progress. Our school invites parents in to change books when needed (bit of a pain with the security system, but we are still welcome to go in). Oh, and parent helpers can read with their own child in class, you are working thru the list of those who haven't been read with that week, try to give them all equal time.

Once a week usually, if child feels ready for a change the TA or teacher (or parent helper, even!) sends child to change their books (they have at least 2 books at a time),. Plus I often go in 1-2x a week to change the book myself on top of that. This is fine as long as we keep to the same colour sticker -- school uses books from every reading scheme under the sun, grouped by roughly equivalent level with same colour sticker(s).

In yr2 DS was getting thru school books so fast that we started going to library for them, that was easier for me than faffing about after school several times a week.

Hulababy · 19/10/2007 19:13

DD is in Y1. She reads to the teacher or TA every day, and to us each evening. She changes her book daily.

LunarScream - DD's school does all 18 ORT books, and then several other books from other schemes after that, before going on to the next level. I can understand the rationale behind it - although it canbe frustrating for DD as she ends up finding the later books too easy and not challenging enough. But it helps with the breadth.

This works fine really at DD's school as they do change the books so often. If it was obly once or twice a week I can see how it would get really maddening for a child.

MascaraOHara · 19/10/2007 19:14

my dd is in yr1 and changes her reading book everytime she is heard read, I hear her read every night beg-end so she changes her book everyday. Today we have been sent home two for half term

Reallytired · 19/10/2007 19:15

I don't understand the ORT book banding. My son get some stage 5 and stage 6 books. This week he had a book on "Volcanoes" (stage 5) which was fairly hard and he also had a stage 6 book called "Gokarting" which was fairly easily.

Our school changes books once a week. We get two books a week which is enough for us as they are getting longer.

Hulababy · 19/10/2007 19:15

I have decided that school books I don't worry about BTW. She brings them home and we read them. The level means nothing to me much. DD reads more detailed, length and harder (level type hard I mean) at home,. Important thing is is that she is really enjoying reading and making progress herself.

Pinkchampagne · 19/10/2007 19:16

I work in year 1, and change the childrens books daily, providing they have read it at home the day before.

dejags · 19/10/2007 19:16

What the hell is going on at my DS's school.

This week he has changed four times - each time there are three books. So all in all twelve books this week alone.

Last week he got reading books everyday, twice there reading was in excess of 60 pages a day.

HUNXXXX · 19/10/2007 19:17

i htink he will NEVER read lunar

dejags · 19/10/2007 19:17

that should read . I think I should be going to back to Y1.

Niecie · 19/10/2007 19:25

DS is in Yr 3 now but in Yr 1 he used to change his book every time he read to a teacher or teaching assistant and that was twice a week.

He never, ever read all the books in a level. He changed level every half term on average, sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less, bearing in mind that they didn't do much in the last half term before the summer and the weeks before Christmas were always a bit busy. Basically they put him up to the next level when he was ready. It seems a bit of a waste of time to make them read all the books unless they are struggling at that level.

I would complain.

LIZS · 19/10/2007 19:39

dd has had hers changed whenever it was finished since Reception (now year 2). Mostly daily but sometimes on wordier/longer books, every 2 days. ime the first half term is more relaxed than the rest of the year so the pace may yet hot up.

Greensleeves · 19/10/2007 19:42

DS1 is in reception and is doing an ORT reading book every day. He reads half of it with the TA at school in a side room on his own (apparently) and then the other half with me at home - then the TA gets the next one in the series. He's been doing this for about 3 weeks now.

nix66 · 19/10/2007 20:32

It seems that all schools are different then, I would hate to have 12 books a week like poor Dejag's DS, but a happy medium would be nice (4 or 5 a week???) .

The option of changing the books if they have finished is a great one but would go down like a sack of do do in DD's school.

Luckily I also have some books at home, and the Book People and School Link come in handy when I run out! Our local Library's selection of early reader books isn't very good Do any of you use ebay to buy books?

jennifersofia · 20/10/2007 07:42

dd's school - 1 guided book 1x/wk, 1 free choice book daily, 1 library book fortnightly.

my school - 1 free choice book daily, 1 leveled book (for child to read to parent) daily.

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