Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Is anyone about?

59 replies

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 07:38

?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
CantSleepWontSleep · 27/01/2008 07:42

For what?

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 07:42

Just need to talk. School things on my mind. Can't sleep.

OP posts:
McDreamy · 27/01/2008 07:46

Hi Nab! How are you today? Talk to me about schools then!

CantSleepWontSleep · 27/01/2008 07:47

About to try and sneak a bath, but around for a few minutes. What's up?

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 07:54

I have posted before about how brilliant my daughter is at reading. We had a frustrating start as she was sent home with books with no pictures and no explanation as to why. All sorted and she finally got books with words. The situation we have now is she is meant to have 2 reading books a week for her to read to us, and she can have a new library book whenever she wants for us to read to her. Obviously she reads that to us as well.

We asked last week if she could change her book more often as she reads it once and that is it. The teacher said theydidn't know what to do with her as she is so good, but they were going to send home longer books for her to have over 2-3 days.

Friday - no library book again, not had one all week, and the same reading book again. Also a note inthe contact book saying she can only havereading books twice a week but she can read at home and change her library book whenever she wants.

I have written a note saying I don't understand why she can't change her reading book more often, she is keen to read, enjoys it, is good at it and has even started using intunation (sp) according to her teacher. I said we feel she is being limited in her reading and it seems a shame when she is doing so well.

Don't want to be a problem as I love her teacher but this is my daughter.

When my son was in year R two years ago he could change his reading book whenever he wanted but DD's teacher now was his TA then.

OP posts:
CantSleepWontSleep · 27/01/2008 08:00

Ok - bear with me here as I don't know much about schools (dd not old enough yet), but does her teacher have to go through her reading book with her? If so, then I can understand why she has to stick to a set number of them, as the teacher's time will be limited, and she can't do it for your dd if she wouldn't be prepared to do it for every other child.

If she is able to change her library book as often as she likes though, then they aren't holding her back are they? Why are you not happy with her just having additional library books?

McDreamy · 27/01/2008 08:01

Could you get hold of a read at home scheme at do more reading with her at home? The Book People sell some cheao sets.

saadia · 27/01/2008 08:03

Well they really should be giving her more books to read per week as she is getting through them and is keen. But if they don't I would just suggest that you provide her with more books yourself from the local library.

We had similar problems wth ds1 (now Yr1). His books were not being changed weekly even sometimes (I think more because of disorganisation than anything else). And he once went three weeks without books being changed. So I just ordered a set of ORT books from Amazon and got him to read those because when a child is so keen he/she really should be challenged and stimulated more.

Freckle · 27/01/2008 08:08

I'm not sure why there is so much emphasis on her bringing books home from school. Do you not provide books for her yourself, either books you buy or ones from your local library?

If you are concerned that she wants to read more, you have the power to enable that yourself, although I can understand it is frustrating when the school doesn't facilitate it. Could you have a trip out once a week to a library and get your dd to choose a number of books to read that week?

MummyDoIt · 27/01/2008 08:13

Agree with other posters. Why not just provide more books yourself at home? Try the charity shops. We picked up loads of school reading books really cheap. I sympathise with you, though, as it does seem like school aren't challenging your DD. DS1 is in reception and, while he is coming along really well with his reading, I wouldn't say he was brilliant but he gets a different book every single day and can change his library book as often as he wants, every day if he chooses.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 08:14

The teacher doesn't read with her every day, but even when she is read with they still send her home with the same book after writing something like brilliant reading, super, etc.

Obviously we have a house full of books. The problem is she has a reading record and I am not sure I am allowed to write in there about books she has read at home. I have done it once and tbh I think I will start doing it. I feel the teacher should know how well she can read. FGS she is reading her brother's reading books and he is year 2.

I am going to try and sit down with her more to hear her read and then note it in her book as she reads to herself all the time.

Seems to me it is all about procedure and not about helping a child progress who is naturally very bright.

OP posts:
McDreamy · 27/01/2008 08:19

I write everything DD reads, school book, letters, tricky words plus all the books she reads at home. And if she joins in with any books I am reading to her I jot them down too. You have to learn to write very small

I don't think my daughter is as advanced as yours but I also think that she could be pushed a little more. I just do a little more at home with her. Not much, but a little. I have bought about 4 read at home schemes which we dip in and out of.

roisin · 27/01/2008 08:32

NAB3wishes - I know it's hard and you think school should handle this better. But it really is not as crucial as you think if you are motivated to help her:

In yr1 ds1's teacher was rubbish at getting books changed and he was also always on a level far lower than appropriate. So basically he just had 1 or 2 books a week to read, which were easy peasy for him and he could do in about 5 mins. Then we spent our 'reading time' reading together, whatever material we could find in the library or on Ebay. Very soon we would often read a novel and would take turns to read, and I would then stop on a cliffhanger and he would choose to read on alone. Before his 6th birthday he was reading The Hobbit independently!

DS2 on the other hand in yr1 had a teacher who ensured books that had been read were changed every day, and ds2 was soon put on the highest level for yr1 "free readers" - little 96 page novels with lots of pictures and mostly twee little stories. As a result ds2 would usually insist on reading an entire one of these every night, and there was no time for more interesting material.

According to school ds2 (now in yr4) has always had "higher reading scores" than ds1. But ds1 is the book lover, and the avid reader. Ds2 spent years choosing to only read the little 96-page novels, and it's only really in the last 6 months that he's deciding to read for himself books that ds1 read far far earlier.

At the time I found ds1's teacher's approach a bit frustrating, and obviously without motivated parents it could be disastrous. But in retrospect it was the best thing for ds1.

lottysmum · 27/01/2008 08:49

Hi

I do sympathise with you, my dd5's school is very regimented with how it deals with reading....she does read with someone every day...but it still doesn't make a difference to how many books they read....the school policy seems to be to work through ORT at a given pace so that the ORT books cover the whole of the school (lower) life. I think my daughter has read every single book on the scheme so far (no joke)...at stage 3 I think it was about 45+ books. It becomes a little frustrating, at home she will read from cover to cover on a 300/350 word book at school she reads 4 pages at school 4 at home.

I don't question the teacher, just supplement the books with dd's choice of books from the library...we get through 10 a week. The teacher has told me on various occasions that she is impressed with dd's reading and how good a reader she is. At the moment she is ahead of her classmates but when she started school she could not read a word, even her alphabet was hit and miss...she wasn;t interested in learning things before school which was fine with us.

Sometimes there are reasons for going at a certain pace at school in terms of comprehension and expression....my daughter is not very expressive yet...but it's coming along her comprehension however is brilliant.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 08:50

My DD started reading her brother's key words at 2 and a half and can read her brother's books.

OP posts:
pigsinmud · 27/01/2008 08:56

At ds2's school you can change books whenever they want. He has a reading record which we fill in ..... not very much now as I can't seem to find time. He is in year 3 and reads to himself. I really wouldn't worry about reading records etc... you know your child can read and can supply her with books - that's it. I am not making light of your worries, just trying to say that in the big scheme of education what gets put into a reading record doesn't really matter.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 09:00

I suppose you are right.

I hate that it is my child but the teacher just does what she wants. I realise she has 28 other children but all I am asking is to let her choose a book every day. I am not asking them to read with her all the time.

OP posts:
Oenophile · 27/01/2008 09:02

That's a very sensible post from Roisin, and I thnk she's absolutely right.

NAB, I know how frustrating it is when a teacher doesn't seem to know how well your DD can read. I've been in exactly the same place myself - twice! Both my DDs could read fluently before school and were used to reading whatever they chose to read. So when DD1 came home with a two words per page reading book from Reception I thought it was a mistake, went in, explained that she was a fluent reader, was met with a little hostility but mostly disinterest. In my innocence I thought I was actually helping the teacher, I'm shaking my head and laughing at myself now! A slightly harder reading book was then provided - which missed the point entirely.

I, like you, got very upset and frustrated about the situation and tried again with the teacher but was met with a blank wall, really. I even requested a meeting with the Junior Head along with the teacher, and was met with a brick-wall 'teachers know their job' attitude. They saw me as a pushy parent by now, I'm quite sure

This did no harm whatever to DD1 who continued to read anything and everything for pleasure. I had thought the teacher's attitude of 'they'll all catch up in the end, just wait' would somehow impeded my DD's development and that 'not being stretched' would be disastrous for a child so clearly not being, at that point, but in fact I've realised the teacher was right - not for the reasons she intended perhaps, but in that while the others did catch up in reading, my DD retained her natural quickness of learning ability, and had the benefit of many years of home reading working its own natural magic on her vocabulary, writing style, imagination, et cetera.

When DD2 came along some years later, same story except that this time I sat on my hands, had a complete laissez-faire attitude and didn't care what reading book she came home with, even though yet again not much attempt was made to accommodate her ability. I just laughed it off when she brought home Biff and Kipper and then picked up C S Lewis to read in bed. And again, it did her no harm at all. She certainly wasn't 'stretched' in the academic sense much at primary school, and to a certain extent not even through GCSE years, but she's at Oxford now and I don't hear much about not being stretched now!

Honestly, beyond doing what you have done and making your DD's ability known to the teacher, you will save yourself a lot of frustration and worry if you remember that your DD is undoubtedly developing fast and benefiting from her brilliant reading at home, and that this will show through in later years.

pigsinmud · 27/01/2008 09:04

I do understand your frustration as you want your dd's teacher to know how well she can read. It does seem pathetic that she is limited to the number of books she can read. Seems odd that she can change her library books whenever she wants, but not her reading book?! Is this a school policy or just the teacher? Have you got a parents evening soon and could bring the subject up? After my laid back post I now feel more wound up on your behalf!!

saadia · 27/01/2008 09:12

Just one more point, and I'm not saying this is the case with your dd, but when ds1 was in Reception the teacher said at Parents Evening that he would be higher up on the reading scheme if his comprehension was better ie although he could read the words he was not necessarily following the whole story and understanding why the characters did what they did.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 09:51

DD definitely understands what she is reading. (She is currently laid on the floor reading The Forgetful Little Fireman.btw )

No parents evening until June ish.

Is what I have written in her contact book fair? I intend to leave it if that is the best thing to do but all my instincts shout fight for your child.

I wish I had a mum to talk to about this.

My MIL used to be a teacher and she can't understand why she can't have a book every day either. Her brother used too.

I am sure a pushy parent. I would never try and force my child if they weren't able. I just want her to carry on enjoying school and reading and to reach her potantial.

OP posts:
smartiejake · 27/01/2008 10:41

Forget the reading scheme. Your dd is the kind of child who obviously doesn't need this kind of structure to learn to read. She's doing it all by herself. Let her read what she wants from what you have at home and take her to the library. Ask advice from the librarians about where you should be looking for suitable books. There is a section for young readers which may be suitable for your dd.

Write all the books she reads in her reading record the same as you would with any other reading scheme book. I cannot believe that any teaher would object and if they do, they are being petty and inflexible.

Reading schemes are too prescriptive IMO for dcs like yours. She doesn't need it.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 10:44

Shall I leave what I have written in her contact book?

OP posts:
snorkle · 27/01/2008 11:17

I second Oenophile and roisin - similar story here. Ds was a free reader through reception, but then changed schools for year 1 and was put on Biff and Kipper books. He was reading Swallows & Amazons at home, at a rapid rate as he mostly read silently, & it seemed ridiculous. The teacher's view was that he read too fast and needed to slow down, hence the easier books. My view was the easier books didn't help slow him down anyway - he read for the plot and the simpler it was the faster he went, but teacher knew best and they weren't going to change it. So he continued reading everything he could lay his hands on at home and very easy books at school. Doing that gives more choice for reading what you want rather than what is prescribed and did no harm at all in the long run; he still reads loads for pleasure and is academically bright.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 27/01/2008 11:22

Maybe I will just ask her why she has to stick to 2 books. Dying for her to say they don't want her getting too ahead of herself...

OP posts: