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Primary education

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School denying access to reading book and telling me hard books will damage his brain

106 replies

3boys1girlandnotime · 04/12/2022 14:58

Hi, hope someone can help, this is my first time posting. My primary school is not allowing my son access to appropriate reading books for his ability. My 2nd son is in yr 2 and very bright, he's got the reading age of a 9 yr old and the school is using the accelerated reader scheme (tested via iPad rather than reading with child directly). In yr 1 he had a great TA who read with him every week and he was reading books like Dick King smith sheep pig (to level 4.9AR). This year despite reading and testing on his last 2 books he chose from home of Dahl Matilda and the BFG (level 5.0ish AR) they are refusing to let him have a school book above a 4.0 e.g. the enormous crocodile. When I ask why as he had them last yr and he wants to be challenged and enjoys reading a lot they told me it's "not safe" and he may "damage his brain" if he reads something too hard. They tried telling me there is research he will damage the receptors in his brain and will not be given harder books. All I want is what he read last yr plus a bit. He's taken a star reader (to do with AR system) test which this time came out with a lower level than last year. Even though I've asked for them to read a harder book with him manually to prove his reading has improved and not gone backwards they are refusing. How do I deal with this? All I want is a book to challenge him. I've met with the assistant principal who was the one refusing. His teacher is new and just told me to go to the assistant principal!

OP posts:
Helenloveslee4eva · 04/12/2022 15:01

😂
nod smile and go to the library.

Flowerytray · 04/12/2022 15:02

You could bypass school and get some library books. Iv never heard of reading damaging brains before.

IndigoViolin · 04/12/2022 15:03

Aside from the totally ridiculous reasoning of the school, can you buy him the books he wants or take him to the library and let him read what he wants at home?

Yr3 Dd brings home whatever takes her fancy in school but we have hundreds of books at home too so I'm not bothered about what she picks at school.

TimeAtTheBar · 04/12/2022 15:04

That is one of the most fucking nutso things I have ever read.

Hellocatshome · 04/12/2022 15:04

Let them crack on with whatever they want to do and go get some books from the library. But do check his comprehension of what he is reading.

Ponderingwindow · 04/12/2022 15:05

Ignore the school books and let your son pick what he wants at your local library.

Hoppinggreen · 04/12/2022 15:05

A school used those actual words?

eddiemairswife · 04/12/2022 15:07

Are you in the UK?

User12398712 · 04/12/2022 15:07

"That's very interesting. Can you give me the details of the research paper so that I can read up on it, please?"

catsonahottinroof · 04/12/2022 15:07

Yes get library books hopefully he will be allowed to read books from home at school. If he isn't allowed to do this, and gets through the school books really quickly, I would look at changing schools. His brain is more likely to get damaged due to boredom at reading the same books over and over.

FrownedUpon · 04/12/2022 15:09

Just get the books yourself surely? Book shop or library. Agree with checking his comprehension though. Just because he can read the words doesn’t mean he understands what he’s reading.

RidingMyBike · 04/12/2022 15:09

The words they've used sound bonkers. Are they concerned about the content of the books being too advanced rather than the actual words?

We have noticed though that the school reading books DD, also yr 2, brings home are far easier than she can actually read. I think it's to check comprehension and that they know all the sounds they'll encounter. We just make sure to 'do' two or three of the reading books each week (school asks that they're changed at least once a week) and otherwise get her books from the library.

Soozikinzii · 04/12/2022 15:09

Damage his brain ! Is this some weird Victorian heritage sect school ? He might be damaged by boredom if his brain isn't stimulated . Take him to the library and let him choose what interests him !

CaronPoivre · 04/12/2022 15:10

Take responsibility and use a library or bookshop.

JennyForeigner · 04/12/2022 15:11

Just thinking of how Roald Dahl would react to a teacher withholding Matilda because of some crackpot theory books are dangerous for developing brains...

🤣

MamaFirst · 04/12/2022 15:12

I wouldn't even engage with such nonsense. My children have always read above their age, we generally didn't even bother reading the school books and just always offered books at home. If the school get shitty, just tell them they find the school books boring (if they do, though I always also reinforced reading is baout enjoyment too, not purely pushing yourself academically) and read plenty at home. My children read every night for an hour before going to sleep and it's benefitted them enormously, no damaged brains here lol

WoolyMammoth55 · 04/12/2022 15:14

You could have done a lot of library visits in the time it's taken you to complain to the principal, OP?

None of the weird scoring matters at all when he is 6/7 years old. All that matters is if he's enjoying school and reading a lot with you at home.

jeremysjumper · 04/12/2022 15:14

A teacher actually said that??

Showmethecardis · 04/12/2022 15:17

dahl is the right age for year 2 surely? Mine is now year 3 and reads book way way above that level. He’s not asking to read Great Expectations

90yomakeuproom · 04/12/2022 15:17

Am I the only one that read it as
He's been reading Dick King?
🤣

Sprouttreesareamazing · 04/12/2022 15:18

At 7 both my dd's were on free choice haven read all the sets of novice readers..
At 15 and 17 they aren't brain damaged.

PorridgewithQuark · 04/12/2022 15:20

Is this really what they said? Obviously the "damage his brain" line is extremely peculiar and doesn't sound like something a qualified teacher would say.

However a lot of young children can read fairly fluently without understanding what they're reading.

It's far more likely that although your son can read Matilda etc. aloud fluently, he can't then re-tell the story in his own words, or stop at the end of a chapter and make informed guesses about what might happen next, nor talk about the characters meaningfully.

In other words, as others have said, his comprehension might be way behind his phonics so that he isn't extracting the meaning from the more advanced books. This is a good reason for school to slow him down and encourage him to read and understand simpler texts.

You can read whatever you want with him at home and give him access to the library to choose books to read to himself for fun, obviously!

mumonthehill · 04/12/2022 15:21

Totally ignore school and just let him read books at home. We did this as ds loved reading and the books that came back from school were to him boring and easy. Be age appropriate as much as you can but give him a wide variety and let him continue to love reading.

Greydogs123 · 04/12/2022 15:21

My dd has a high AR scoring, but finds it hard to find books she likes in her school library, so i had a chat with the teacher and she said that as long as she's reading a couple of AR books to get tested on each term it was fine to read books of her choice. Just get him to read the AR books, do the test and then let him read what he wants to read. Buy books second hand or go to the library.

mumonthehill · 04/12/2022 15:22

Although I do agree with @PorridgewithQuark that reading is not the same as comprehension and this bit is important.

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