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Primary education

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Original poster

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:
OriginalUsername2 · 04/12/2022 15:24

Join the library! They’ll order you any books you want.

Crosswithlifeatm · 04/12/2022 15:24

Forget reading age,go to the library and let him choose books,a love of reading is what's important at this age.
My daughter's school gave her picture books age 7 .We bought books she looked the look of and read at home.
We hit the same obstacle at high school as she was computer tested,she had technical issues,got flustered and was given books we had at home that she read out loud in the evenings 2 years before.
We had to ignore too when she found a trilogy she liked the look of but was only allowed to read the middle book!
Despite the school she got a 7 in End.Lit.

antelopevalley · 04/12/2022 15:26

Is it a Steiner School?
If yes then I am surprised you haven't realised until now they have lots of batshit ideas.

BooksAreSaferThanPeople · 04/12/2022 15:26

LMAO neither of my children read the school books. They are both advanced readers and we provide them with loads of books via charity shops etc. I just sign their reading records for a quiet life.

Pretty sure their brains haven't melted as a result.

Reluctantadult · 04/12/2022 15:26

My kids school have just changed to do the accelerated reader scheme.

My ds in yr1 is stuck doing phonics and phase 4 books he's supposed to read x3 times a week before swapping it. School won't progress him beyond where the class is at. I'm not sure how it's 'accelerated' or fosters a love of reading, as they claim, for a child who is naturally a good reader and ahead of their peers.

However for Dd in yr3 who is a bit behind her age in reading and a reluctant reader, it's proving good and I'm seeing increased progress.

Quite interesting.

grapehyacinthisactuallyblue · 04/12/2022 15:27

it's "not safe" and he may "damage his brain" if he reads something too hard.

Really? There must be so many brain damaged kids if it was true. I think I'll completely ignore someone who say something like that, and take dc to the library.

ScrappyCats · 04/12/2022 15:28

We’ve never bothered sort through school books or reading diaries - not past year 1 anyway, when the DC themselves cared about getting moved up the “reading rocket” etc

They all read what they wanted to at home, and are well developed readers who are always above expectation when tested. If I’d followed the schools approach then reading would have just become a chore.

Cheeeeislifenow · 04/12/2022 15:31

Are you paraphrasing? Is it likely his comprehension isn't as advanced as you think it is?
Why haven't you joined a library anyway? If he loves reading the best way to nurture that is to read for pleasure at home.

CryCeratops · 04/12/2022 15:31

Those claims about hard books causing brain damage sound like absolute nonsense. It’d be interesting to see if they can actually produce copies of that research.

Anyway, I’d be taking him to the library and letting him choose his own books there.

QueenofDestruction · 04/12/2022 15:32

Absolute nonsense, I could read early long before school and was always reading way above my age and had my mums adult library card at 7. At 9, 12,18, 22 my IQ was academically tested at 164 and am still read a book a day, have a great professional career and reading quickly helps my work performance daily. Reading improves your brain and like anything you do often improves your skills. it teaches you to expand your thinking and helps you pick up a lot of trivia.

antelopevalley · 04/12/2022 15:32

I would place bets on this being a Steiner School.

Oblomov22 · 04/12/2022 15:34

Email them, once you put in writing the fact they said 'damage his brain' they'll probably deny it.

RewildingAmbridge · 04/12/2022 15:36

This sounds ridiculous. Absolutely ignore the school and take him to the library. I was similar as a child, luckily I had a teacher who supported me and parents who took me to the library every week. Teacher would recommend books with higher reading level but appropriate content. When I read more challenging topics such as Anne Frank's diary (9) DM would read it at the same time so we could discuss the topics and she'd always let teachers know what I was reading.

Bewitched005 · 04/12/2022 15:36

Get library books or buy them yourself. It won't matter what he reads at school. I don't believe that reading can damage a person's brain.

Diving into a shallow pool or falling from a great height, yes, the brain would sustain damage. Reading, no it wouldn't.

Singleandproud · 04/12/2022 15:36

The reasoning doesn't sound right at all. However the end of book quizzes ask very specific questions and if it's been a few days between reading the book and doing the quiz it's easy to forget bits and that would give you a lower comprehension score.

DD read her school book for 10 mins and then a book of choice for 20 mins, this meant she learnt to both read for pleasure and for work. Just get to a library and let your child read what they like in their free time, most books are on AR anyway so they could do the quizzes if you have the log in details.

Original poster
3boys1girlandnotime · 04/12/2022 15:37

Thanks for all the replies, yes I'm letting him choose and read whatever he wants but I don't like the idea of completely ignoring the school and going against them, I'm trying to work with them but they arent helping.
Yes his comprehension is fine, he's understanding, predicting, forming character opinions and things like in Matilda worked out the aunt and headteacher is the same person as they were the same type of mean.
As for the damage brain bit, yes it was hard not to laugh at them when they said this to me, this is exactly what they said. I have asked for the "research" so we can have a look too. So far they've not sent anything....

OP posts:
kingtamponthefurred · 04/12/2022 15:39

😂😂damage the receptors in his brain

Have you asked the head teacher to provide a link to this research?

Original poster
3boys1girlandnotime · 04/12/2022 15:41

Not sure what a Steiner school is? We're in the UK and it's just a state primary school but part of an academy and not lea.

OP posts:
Singleandproud · 04/12/2022 15:42

In terms of reading hard books I teach at secondary school and we have a read aloud program where form teachers have to read challenging books to their forms to increase their vocabulary. It's a Trust wide programme and carried out in 10s of High Schools throughout the country. Oh how I wished I'd learnt Greek when reading Steven Frys Mythos to my year 8s.

been and done it. · 04/12/2022 15:43

Damaging brains? Blimey perhaps that's been my issue then. I have been an avid reader all my life - before my dad took me to the library and maybe because, I was reading Dr. jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the t chest under the stairs. I could only have been 6 or 7.
Reading has kept me sane particularly over my childhood years.

CarefreeMe · 04/12/2022 17:02

I’ve never heard of the damaging the brain part but I know lots of reasons why you shouldn’t put them at a higher reading level than they actually are, especially if their comprehension is low.

But you can let him read whatever he wants to at home.
If he wants to read baby books - let him.
If he wants to read the dictionary - let him.

Chances are he is going to want to read books with lots of pictures as he’s young and that is fun for them.

Any reading is good.

sofarequired · 04/12/2022 17:05

I was reading way above my age range from 5 onwards. So was my child. Both of us are happy adults who love reading. Just give the child books yourself.

WaddleAway · 04/12/2022 17:07

3boys1girlandnotime · 04/12/2022 15:37

Thanks for all the replies, yes I'm letting him choose and read whatever he wants but I don't like the idea of completely ignoring the school and going against them, I'm trying to work with them but they arent helping.
Yes his comprehension is fine, he's understanding, predicting, forming character opinions and things like in Matilda worked out the aunt and headteacher is the same person as they were the same type of mean.
As for the damage brain bit, yes it was hard not to laugh at them when they said this to me, this is exactly what they said. I have asked for the "research" so we can have a look too. So far they've not sent anything....

Letting him choose and read whatever he wants at home isn’t ‘going against the school’, it’s just normal and what most children do.
Our school uses the AR system. My year 3 is at level 7.9 and my year 4 is 8.5. They’re often not enamoured with the choices available at school so they always have 2 books on the go… one school book and one of whatever they choose at home or from the library. Often their book from home will also be on the AR scheme and their teachers allow them to test on those too, even though they’re not school books.

Craftycorvid · 04/12/2022 17:08

Well, now I know what to say about my eccentric ways when asked: ‘I read too much when young.’ I had a well above average reading level and can recall teachers telling me a book would be ‘too hard with lots of long words in it’. I was 🙄 Keep feeding your young one’s curiosity, OP and don’t listen to the school.

FootsATapping · 04/12/2022 17:25

I helped implement the AR scheme in a primary school. We often had issues where children were reading a series of books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Tom Gates and some of the books were within their reading level and some were not. We explained to them they can read whatever book they want and they even bring them in and read them in reading time which is 30 minutes every day. When they have to read aloud to a teacher of TA then they put down their "home" book, pick up their AR book and read that to us.

Don't get too hung up on the numbers there is really not much of a difference in the levels.

It depends on how much the school monitor the number of books children have read. I think the one I was in did a monitor report once a term. So your son can read whatever he likes and it shouldn't impact him too much with AR. Just read a couple every now and again. Some children got very savvy and literally looked at the points within their AR band, they looked for the lowest points as they knew it would be easier and they could get through it quick. Pass 3 tests at 90% and you move up a sub level. Genius really.

The choice of books within schools depends on original classroom books, any teeny budget spent on library and of course donated books. Reading at home is not going against the school. The reason AR works is because it is testing comprehension, just because a child reads a book doesn't mean they understand all of it. This tests that they have actually read the book and not just had the same book in their hand all year round.