Reception book bands

[boating32]

What does working at 'expected level' or 'greater depth' look like in terms of book bands by end of YR? Anyone have experience of this? Curious if it varies between schools.

Don't they start on pink so a couple on from that? There a massive range in reception

Not all schools use coloured book bands so yes it varies.

They don't call it expected level and greater depth in reception, they call it emerging, expecting and exceeding.

Blue seemed to be the threshold for greater depth at my school but it seemed to be more about comprehension than book bands as such.

DDs school just told us if they had met the expected standard. There was no 'exceeding' category. I think they wanted yellow (where it is lilac (no words), pink, red, yellow) to meet the standard.

The colour may also depend on what phonics scheme the school uses. My school uses Read Write Inc which comes with banded reading books using a different colour order. I have met with a few confused parents who think their child is doing better/worse than expected in reading because their colour reading book isn't the same as their friend's child at a different school and on a different scheme.

Different schools will have different reading schemes so you can’t apply a one size fits all.

just focus on reading the reading book and other books together.

I think you can match the book bands across the schemes in most cases. I know I shouldn't be concerned with this but just curious really.

This table shows both book bands and Oxford levels.

I have found that our school doesn't really focus on working through book bands until year 1 (but jumping up where necessary)

Book bands and 'greater depth' aren't really a thing anymore.

DD started on green books in the summer of reception IIRC. She worked consistently at greater depth throughout primary. But all schools are different in how quickly they move them up the bands I think.

I can’t remember for sure. But DC2 is advanced and an Autumn child. I remember she followed her age group. So at end of reception she was on ORT orange or turquoise. DC1 is a Spring baby and she followed the year group range. I don’t think you need to worry too much they all catch up at the end.

DD1 and DD2 moved from the colour bands around easter/summer term of Yr2 moving onto accelerated reader. Dd3 seems stuck on the reading levels, not sure if this is her ability or a different teacher to the older 2.

DD1 was still on Pink in at Christmas in Yr1.
She passed her Yr6 Sats, and doing well at Secondary school.

They will all learn at their own pace.

I love this! As a teacher myself I do worry about my littles ones who are not reading at 'expected' , as we have testing and all sorts they've got to do further up the school, but it's lovely to hear cases like this! Some will just close the gap at their own pace

I don't think it's really possible or helpful at this stage to judge how your child will progress based on their reading in YR. It depends on a lot of things. Some kids just don't have the interest at this age then it suddenly 'clicks' Some kids will love the decoding element of it but might not have as much ability to understand or articulate thoughts about what they're reading, others visa versa. Some might just need a bit of time. Their book band is also very much dependent on their teacher. Mine is in YR and was just skipped from band 3 to band 5 but that was only because the teacher talked to the phonics lead and realised that she could justify it. She reads band 6 books at home with ease and has good understanding. I got some of my own books cheap on vinted. The problem with schools setting the band is that there could be any number of reasons they're reluctant to challenge your child appropriately (not wanting them to be too far ahead because it's a ballache, not having the time to fully assess them or differentiate work, silly rules about them having to have learned words/sounds etc before they can give them a book with it in)

I think the most important thing to ensure good progression is to make reading a fun and comfortable experience for your child and at this stage still do most of the reading to them not them reading to you. Also, take on board what their teacher is saying but take ownership as their parent of their progression. If you don't feel that their reading books are challenging them adequately then get some of their own and/or get them to read chunks of their own books instead. If you're doing all this then you're doing all that you can. Don't worry too much on future school performance. This will depend on so many things

My Sept born R is on yellow book bands with the ability to read light blue. She has a great level of comprehension on yellow and that's what they prefer at this stage.

My May born 3 year old is going in to reception in sept and is reading pink level books easily but isn't fully there with comprehension. She can read harder books but she is simply reading words instead of reading books.