Able 6 year old reader not being challenged

[bluesky45]

My 6 year old (year 1) has finished his phonics scheme at school. They have now put him on orange band books, biff, chip and kipper from around 25 years ago, the books are honestly so tatty! Such a contrast to his phonics scheme books which were literally brand new!
He is reading these books with ease, they present no challenge. He reads the book each night and can answer comprehension questions on the book. Sometimes we stop part way through and I ask him prediction based questions or inference etc.
At home, he reads more challenging books and he has expressed that he finds biff, chip and kipper books boring. I have tested his reading age (I am a primary teacher so used reading age tests we use at my own school). It suggests his word reading age is 9 and his comprehension age is 11.
What should I be expecting from the school in order to push him? He is working his way through the book band, reading every single book on the level before he moves up which I don't think is necessary when he finds the books easy.
His teacher has suggested sending home 2 books at a time (hasn't materialised) and sending home comprehension questions to answer (again, hasn't materialised) but I feel the books themselves don't offer any challenge or interest to him.
Where do I go from here in asking the school to challenge him? Thanks for any advice!

Just read books from the library at home. Books are available from many sources.

I would just make sure he has plenty of other books available to read. My ds is 5, also year 1 and similar. He knows he has to read the 'boring book' first and then he can choose ant book he wants after that. Its fine. Not all reading will be engaging for them during school life 😃

As a primary teacher yourself wouldn’t you be able to get him a couple of more challenging reads from the library and see how he gets on? It just seems like a bit of a headache at this early stage to push school when you have the resources at home.

Yes, I understand this. We have plenty of books at home, visit the library often and buy new books regularly. The issue I have is with the school books. He is being asked to read his school book daily but is being put off reading because these school books are boring and also isn't improving his reading because they also don't offer any challenge. So where do I go from here when these are the books he needs to read?

I have a year 2. His book comes home from school and goes back in his bag!

Absolutely pointless getting it out anymore as he is far past comprehension of them. We have been advised to continue reading what is enjoyed and what can be understood. He would spend his life in a book as would I.

I also point blank refuse to track his reading on any log/app when he’s at this level. Wasting everyone’s time when we could be enjoying a story together 😁

Just provide your own books for interest. No need to challenge him if he’s already good, choose to challenge him in areas where he’s weaker.

I'm a teacher too- if you've already asked and no change, I'd start writing in his reading record: 'he read the book and then a chapter of Harry Potter' or whatever. Makes the point, and it doesn't look great were anyone to check the RR that he's able to read that but stuck on yellow level or whichever! The love of reading is a precious thing and it's bad practice like this that can kill it.

Explain to him that sometimes you have to read things that aren't going to be your favourite thing to read, but it just has to be done. If he's reading them easily, you're presumably getting through them in 10 minutes so it's not too much of his time. Lots of time leftover to read other things.

Also, just put a note in his reading record saying 'he's finding this level a bit too easy, please could we try a couple of books from the next level'.

My DS is the same and we just read the school book once and then get on with our other books. As long as he’s being challenged somewhere why do you need so much school input?

Just don't do the school books, let him skip them. That's what I did all through primary school. If there was ever a test or something I'd just skim read the book while everyone was getting their pencils out or whatever - with that differential, it's easy to read a page ahead.

Get him to practice reading aloud and sight reading to carry this off effectively! Competent readers who love reading don't need Biff and Chip. You do the challenging stuff at home.

If you're a teacher surely you're better placed than most to support him at home? As you know it's not like they interrogate children to ensure they have read the books. Why doesn't he just read the book once and then choose some more challenging books from the library- just write in his journal if he has one that he's read x and also self read y and z. Reading is an easy one to stretch at home, I'd be more concerned about whether he was being challenged in stuff taught during school time though.

Can you not afford books for home? If not libraries are available

Just continue reading the school books for 10 mins a night while sourcing your own more interesting books: Julia's zebra, dave pigeon series, secret 7, toto ninja cat, adventure mice series, rabbit and bear books, Mr majeeka, are some mine have enjoyed at that age.

Yes, I've tried the "X read biff, chip and kipper and then read a chapter of our own book" so they can see what we are reading at home. It hasn't so far made a difference!
My issue is that he isn't gifted in that he couldn't read anything we gave him so I would like him to stay on the reading scheme, just at a more appropriate level. He also doesn't actually love to read so getting him to do his reading book is usually enough for him. He is tired after school, he finds the social aspect of school very tiring and also attends breakfast and after school club so it's a very long day for him already and the 1 book is usually enough for him. It just means that we are plodding our way through the scheme books.

Can you not just talk to them and say, "I'm pretty sure John is reading at Turquoise level, please can you check and send some home?"? I don't really understand why you need to ask this if you're a teacher. You know the answer is always communication.

You need to follow this up again with the teacher if you want things to change at school. They said they would do two different solutions which haven't materialised, but did you tell them you were not happy with those solutions and why? Did they explain why they thought they were good solutions and what they need to see from DS in order for him to progress further?

@napody this is exactly my worry, that any love/enjoyment he gets from reading is crushed by the books he is being asked to read, rather than really nurturing a love of reading!

My daughter is very advanced in her reading, she reads the school books because she needs to but these are far simpler than what she is reading at home. We visit the library regularly and she reads those every evening instead.

Just get children’s books that you enjoy that are more difficult - you can get them really cheaply from charity shops, the works etc. I always buy mine books I used to love as a child - Narnia etc. doesn’t matter about the school books, think they read them in school anyway…if it’s a real issue just note down that he’s read them anyway…🤷‍♀️

As a primary teacher surely you know you can read lots of other books?

And just scribble a page no in the reading record to show he's read?

You know they're just trying to encourage daily reading right?

On top of the other thousand tasks a day?

I’m quite surprised at all the responses here!
What have school given as justification for why his reading books are so utterly inappropriate for his ability? Why can he not be put onto a level that is right for him?
I’m also a primary school teacher and would be pretty unimpressed by this.
Go back to school and start another conversation. There must be alternatives!

Honestly just suck it up. This isn't a big deal.

It doesn’t take any effort on their part to simply point him in the direction of the more appropriate books!

Schools are struggling with budgets. I’m not sure why you don’t just go to the library.

Mix in a whole bundle of non fiction at an appropriate level - my able reader children both found non fiction a lot harder to read, the language structure is so different to fiction. This was suggeseted by their reception teacher - I found bundles of books on book people like how things work, bodies, space etc.