Year 5 taken off reading scheme even though they haven’t completed it? Is this normal?

[PrimaryReading]

DC is in Year 5, reading books at around Year 2 level not sure of exact level as they use a mixture of schemes after Year 2, but its equivalent of ORT levels Gold/White, DC is between them.

Apparently as of the end of this week we break up for half term this week DC is being pulled off the reading scheme due to being too old to be on it and there being no other concerns. Apparently, it’s not normal to have not completed the scheme by end of Year 2 and they’ve let DC have an extra 2 years but now’s the time to come off.

There are children in the class still on Reading Scheme at a similar or lower level but from talking to their parents they all seem to be on IEPs or EHCPs which my DC doesn’t have as theres no other concerns. All of DCs actual friends in the class and the other classes finished the scheme around about end of Year 2, some where still on it in Year 3 but they’d all finished by end of Year 3.

DCs writing level is just below where it needs to be. Maths is exceeding and has been since Year 1. Struggles a bit in lessons where there’s a lot of reading; English and History especially but no other concerns when read to they understand things they just cannot read well themselves.

I’ve bought up dyslexia but school say DC doesn’t meet the criteria for assessment and I can’t afford private. I don’t think we’d get EHCP due to this alone as DC is overall fine.

What do I do now? How can I help DC with reading? Can I borrow the books from the local library easily?

Also is this normal? Or should I be fighting the school to keep DC on it?

Hi @PrimaryReading why don't you try something like the Hairy Phonics/ Nessy app ? I honestly don't work for them but 15 minutes a day could really help your DC without suddenly giving them huge chunks of text to read www.nessy.com/en-gb/shop/home-products

My son is also quite a few years behind with his reading. We've had success with overlay rulers. You could experiment with different colours to see if any of them help.

The Original Duo Reading Ruler Dyslexia Overlays - Multi-Colour (Pack of 10) by Crossbow Education UK - Dyslexia Aids and Visual Stress Specialists https://amzn.eu/d/9kauoTi

My DC got a love of learning from comics, I thorough recommend the Beano for encouraging independent reading.

https://shop.beano.com/beano-comic-subscription?gclid=CjwKCAjwp8OpBhAFEiwAG7NaEiEeOQ8vxHcH6xvfAmNCik0vYGwfgyT-V-xJm4TTcLYDHWfrxk0-ehoCMCMQAvD_BwE

the stories are illustrated so context is available from the pictures. The content is more suitable for a wider age range. They are humorous.

Can you afford any type of private assessment? I paid £250 for an informal dyslexia assessment for my DC, which is enough to get extra support.

I really think you should read up on EHCPs, because I think you would be entitled to ask for a needs assessment. I can't advise you on the exact details of applying for an EHCP, because I'm not an expert and i dont want to give you incorrect advice, but I really think this is something you need to look into. The school aren't doing enough and you need to get your child the help they need. If you do a search there is plenty of info online and there are loads of mumsnet threads written by other parents going through the process.

If the library don’t have a good selection of reading scheme books (ours has them but a haphazard selection) you could try reading chest which is a rental scheme https://www.readingchest.co.uk/ or ask school if he can borrow some to use at home. What are they replacing it with? At our school children move onto accelerated reader which means they choose their own book from their level and then are assessed on the understanding of it by taking a computer test. It helps that they can choose books that appeal to them but it depends if your DS can read enough to access the material.

Ok 4-5 pages is nowhere near enough. That level of book band probably only has 20-40 pages. So 1 maybe 2 days.
Imagine that is changing the book weekly and only say 35 books a year.

But it sounds like he is struggling even with that band.
Have a look at the ks2 sats reading papers. They will likely start practising them in class maybe from y6 january. Getting it finidhed within the time is where most of the yeargroup across the country will be.
It will be affecting his vocabulary too.

But it could well be impacted by the hearing issues. As i imagine that is tiring.
How much time is it taking for 5pages?

Your DC sounds like they could be dyslexic and I would really recommend you get a assessment. They could not enjoy reading on their own because they find it difficult and overwhelming. BUT ALSO - Great that they enjoy reading with you! I would forget about the reading scheme and just enjoy finding books that you can both get into. Mine liked Wizards of Once series and The Land of Roar series.

What you are saying about your DC really reminds me of my own DC. My DC just really didn't like reading on their own or in their head. They are in Year 7 now and we still read together at night, they read a chapter and then I read a chapter, always out loud.

At school they were alway at expected in Maths and English but during all the year 6 SATS prep, when their teacher was able to break down the areas my DC had to work on, it became apparent they are really good at reading comprehension and maths reasoning but very slow at mental arithmatic and spellings, the 'average' of these test always therefore being 'at expected' but this kind of hid the strength and weakness of my DC.

Finally after the SATS we paid for a private assessment. And yes DC is dyslexic. They specifically struggle with processing, meaning they just need more time to read and process what's on the page. Having this diagnosis has really helped my DC, her secondary school have put in some great support AND subjects I thought they would never like eg: English, History, French and Spanish are remarkably their favourite subjects now.

Finally, I know the assessments are expensive - If it is at all possible, I would save up for it if you can. It doesn't have to be done straight away though and it could unlock the puzzle of how your child learns.

@saywh4tnow It will take me a very very long time to save up, locally the assessments are £650-1000 I looked into it before. I have about £10 a month left over if I'm lucky, I'm a single parent I work in Term Time as I struggle to afford holiday care as it's £30 per day here plus petrol and parking to get DC there. I get no maintenance from DCs dad and already claim UC on top of my wages it just does not stretch.

@PrimaryReading yes I know its such a lot of money and I'm sorry if suggesting it has made you feel like need to explain about your financial situation. You sound like a very caring parent who is really worried about their DC. Keep speaking to the SENCO at your school and see what they can do, your DC being 'overall fine' but slow at reading should flag something to them surely?

Also I would just keep reading with your DC, even just a few pages is good. Also think about audio books and other ways to take in new vocabulary and more complex storyies for a 10 year old. Have a look on dyslexia learning websites will give you good suggestions about what books, what different ways of learning could help your DC.

Even with out a dyslexic diagnosis you could look at dyslexia friendly strategies and try them out to see what helps.

Maybe there is something he could use on a tablet if he has one or on your phone that would help. Lots of literary and dyslexia apps around to help with reading.

My kids had Lexia core 5 which is schools based with a home based app that you use with it.

It's worth asking the school if they have something like this.

Take him to the library and borrow books and read with him. At nearly 10, he surely won't want to read the reading scheme books. Like you know, the majority finished it in Year 2, the slower kids in Year 3. The books are aimed at children in infant school.

Really push the school for an EHCP assessment. If your child has hearing aids that is already evidence of a heath issue, and it is quite possible that that is what is causing the reading problems. Phonics is not suitable for all children and I can imagine it’s very difficult if your hearing is impaired. The school should be supporting your son to learn in a different way, one that suits his strengths as clearly what they have been trying isn’t working.

I really think your child would get a EHCP. If the school are being difficult, talk to your GP and your child’s hearing consultant, I’m sure they will have a different view and be happy to provide evidence and recommendations for the school to follow!

This is great advice.

Having a hearing aid will not get them an ehcp, you have to have waaaaay bigger significant barriers to learning to qualify and the school don't think it is right for this child. They are professionals, please respect their informed opinion and save everyone hours and hours of pointless paperwork that will in no way benefit your child.

Try the project X reading books range, they r yr2 level but aimed at older boys. Also, Tom Gates boks and Wimpy Kid books are engaging and not too hard.

Do you read to your child every day?
Do you listen to them read every day?

If not this is why they cannot read as well as they should. It's really very simple.

Also, when watching TV put the subtitles on at all times , this is a good way for children to increasing reading skills quickly.

You could try lots kf flash card work at home to increase sight recognition of the first 200 common words, if you google them, then build up as you go. It may be that learning by sight rather than decoding could help faster?

@wafflingworrier I listen to DC read at least 3 times a week, some weeks it's 4 or 5 times never been told we're not doing enough.

Read to them every night before bed.

Tbf, schools are often misinformed about things like this. Some will be really knowledgeable, others will not be.

OP, have a look on https://www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/faqs/category/ehc-needs-assessment-faqs and see what you think. I think it would be worth trying to get your child assessed at least.

But it isn’t “just a hearing aid”, it is a health need which is potentially causing a significant barrier to learning.

Reading at Year 2 level in Year 5 is a huge delay, which is definitely not caused by the parents reading with the child 3/4 times a week instead of 5/6! Therefore there is an underlying problem which hearing difficulties could explain.

Of course it could be something else as well, dyslexia for example (which you can also get an EHCP for.)

OP, really the school should be happy for you to apply for an EHCP, they get money to support your child, your child gets more support, which especially going into secondary school it sounds like they will need. I’d try to have a meeting with them and ask what they are doing to help your child catch up and what more could be done and go from there.

Its not about how many times exactly so much as the kid needs to progress to
Reading to themself
Reading to say 50 pages quickly accurately etc
Imagine an average y3-5 reading say harry potter ne of the say 300 pages books in maybe a week.how much more vocab etc that is

It does sound like hearing could be an issue but

• Kids dont read enough in school to an adult to learn so need to increase reading at home.

Maybe do say 30 min every day. Then gradually increase to an hour. I would temporarily cut out tthe reading to him. And use some of that time. If dad wont listen to him read is he going to support secondary homework.

Its awful though that a kid who has hearing aid isnt automatically being monitored and - boosted

@TenisslfL ExH won't have anything to do with school, doesn't do any homework or reading or spelling practice now, doesn't even pick up from school if he can help it, I do that and drop off to him. Any school events on his weekend DC can't attend, he says he has so little time with DC as it is that it's not fair to infringe on his time with boring stuff. He could see DC more, I don't stop him, he chooses not to.

So no, secondary homework won't be supported or even completed on ExHs weekend which is something that concerns me.

I try to read for as long as I can with DC but it's nowhere near half an hour. They won't read alone, if I ask them to they say they'll do something else instead.

You could try a dyslexia tutor, they will be able to do a detailed assessment of what is happening with reading and if there are specific areas of concern. Not as detailed as an ed psych report which looks at underlying deficits, but will be enough for practical purposes and may flag up dyslexia type difficulties.

The sort of things you could ask them about are -

Phonological awareness & Phonics Skills
Word Reading
Miscue Analysis for Reading (looks at types of errors made with words in text and why)

Spelling Test & Analysis
Organisation & Memory
Self-esteem
Maths Assessments including word problems

PATOSS is the professional association, they have a database where you can search.

LA/school are reluctant to commission ed psych reports unless forced by behaviour or EHCP assessment.

School are not putting anything else in place, DC doesn't qualify for acclerated reader programme or high interest low level reader due to having no other concerns, I have this on email from them today.

That sounds really odd that they aren't concerned that your DC is only reading at Year 2 level, because that indicates they are well below expected and for the SATS in Year 6 they will be trying to get all the kids up to expected. Or is it just that now in Year5 the school aren't using the reading scheme and kids choosing their own books?

Maybe I've misunderstood DC's reading level, typically what kind of books can your DC read, would they be able to read a David Walliams or a Roald Dahl book out loud?