Little wandle - preventing progress?

[3boys1girlandnotime]

Hi,

My child is at a little wandle school and I'm concerned they are deliberately capping her progress. The class is currently on phase 3 sounds (fine) but she has been ahead the whole year. The way around her being ahead is for them to give her higher Oxford reading tree books on the quiet so they are never recorded. She is now reading orange, equivalent to phase 5. While this has been a slightly odd method I have gone along with it but the gap between what the class is doing and her ability seems to be getting wider. I asked how she is formally assessed under the Wandle scheme to be told when she passes phase 3 assessment she stays at the class level, they don't keep assessing until she reaches her true level. This means the 3x reading in class every week she is reading books way below her true level giving her no stretch at all and moving her entire progression on to me at home. Is this normal? When I Google it it suggests books and learning should be at the correct level for the child, not that she should sit bored while the rest of the class catches up. It feels like if they won't actually assess her proper level then they won't ever give her work at her proper level either. Any advice on what I should do? Thank you.

It's the same situation at Year 1 DD's school (different phonics scheme) and it seems like it's down to government rule changes, or at least, that's what her school says.

The whole class does phonics together and stays on the same book level. DD brings home Orange Books, we make her read them once (which takes her about 5 minutes and she sometimes does literally standing on her head!) and then we just read whatever she wants the rest of the time. At the moment, Isadora Moon, The Faraway Tree and Betty and the Yeti comic strips.

It's not because she's some sort of advanced genius who the school can't cater to, all the children in her group are in the same position of thinking the books the take home are miles below their ability, and they're not even the top group.

We haven't found this in y1. DD is reading chapter books like Isadora Moon. School uses Schofield and Sims, and the kids all seem to be on different reading levels. I can however name a couple of kids who can read easily by sight, but find phonics difficult (it works for most, but not all). Unfortunately schools are judged on phonics at the year.

In our school, the two classes are mixed for phonics (and split into ability tables for English and maths), and it is pitched to the group that it is being taught to keep them interested. Those that need intervention have it regularly. In reception, however, they all did everything together and DD went up about 3 levels as soon as she was assessed early in y1!

Little wandle is bullshit. You’ve just got to smile and nod along and let them send the books home and meanwhile take your kid to the library lots to get books of actual interest.

Wouldn't worry too much. Just get better books at home.

When dd was in infants they had a policy of Oxford reading tree max level 3 in year R, 6 in year 1, 9 in year 2.

Dd was reading Famous Five by the end of year R. She spent the first term reading books that she could have read aged 3yo, and the other two terms on free reading.

It didn't effect her reading level, although I was glad that policy had flown, when the younger ones started.
We just got books from the library for her and ignored the school books.

Yes just ignore it and read your own thing at home. I am also not a little wandle fan. You’ll know if they’re progressing and the books will be more fun. You get this seemingly at every stage. We’re in year 2 now and for some reason my daughter has been stuck on gold as they won’t want to move any of them up. She’s read every single book including the dog eared rubbish ones no-one wants to touch.

My eldest went through the system pre little wandle and she read what she could read and there were more kids free reading chapter books in year 2. I suspect the same number are reading those sorts of books at home but just on a much lower book band for school books.

I am a teacher (Reception and KS1 specialist) and do feel your pain. I happen to love Little Wandle - but all schemes do require you to go at their pace. Imagine having a class of children all learning different sounds.
For the more able children, they can read on. My son is in Y1 and reading turquoise level which has lots of sounds he hasn't learnt in class yet, so I do some extra work with him when he's reading, to explain the new sounds.

In class in their reading groups - the teacher should have them differentiated so you DD should be in the group that roughly read at that level (don't forget it's not necessarily about the level of the book but what you do with it e.g. comprehension skills).

RWI is the only scheme that prefers you to jumble everyone (from all the classes) up into their current abilities/knowledge of sounds taught. but that is a logistical nightmare.

I think do as the other posters have mentioned - get some books from the library and move on. Teach any sounds or tricky words that she hasn't encountered.

My DD goes to a RWI school and it’s fantastic. Reception, Y1 and Y2 kids are all mixed together for their phonics lessons, with groups based on each child’s own ability. It’s meant my DD (who started in September) has always been stretched and had lessons based on what stage she is actually at - no waiting for others. It also means those struggling can have continued support at whatever level they are still at. They regularly reassess and move groups as needed. I imagine it’s a significant resource commitment for the school, but whilst a whole class approach like LW may make life easier for teachers, it doesn’t sound like it’s focused on what the children need

It's frustrating when they are ready to learn at a faster pace, but I don't believe that it prevents progress with reading either. My son shot ahead of the level quickly but continued to read everything around him. We gave him access to more difficult books at home and his reading progressed ahead of the phonics lessons.

@MyTwoDads They absolutely can if you are not forced to do whole class teaching! Back when this was allowed dc accelerated if they could. Many bright dc are just bored by it and there’s another thread where DS is just shouting out guessed words but he read them perfectly 2 pages earlier. Years ago dogged adherence to phonics was for slower readers. Many dc are not wholly suited by it and schools won’t give them a varied diet. Parents have to.

We had a hen and chickens classroom with small groups in the chicken rooms taught to their level. School was amazing and it was so much better than now.