Reception child not meeting phonics targets, how concerned should I be?

[phonicsorswim]

My reception ds had his second parents’ evening yesterday and he isn’t quite where he needs to be in terms of phonics and reading. I’m a little unclear about what exactly the issues are. He is able to read and blend basic words fairly easily and can recognise some digraphs although he still needs to practice.

I guess maybe the problem is consistency. I’ve noticed when I read with him he starts off well and then attention wanders and he just shouts whatever word comes to mind - it’s frustrating as this evening he spelled out and the end correctly blended ‘picks’ twice then the third time it appeared he just couldn’t seem to get it and kept saying has and fast which clearly are nothing like picks!

I am just fretting a bit that he’s really behind. Can any reception teachers reassure me?

Is dad in his life? A different person/approach can sometimes make all the difference. Especially as you say the two year old butts in! Even if dad keeps the two year old busy while you’re concentrating on the phonics.

He's almost certainly fine but many children will have finished Phase 3 phonics now (you can look up the sounds) and be ready for Phase 4 after the holidays. He will likely need to stay on Phase 3. That's absolutely not a problem but I think it's good then school have let you know. It's so amazing when they start to read that parents sometimes assume they're a little bit further on than they are. Expectations are so high now. Things will likely even out in the coming couple of months and into Y1. Being an early ready is not always a sign of future academic success and vice versa.

Thanks. So yes - I am married but dad is the soft touch at home and not great at getting the kids to sit and cooperate. Plus he isn’t around much during the week, so it is falling on me to a large extent.

Thanks @Splantes , I’ve definitely been guilty of ‘It's so amazing when they start to read that parents sometimes assume they're a little bit further on than they are.’ I might see it if I can meet with his teacher after Easter just to establish exactly where the problem areas are and how best to address them.

That’s such a good point about parents being surprised at what they can do but not realising it’s not at the expected level. Another thing I’ve noticed is I’m giving reading books to children based on their current ability so a parent thinks my child can read this book or is starting to, not realising that they are on a book lower than what an expected child would be on.

Lots of people keep mentioning ‘picks’. It’s just a good example of reading a word with one of the early digraphs in it.

OP, I’m sure with your input he’ll get there. Just focus on the order little wandle teaches the sounds and start with the first digraph he doesn’t know and focus entirely on that and then move on. Good luck.

My daughter could never get the hang of phonics, she's a good reader now. She can't spell and has a dyslexic diagnosis. However , it was way beyond reception I was raising concerns with school. Kept being told she would learn in her own time. It wasn't until lockdown and the parents what's app group discussions that I realised quite how behind her peers she was (year 3).
England does push early reading (we are not in England). In summary, I wouldn't worry yet.

@RafaistheKingofClay’s advice re guessing is good. Guessing is a problem I had with my DC (this was some years ago & was due to his school sending home old non-phonics books) & it’s really not a helpful habit. Your DS will come across words he doesn’t recognise throughout his life (eg scientific terms, names, made-up words from writers like Roald Dahl), so he needs to develop a solid habit of sounding out words he isn’t sure of (out loud at first, then later he will be able to do it in his head) & recognise that this is just a normal part of reading.

Re phonics books being boring - this was researched decades ago by Jeanne Chall & they are no more boring / interesting than non-phonic reading schemes. Inevitably, if a writer is writing a book with a limited vocabulary, then it is going to be a challenge to make them engaging and some schemes will be more engaging than others - but the interest can depend on the illustrations & if the child feels a sense of achievement as well as the subject. (That isn’t to say that a certain scheme isn’t boring - it may be, but it’s worth considering why it’s boring for that particular child as it may be helpful in working out what is making reading difficult for them). There are more interesting phonics schemes around - a lot of Dr Seuss books like Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, or The Cat in the Hat are actually phonics readers & they are considered classics. The ORT Traditional Tales series is nice too & there are (or used to be) cheap boxsets of these. Both these could be used alongside school readers as extra / holiday reading to build confidence if needed. It’s also worth checking to see if there is a phonic section in your library.

I actually ended up buying my DC books from the Jelly & Bean scheme (thanks to a MN recommendation) because we just weren’t getting enough phonics readers from school (that really shouldn’t be the case now), which was expensive (although cheaper than a tutor). They were lovely - cute pictures of animals & lots of words being reused between books to build confidence, and some good stories as the scheme developed - so it is absolutely possible to have a decent scheme that is engaging for a child & can guide a parent through the phonic phases.

My DD didn’t meet any expectations at the end of reception, except for PE! She’s 8 now and a confident reader, meeting all the standards for her year. We did get The Bear Can Read which helped, but I think it also just took a little longer to click for her than some of her classmates. I was careful not to force too much extra work on her at home as I didn’t want to make it a big chore and kill her enjoyment of reading, I think that aspect can be a little tricky to balance. Fortunately she still enjoys reading and is a huge Harry Potter fan now.

Have him read more often but less. I'd imagine his books are very short so I would take it in turns to read a page and see if that helps. As you're reading run your finger under the words and say them slowly so he can follow along.

Oh if the school are using little Wandle are you only getting 1 book home a week? Presumably the one he’s also reading at school.

That’s not going to be enough different books to give practice pending IME.

I do want to support him but it’s hard fitting it in as I have a two year old too and so have to read with him when she’s in bed and he’s tired then.

Why does it only have to be when sister is in bed? I also have a 5 and 2 yo. Read with him over breakfast in the morning. Get him to read to the 2yo sister and you too. Get him to sit upside on the sofa after school, bet he can't read his book while he's on his head then! Make it unconventional and playful. Change it up, read little and often. Even reading just a couple of pages is better than no pages.

Phonics sounds just an unbelievable chore! Boring books and not much fun.

When DD was in yr, I’ve no idea what scheme they used. Probably several. She brought home books and read them. In yr they had “breakthrough” words. I think 121 of them. August birthday and completed in April - started school in January. This is not a boast - it’s saying not all dc are suited by boring phonics. Dd did a bit of phonics at nursery but a pretty much varied diet after that.

Shouting out guessed words is also a boy thing I’ve noticed. We used to get DD to make sensible guesses at words based on the story. I’m wondering if that’s not allowed now. She also chose a book from the school library each week and brought home the Diary of Samuel Pepys - Ladybird version in YR. Obviously could not read it, but we got so much out of it and off we went to London to climb the monument. Phonics feels rigid and narrow and joyless - mine loved poetry and rhyme too. A broader diet right now might help. And I do see you have read to him from birth but what would he choose to read? Samuel Pepys?

See I disagree.
Phonics is the building block of reading. You just can't read unfamiliar words without it even if you don't know that's what you are doing.

There's no reason for learning phonics to make reading boring. In fact surely actually being able to read a book on your very own is pretty joyful! It doesn't stop parents sharing hundreds of other books alongside.

Most schools also send home 'reading for pleasure' books (or a similar name) which aren't phonetically decodable. Phonics books have a decent enough story as soon as you hit Phase 3, which for many children is before Christmas. Being able to read every word is massively motivating in how much they enjoy it. I don't think phonics is the absolute be-all and end-all, but it's a jolly good place to start for the vast majority of children.

Edit: typo

@Splantes DD got complete choice of what book. Obviously chosen by the cover but on mn children seem to be struggling with phonics into y1. Too many seemed to be turned off reading. I’d always want a nice varied diet and I’m not sure schools maintain library corners any more for yr. Good if yours does. My dd brought home an eclectic mix!

It would be a rare school that doesn’t have a library corner.

It probably seems like MN children are struggling because that’s why parents post. When they are worried. In practice far fewer children struggle with phonics based books that struggled when most teaching was the way your DD was taught. Most children will speed through the early levels of phonics schemes fairly quickly once they can blend. I don’t think the early levels are any more of a chore than the early levels of whole word reading schemes.