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Original poster

What level do ORT go to before free reading

39 replies

snottynoses · 13/10/2008 21:15

???

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cazzybabs · 13/10/2008 21:19

well surely it depends upon the school

Fennel · 13/10/2008 21:20

I think it was around level 10 at my dds' school.

Hulababy · 13/10/2008 21:21

ORT goes up to stage 16.

Many schools let children become free readers before this though, especially when using a range of schemes and not just one.

LIZS · 13/10/2008 21:24

dd was at around 11 or 12 iirc, ds a bit later. tbh it depends on the age of the child and their maturity too as some of the higher stage books are aimed at an older audience than the child may yet be so not necessarily as relevant as some free readers. Lots of schools now use a colour coded scheme which bands similar levels of difficulty and vocabulary together so they can dip in and out of schemes and enjoy greater breadth.

singersgirl · 13/10/2008 21:56

At my boys' school it's around level 10. As Hula says, ORT itself goes up to 16; I imagine the higher levels are mainly used to provide support for those children who still need a more structured reading scheme.

At the DSs's school there is still a rough 'banding' of books after they come off the scheme - first chapter books, middle chapter books and longer chapter books - to make sure that they build up stamina etc gradually.

Quattrocento · 13/10/2008 22:00

They go to farking level 16. I am so pissed off about this. Shall I tell you why .

My DCs school INSISTS that they go up to level 16. So my DD who is 10 and in year 6 still has to do ORT books. Notwithstanding the fact that she is in the top set and has a reading age of 15 years and 3 months. AND AND AND every week it is a battle to get her to read these ridiculous books.

oops · 13/10/2008 22:02

Message withdrawn

hana · 13/10/2008 22:03

really depends on school
dd hasn't had an ORT book since reception (thank god!) and reads variety of books from coded boxes that must be leveled in some fashion

think it's fairly ridiculous that kids are made to read up to level 16. they must be pretty banal by that stage.

cazzybabs · 13/10/2008 22:03

Quattrocento - why make her read them....you could either refuse or just lie and sign her reading record book anyway...

kid · 13/10/2008 22:04

My DCs school go up to stage 12 before letting the children go to free reading.

I don't understand the point in your DDs school making her read the ORT if she really doesn't like them. Surely its important that she reads books that she will enjoy?
What would they do if you stopped reading them? If they have a reading record, perhaps you can fill in for a story that she has read from the library or home. Or maybe send a note in saying you are concerned that she is being put off reading due to the same books being sent home.

Personally, I thought the books improved after stage 10 when you get away from Biff, Chip and Kipper.

TheFallenMadonna · 13/10/2008 22:08

Blimey Quattro - and you're paying for that

DS doesn't do ORT.

Quattrocento · 13/10/2008 22:10

Why not sign her reading record anyway? Well (a) because that would not be right as she now flatly refuses to read them and (b) more relevant than any parental scruples, she still has to do a comprehension sheet with them.

FARKING SCHOOL

kid · 13/10/2008 22:13

its just madness that they are making her read books that she really doesn't like. Is there a parents evening coming up that you can use to get your point across.
Do they not have any other books?!

seeker · 13/10/2008 22:18

Could you not move her?

Quattrocento · 13/10/2008 22:24

Oh lordy I am so dense that I actually thought this was the norm. So I coerced her through these books at years 3/4/5 but I've lost the battle with her. Now I'm taking on the school because SHE IS RIGHT.

A free reader is someone who can just pick up a book and read it.

Dottoressa · 13/10/2008 22:24

DS was moved onto free reading in Y1 - he was on level 11 or 12 of ORT at the time, but I don't think the school is terribly wedded to the levels. He'd skipped most of them anyway.

Personally, I was rather sorry we never got fully acquainted with Kipper and co. I am hoping that DD (not such a keen reader) is going to make her way through them all, so I can finally discover what this magic key stuff is all about!!

oops · 13/10/2008 22:26

Message withdrawn

Blu · 13/10/2008 22:26

be careful what you wish for, Dot....

Dottoressa · 13/10/2008 22:27

Oh dear. DD is starting school after half terms. Am I going to be eating my words?

Niecie · 13/10/2008 22:42

DS1 got to level 12 at the end of Yr2 and his teacher said he would be ready for free readers when he started in the Juniors.

Juniors had other ideas. Didn't listen to him read for months and put him on some other scheme where the books were so easy he could have read them in Yr1, never mind Yr 2.

Now this year, when I was determined to get him onto free readers as he should be, they have damn well introduced the ORT up to level 16. He has been told he can cope with the text of a level 16 books but he isn't allowed to read them this year as they are too grown up for him.

So he is still stuck on the ORT with nowhere to go - he can't move up a level after all. GRRRRRR.

Sorry rant over - I shall save it for parents' evening next week.

Quattro - I feel your pain and think I may well commit murder if DS is still reading the ORT at 10.

singersgirl · 13/10/2008 22:49

Why are some schools so odd about reading schemes? I really, really don't get it. The point of a scheme is to teach a child to read. Once they can read, surely they should just do that. The school can use scheme books in guided reading sessions to explore genre and style, and introduce vocabulary and different text types.

I really don't understand these schools where they say stuff like "He can't read Level X in Year Y or he'll run out of books." He won't. The world is full of books - millions and trillions and bezillions of them. Short books, long books, dreadful books, brilliant books. Books, books, books. Aaaaaaaaargh.

cory · 14/10/2008 08:44

I don't think we went above level 10, if even that. The idea was to get them into the library as soon as they could cope with it. And a good thing too! Dd was onto library books by the start of Yr 2, ds by Yr 3. Ds was an unusually slow developer and in bottom set. He is now reading Harry Potter in class in Yr 4.

cory · 14/10/2008 08:45

oh and neither infants or juniors were totally committed to ORT only. They had other reading schemes and a library and lots of books in the classroom. Those were for reading!

Fennel · 14/10/2008 11:05

I was sad when we moved schools and our new school didn't use ORT. We had been enjoying it, and I never did get to find out what happened at the higher levels. I much preferred them to the alternatives.

hellywobs · 14/10/2008 11:29

"Why are some schools so odd about reading schemes? I really, really don't get it. The point of a scheme is to teach a child to read. Once they can read, surely they should just do that. The school can use scheme books in guided reading sessions to explore genre and style, and introduce vocabulary and different text types.

I really don't understand these schools where they say stuff like "He can't read Level X in Year Y or he'll run out of books." He won't. The world is full of books - millions and trillions and bezillions of them. Short books, long books, dreadful books, brilliant books. Books, books, books. Aaaaaaaaargh."

Hear hear!