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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Can I ask which level ORT books your YR 1 children (particularly boys) are on

58 replies

CrackerNut · 06/03/2009 20:18

Just interested to know as I don't really speak to any other mums in my ds's class, and although I know he is behind, i am wondering how much.

OP posts:

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wasuup3000 · 06/03/2009 20:42

In year one my oldest son at this time of year was on level 8 ORT he is now in year 3 and on the able, gifted and talented for reading. However my eldest daughter was on level 4 at this time of year on ORT she is now almost a level 6 SATs wise for reading at age 9 in year 5. My 3rd child (but not last) who is in reception is a fluent free reader (starting reading himself at 2-no input from me) but he is on level 1 along with the rest of his class on the ORT for now-but does bring extra library books of his own choosing home as well. All children are different and a specific learning difficulty may only become noticeable to teachers if a child falls significantly behind his classmates or if a child has an uneven EYFS profile or if a child does significantly better in other subjects but fails to improve in a specific area despite small group teaching methods.
In short it can take time for teachers to realise a child may have a spld but trust your gut instincts and keep on keeping on at people about your concerns.You know your child best, believe in yourself.

ChasingSquirrels · 06/03/2009 20:47

there will be a range from, maybe level 2/3 to free-readers.
If you are concerned talk to the teacher not the other mums.

Original poster

CrackerNut · 06/03/2009 20:52

Thanks both.

I am in talks with the teacher anyway but just thought i'd ask.

OP posts:

pooka · 06/03/2009 20:52

To be honest, am not sure how helpful comparison with different schools is helpful. Some schools rigidly plough through boxes of books before a child can move to the next stage; others don't.

DD (so girl) is on a 7 for reading. Though might be 8 - can't remember.

But she is doing very well. I would say that the average is around a 4, but there are children on 1s and 2s and some on 6 - 8.

www.oup.com/oxed/pdf/ORTGuideForParents.pdf has a table with rough guide to stages/ages.

pooka · 06/03/2009 20:54

Oh and my point about the different schools is that dd has friends who are IMO equally able who are at different schools where there is less flexibility about skipping books and moving onto the next stage.

I think each approach has advantages. Good that you are in discussions with the school.

ingles2 · 06/03/2009 20:58

ds2 was 5,6,7,8 yr 1
9,10,11,12, yr 2
13, 14 so far yr 3

ingles2 · 06/03/2009 21:00

but last school skipped through stages, current school you have to read every single book. could be school, could be ds has slowed down, so don't read too much into it...
Also, ds2 was slower than ds1... but ds2 has much better expression and understanding than ds1

wasuup3000 · 06/03/2009 21:00

If you are concerned talk to anyone you want to. All my children have differed and the one who was a bit slower picked up later on but do trust your instincts. My daughter has dyscalculia-I have thought this since year 2, her teachers, senco, head and ed psych said that she didn't. This year almost 3 levels behind her capabilities in other subjects in numeracy she has been tested and they finally all agree. Which would be great only numeracy work has caused her anxiety all this time and made her self esteem plummet. As I said trust yourself teachers with all the best intentions at heart can be wrong.

ChasingSquirrels · 06/03/2009 21:00

I wasn't dismissing your concerns, but you do tend to get alot of mums of good readers posting on threads asking what level a child is on - which can distort things and make you feel even more that your child is behind.

pagwatch · 06/03/2009 21:02

crackernut

it varies so much.My DDs school use a mix of books so I don't really know or care. If I were concerned I would talk to the school. As it happens I am not.

And you won't get a sample here as mums who think their children are behind the average are way less likely to post than those who think their children are doing well.

singersgirl · 06/03/2009 21:07

I used to help with reading in both my sons' Y1 classes and there was a range at this stage from not reading at all to reading Roald Dahl. The vast majority of children in both classes were somewhere between Level 3 and Level 8 of the ORT by this stage.

But Pooka is right. You can't really compare between schools as some insist on reading all the books in one scheme and others dart about.

LynetteScavo · 06/03/2009 21:09

DS2 is on stage 3. I'm told he is in the bottom 3rd of the class.

slayerette · 06/03/2009 21:14

DS is coming towards the end of Level 8. He has just done a reading test at school though and his reading age is above 7 yrs 3 months. He free-reads at home - has just started the Beastquest series.

cba · 06/03/2009 21:17

ds2 now in year one is on ort level 8, but the teacher makes them read every single book in the level. on the other hand ds1 when in year one at this exact same time was on ort level 11, but the teacher did not make them read every book in the level. but ds1 was and still is a much better reader more of a natural reader. ds2 has had to work much harder to get where he is.

there are children alot higher than ds2 and some alot lower. I would not worry too much if he is making good progress.

DottyDot · 06/03/2009 21:20

Honestly, it's so hard to make anything of it in Yr1 - they're too young and it's way too early.

Ds1 was on level 3 ORT in year 1 at this stage - behind most in his class and didn't really 'get' reading at all. He's in year 2 now and on level 10/11 - in the top half, and it's clicked. He does a tiny bit of free reading but overall reading's still not his thing - might not ever be - but he's getting there and it's not the huge struggle it was a year ago.

Having said that, because his school just does ORT, he really struggles with any writing not in the same font...

plonker · 06/03/2009 23:02

How do you all know the level of other children in the class? I know my dd's level but wouldn't have the first idea where the other children are up to ...how do you all know?

critterjitter · 06/03/2009 23:13

I agree with ChasingSquirrels. Talk to the teacher, not the mums. If you're still concerned, get him assessed independently. But don't fall into the trap of comparing him with other children in the class - they are at their respective levels for various different reasons.

MollieO · 07/03/2009 00:01

I think some parents (school gate mums) are pretty vocal about sharing news their dcs abilities! You can always ask the teacher although I got very woolly answer when I asked at the last parents' evening (I wanted to gauge whether ds was doing what he was expected to be doing). I got a speech about some children reading well, some getting there and some not there at all and wouldn't do so before the end of reception year. I then had to guess from what else she said to work out which applied to my ds.

Hulababy · 07/03/2009 08:13

In the Y1 class I help in (all Jan starters) the children read a range of books from coloured boxes, ORT are in them too. Wehave children whp are non readers, struggling with basic cvc and vc words (so level 1 I guess) to fairly fluent readers.

Again DD's school does a whole range of books and we haven't really seen ORT since about level 5. By this time in Y1 DD could pretty much read most words and was just working on things like expression and fluency when reading aloud. Again in her class the ability varied greatly, although now a year on I have noticed they are all improving and many of the children who were a bit slower to start reading are coming on very well and the gap between them and the faster ones is closing all the time, with just one or two still struggling.

TBH it is really hard tomake comparisons between schools as some schools whizz through them and others take their tame. Different schools use different schemes, etc.

FWIW I have worked with children who are apparently on a set level on ORT yet give tthem anther type of book and they are stumped.

pooka · 07/03/2009 08:58

OUr school also gives out books that are not ORT, which I think is a very good idea - it has meant that dd is less likely to make the connection ort books = she reads to us, all others = we read to her.

Scrumplet · 09/03/2009 00:02

I'd second pooka's link. This reassured me the other day when another Mumsnetter linked to it for me. DS is in Reception and, I thought, reading well enough ... until a classmate's mum announced her DD's reading level and I quickly learned the system and thought, oh shit, DS must be behind then. He is in ORT's Reception range, which is fine with me. DS's teachers haven't expressed any concerns. Have yours? If your DS's teachers haven't any worries, it means you needn't be concerned. He's still on track, progressing sufficiently that they think he'll crack it just fine.

BTW, I have a feeling that a lot of mums on here have children with reading abilities well above the average - like other posters have said, it's not a representative sample.

I now have a policy to shut my ears when other mums rave about their kids' reading levels. Ignorance is bliss!

fircone · 09/03/2009 09:54

I'm sorry to get cross, but what exactly was the point of wasuup3000's first post?

CrackerNut is a concerned parent, asking about reading levels, and someone steams in and posts probably exactly what is going to make the OP terribly anxious.

The correct, and reassuring, answer is that children in Year 1 differ hugely. The teacher should be able to advise a parent if a specific problem is suspected or otherwise it's probably just a case of catching up. And some children are never enthusiastic readers, even when they have all the tools.

If someone expresses their concerns, I think it is quite unpleasant to rub their nose in it by leaping in with a full-scale brag.

There, said it. Will go and calm down now. I hate boasting.

londonartemis · 09/03/2009 10:05

Fircone - Absolutely.

Madsometimes · 09/03/2009 10:15

dd1 was on stage 1 or 2 at this point in year one. I think she could have managed harder books, but she was certainly not as high as stage 3. (Our school use Ginn all aboard, but stage numbers are comparable).

At the beginning of year 2, she was still on stage 2. By Christmas she was on stage 6, and by February (Y2) on free reading. Children do not learn how to read gradually, and many teachers skip children up two or three reading stages in one go if it is clear that the books are inappropriately easy for them. It just takes some teachers a few weeks to realise that children have moved on.

I would not fret about reading stages (I know, it's hard not to and I did with dd1 ).

ABetaDad · 09/03/2009 10:21

DS1 started Yr1 on Level 5 and ended on Level 8

DS2 started Yr1 on Level 4 and ended on Level 6

Both were at a very selective Prep with DS1 above average and DS2 on the average for the school.

Don't sweat it - boys can be late developers with reading and both DS1 and DS2 are great readers now. The key to unlocking them was just finding books they could get really interested in.

A lot of boys just do not see the point of doing loads of reading and in the end it is about grinding through enough volume of reading to get the practice. Most boys would just rather be doing something else.

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