Private tuition for Year One?

[souperbelle]

DISCLAIMER: This is my first time posting, so please be gentle! Any terrible etiquette infringements are purely unintentional.

My daughter started school (Reception) in April last year, so she just started Year One in September. She seems to be enjoying school generally, but she doesn't seem to be getting the whole phonics thing at all. We try reading with her at home, but she just gets really frustrated and upset with us. And to be honest, I get frustrated with it too because so many of the reading books she brings home, and that we buy, contain so many irregular words, it's difficult to know how to approach it anyway.

My husband and I are having a "debate" at the moment about whether we should get her some private tuition. A big part of me thinks that she is too young and should be having less schooling rather than more, she'll get it eventually, and all that. But I can also see my husband's point of view that, with her being a "summer baby", she could quite easily fall behind her peers and an hour or so one evening a week could give her a huge boost.

So have any of you used tutors for your 5 year olds? Did you see a big improvement? How did you go about finding a tutor? Or, did any of you encounter the same sort of thing, but it all turned out alright in the end without any intervention?

y1 is very young to be getting worried about your dd's reading - lots of children don't click with reading until quite a way through Y1, often around the time of their 6th birthday, and once it clicks, they're away.

And she won't be falling behind the majority of her peers by any means - my dd's just started Y2 and the variation in reading levels is enormous - some are reading fluently and are on quite complicated chapter books, others are still at the very early stages of learning to read, and all points in between.

However, if it's getting to the end of Y2 and your dd's still frustrated then I'd start worrying at that point.

At the moment, the last thing she needs at the end of a school day (especially only a term and a half into her entire school career) is more work. Just make sure that reading's fun for her - which may well mean her not trying to read at all, just you sharing interesting, well-written books with her.

Personally I would leave it until the end of the school year. If she's still really struggling then then I'd look into getting some extra help over the summer.

Hello and welcome to Mumsnet

My dd1 did struggle in Y1. I have often said that I think that Y1 is the hardest year in primary school because the jump between learning through play in reception and Y1 is huge. Some schools do a gentle Y1, but that has not been my experience.

Summer born children often find Y1 a real slog, and of course if they are boys then we can multiply this. However, I have girls and Y1 is not always a picnic for them either.

If you do decide to get a tutor, then make sure that it is one with lots of experience of younger children. I can imagine that tutoring a younger child would be very specialised, and involve lots of games and stickers! Lots of parents will say save yourself the money and do it on your own. However, I do understand that sometimes a mum is not the right person to do this.

I enrolled my dd1 in Kumon for reading during Y1. She did come on in leaps and bounds, but she may have done so anyway. The Kumon methodology does not tie in particularly well with how reading is taught in schools, so many parents are critical of it. We stopped the English program at the end of Y2, because she did not need it any more. However, Kumon requires lots of parental involvement, and is not for everyone.

There is a collection of Ruth Miskin books on the book people for £10 at the moment. She may find it easier to read these books if her school is using an old fashioned reading scheme.

I think the vast majority of children will get the hang of reading in their own time - until they reach that point, then extra lessons with a tutor are not going to add anything, because if she's not ready, then she's just not ready IYSWIM? All you are likely to do is to make her feel more stressed, and potentially feel like she is "bad at it", which then makes it more of a struggle.

Have you gone into school and talked to the teacher about how she's doing, how best to help her with the books she brings home, whether there's anything else you can be doing to help her? The teacher may well be able to reassure you that she's within the normal range for her age, and will pick it up in due course.

If she's bringing home reading books with lots of irregular words, then the school should be telling you what you are meant to be doing - is she supposed to be memorising them or what?

I would stop buying reading books, and focus on reading books to her, to regain her interest in books as a fun thing. The reading will come in its own time.

dd is in Yr 1 and an Aug baby to I know where you are coming from.

Does she already do anything after school, could she fit anything else in or would she have to give something up? Is she happy with the way things are or does she feel she is falling behind? Is she tired at the end of the day? How would you explain to her the need for extra tuition? How much time can you spend reading with her at home?

Before I decided on extra tuition, I would consider the answers to these questions. To be honest, she is very young yet and there is loads of time for her to learn this - there is a huge range of abilities in dd's class, from those who can read fluently to those who struggle to sound out the alphabet and at 5 it all seems to be fairly normal, so I'm not sure I eprsonally would bother.

Firstly, I'd say she is still very young.
However, if you want book ideas which are based on the synthetic phonic system, I'd recommend;
1)Ruth Miskin's Read, Write Inc
2)Jelly and Bean
3)Oxford Reading Tree's phonic set called, Songbirds.

The old style ORT books which most schools still use aren't at all good for children srtuggling to get off the mark with phonics and reading.

If she's not 'getting' the whole thing then I think getting a private tutor is one of the worst things you can do - it will put pressure on her to make her feel seh should be 'getting' it and that this is what is important in her school life.

Children learn at different paces and it is notat all unusual for a child not to 'get' phonics and reading at this stage (my ds didn't until end Y2. he is now a great reader and writer). If she's a summer baby then that is certainly not surprising.

If you're concerned, speak to the teacher. Is it just literacy? How is her maths? Andy causes for concern elsewhere? Ask the teacher if she is getting/should get additional TA support in school.

She only started school in April... don't worry about it. Some children don't click with the phonics and I think no need to get a tutor, although maybe discuss with her teacher how you can give extra help.

I would just leave it for a bit, but make sure you do school reading every night rereading the books if necessary, they are easier the 2nd time and this increases confidence.

I gave my DD a big boost over the summer with the Peter and Jane books I had as a child. They are not phonics but focus on key words and it gave her a big boost. Another ideas is to read together, you read a couple of pages and then get her to read a sentance. I think an hour with a tutor is a bad idea. Another thing you could do is some of the jolly phonics game or any game that involves reading words eg silly sentance jigsaw game.

My DD is now 6 and in year 1, and although she is generally reading well, still struggles with some of the harder phonic sounds, and I am not worried. I have just bought the ruth miskin books from the book people and we'll worth through these over the next couple of months or so.

Headspout.com - my Ds did not get phonics at all in year 1/2 but was tested to have an IQ of 138 and no dyslexia. This site was recommended by somone on MN and his reading age has gone from 5.6 to 10+ in six months.

you do have to pay but it is really excellent. 80 ''lesssons'' that are about 15-30 mins long - fun and can be done at your childs pace.

sorry Headsprout.com

She'll get it when she's ready. I really wouldn't tutor. So long as you think the school's okay and they're not worried, then let her grow at her own pace.

I "tutor" my next door neighbour who is currently in Yr 2 but we started in Yr 1 because she was struggling to learn her sounds and her reading was behind ( she was on ORT level 2 at the beginning of yr 1) We began with 15 minutes four times a week re-learning her basic sounds and blending together with basic phonics reading books. We now do 20 minutes three times a week and, as well as the more complex phonic sounds and reading, we also practise some writing skills too. She still struggles in comparison to some but she is reading ORT stage 7 and her writing is coming on well! ( Her teachers are certainly pleased with her progress and so are her parents!

What does her teacher say?

Thanks so much, everyone. You've confirmed what I thought really. DD is still really little and will get there in her own time.

She does get cross and upset that she "can't do it" and I really don't want to compound that feeling. And from her reading record, I don't get the impression that she reacts like that at school, just at home.

I will have another chat with her teachers just to get an idea of how they think she is getting on. (I suspect they will say she is doing fine!)

And now I have your replies, supporting my opinion, to show DH.

Thanks again!

souper, remember to tell him that in lots of other countries formal education doesn't even begin until 6 or 7. Always a good one to lob in .