Talking to the teacher about a letter we had yesterday?

[fernie3]

My daughter (in reception) had a letter from her school yesterday saying that she had been "identified as a child who could benefit with extra help" especially with reading but it doesnt seem to limit the help to this. I am not upset about the fact they have put her in this group (although I do admit to being disappointed she needs it). I have tried speaking to the teacher on a couple of occasions about the fact I was concerned about the fact she hasnt come on but each time I have been told she is doing fine (last time was just 2 weeks ago).

The letter was just a short letter saying she will be taken out of the class three times a day for one to one attention. She has been given a folder with a reading book in and a writing book. She tells me that the two other chidlren in her group (she is only in a group of three anyway I think they have already grouped them by general ability) are also using these folders.

I would like to talk to the teacher about how far behind she actually is and if this is in all areas or just one or two. I am also concerned about the attitude she has developed about school in the last few months. She is saying things like "I cant do that" or "why is M on level 5 and Im not" and I am a little worried that seperating her like this might make this worse as she was a little upset yesterday coming out of school.

Would it be a good idea to ask the teacher about how exactly this works and also if she can give us a clearer picture of what she SHOULD be doing at this stage rather than just telling us everything is fine (which it clearly isnt!).

I dont want to come off as an over worried parent but the fact my child is in this group makes me worry a bit that there is something we are doing wrong.

Talk to the teacher and ask them to explain how they are going to tackle your child's reading issues specifically. The fact that they have recognised that she would benefit can only be a good thing and I would welcome the extra support, especially if it means boosting your chil'd confidence.

child's*

reading what? what is your reception child reading,and whats at 'level 5'?

Please see the teacher to put your mind at rest. If it had been me I'd have invited you in to talk about it anyway.

I would talk to the teacher. It is probably a reading recovery scheme. If so it is a good thing. They get one to one attention which is wonderful. Some children just need a quiet time with one teacher to help them catch up. Many children that do these schemes catch up with the ones at the very top of the class very fast.

The school seem to use all different types of books, some are oxford reading tree, some ginn and others just random books. They have stuck numbers to the front to group them into levels. My daughter is on level 2 which is for example oxford reading tree level 1+. The level 5 books I have seen her friends reading seem to have about a paragraph on each page, the level 2 are just 3 or 4 words on each page mostly with a repeating pattern like "It was a sunny day" "it was a wet day" etc.

If you do a google search for "reading recovery" there is a lot of information out there. Most children who are put on the scheme go on to need no further one to one help and do very well academically.

I think you haven't been given much info which is what would make me feel a bit put out. Like op said it would have been nice for the teacher to mention it to you one afternoon and you would not have all the questions now that the letter has thrown up. I think it can only be a good thing for your dd as in 1 on 1 they come on so much. Have a chat with the teacher. As for them being aware I agree that they are aware already who is bright, my ds who is in rec says ' the girls in miss x group always get it right mummy, why is that? I want to always get them right. ' good luck and don't worry. X

It's a shame that when the letter was given out it wasn't accompanied by the teacher/another adult explaining a bit more about how this type of support works thus giving you an opportunity to ask the questions you have. Being identified as someone who'll benefit from additional support at this stage is definitely a positive sign as early intervention is key to so many things and it sounds as though your daughter is going to receive a decent amount of input to help her progress.

I'd ask the teacher if you could have a chat with her about it so you have a clearer idea of her current performance at school, the support she needs and how you can support her at home. In the meantime, if your daughter is questioning why some children can already do things that others can't try to help her identify things she can do well/has made real progress in e.g. skipping, using a computer mouse, being kind, drawing colourful rainbows etc. etc. The small group could be sold to her as a group for children who want to become super readers/who the teacher has spotted are trying really hard and so wants to help them get even better/a special group selected by the adult who's running it. Lots of children are taken out of class to take part in groups/school council/gardening and the like so it's unlikely that this will make things worse. It's more likely that the rest of the class will want to be in the extra group!

I've helped with schemes like this, the one-on-one really helps pupils improve their reading. My DD1 just missed out on doing one, and I often feel her reading would have taken off much sooner if she had been included.

This was really beneficial to ds and had no adverse effects on his self-confidence; quite to the contrary, it was not being able to do things that knocked his self-confidence, not getting the help so he could learn to do them.

My DS is in the middle of a similar kind of scheme and it has really helped him. He has just moved on to the next colour band after being on the old one since reception (he's in Year 1). He is delighted with himself (and so am I).

I wouldn't worry that you are doing something wrong with your DD or that she has a big problem. She just needs a bit of extra suppport with her reading at this stage.

Definitely speak to the teacher.

I'm sorry, fernie3, but I would be very worried about the way the school is teaching your daughter to read.

You say : "The school seem to use all different types of books, some are oxford reading tree, some ginn and others just random books."

Now, I know that some schools are short of money for buying books, but structured, systematic, explicit phonics teaching has been the official guidance for schools since 2007 and for a very good reason; it is the most effective way to teach the greatest number of children to read. Any school which thoroughly understands the teaching of phonics and implements the guidance properly would have done their utmost to have bought a good set of decodable books by now, so that children can practice and consolidate their phonic skills. The mishmash assortment of look and say texts which you describe are not suitable for early reading, particularly if a child is struggling. They tell me that the school is very probably not good at 'phonics'!

I would want to know what the school are doing in the way of phonics teaching; whether they are mixing it with 'other strategies' (if they tell you she needs to learn 'sight words' and how to work out words from pictures and context, be very worried) and why isn't she gettting decodable texts for reading practice.

I wouldn't place any reliance on the school's extra help being effective (if they can't get it right the first time then more of the same isn't going to work the second time). At the very least, get some decodable books to read at home.

It doesn't sound as though she is going to get Reading Recovery (TM), for which you should be thankful because it is a bad programme and nowhere near as good as it cracks itself up to be. RR is never done in groups.

I would arrange to speak to the teacher to find out exactly what the "extra help" is - you say not limited to reading??

I agree with maizieD that it doesn't sound like Reading Recovery and at least that is a positive. RR improvements are due to intensive 1-1 support and recent research seems to indicate that they are short term only.

agree with Kneazle - in the long run it could be fantastic for her to get extra support.

My DD aged 9 has never been offered any support all through school despite me asking for it and being very obviously dyslexic and now diagnosed as such.

I so wish she'd been given an opportunity for one-to-one support - this will ensure your DD has proper, tailored support and is much more likely to be up to the same level as you'd like her to be than if she was left to her own devices.

I know it's hard to hear and must come as a bit of a shock but it's a sign of a good school IMHO and one which clearly knows how to intervene at an early stage.

maizieD My children's school also uses a range of different scheme's books. However these have all been sorted into specific bands according to their content. In fact newer reading books tend to have a colour on them to show which band they are in. This is all part of the Government scheme of synthetic phonics.
When they changed to the bands, I know one teacher spent a lot of time reorganising the books so that they were in the right bands. ORT is especially difficult as some books at level 5 may be in two different colour bands as some use harder words than others.

Do ask the teacher if you have any worries and ask how you can help at home.

My dd had something similar for a while in yr1. It really helped her.

They identified that she needed a bit of extra 1:1 and provided it until she was up and running. It enabled her to be more confident within the class, which meant a lot to her; she was also saying 'I can't do it..' and worrying.

People pick up reading at different speeds. It's nothing in any way that you or anyone is doing wrong. It just gives those that are still wobbly a quiet opportunity to gain confidence rather than drown in class. I think it's great and shows the school are sensitive to individual needs.

My dd is in yr3 now and her reading and spelling are both excellent. She just took off with it in a big way and now loves reading and writing stories.

But yes, do have a word with the teacher. I'm sure they'll explain it's all ok.

MaizieD - IME lots of schools have struggled to fund the reading books to support Letters and Sounds, and sadly it is common to find children being sent home with books that are unsuitable for the approach the school is taking to introduce them to reading. Very frustrating for all concerned. Have had lots of comments from teachers about this too, I include them at the top of the list of people frustrated by it!

By mummytime Thu 29-Apr-10 19:19:28
. However these have all been sorted into specific bands according to their content. In fact newer reading books tend to have a colour on them to show which band they are in. This is all part of the Government scheme of synthetic phonics.

Sorry but the colours have nothing whatsoever to do with the Government or the Government scheme of synthetic phonics

By mummytime Thu 29-Apr-10 19:19:28
When they changed to the bands, I know one teacher spent a lot of time reorganising the books so that they were in the right bands. ORT is especially difficult as some books at level 5 may be in two different colour bands as some use harder words than others.

The coloured book bands match either to RR or Cliff Moon systems for organising reading books

The older ORT scheme doesn't match with synthetic phonics at all and confuse children who are being taught to read one way then given books which are based on another method of reading instruction. Which is why Oxford have published Floppy Phonics and Songbirds (both synthetic phonics schemes). Some schools are continuing to use ORT simply because the cost of a new reading scheme is so expensive.

(Ginn also relies heavily on the Look & Say method)

hi
well I talked to the teacher today who basically said the same -dont worry shes doing fine but just her reading needs to come on a bit. She said that reading was the only problem and that the letter was just a standard letter.I feel so much better now!

Glad everything worked out OK.