Yr 1 child - how often should he be heard to read?

[Piddlepuddle]

Can I start by saying I am not one of those parents that thinks teachers have time to hear all the children in their class read ever day or anything!

However - ds1 is 6, in year 1. How often would you expect his teacher to hear him read? Yes he does "guided reading" with the TA once a week. But neither his teacher or anyone else has heard him read individually since 22 May. Is that normal?

So as not to drip feed - I have several concerns and this is one of them. He is going to have the same teacher next year do it isn't a case of sitting back for the next few weeks and thinking there'll be a change soon!

Many thanks.

[HormonalHousewife]

For me what you describe is not the norm.

I have the same. My son reads to TA or teacher every day and has a new book every day (they are about 24 pages so half with teacher, half with school.)

Its a class of 15 though.

This time of year is busy though, school trips, sports days etc sometimes there are not enough hours in the day. Can you keep up th ereading at home ?

[Fuzzymum1]

My DS is 6yo and in year 1. The only time he reads to a teacher in school is during guided reading - he's a fluent and capable reader. The less able readers get read with more often - some several times a week.

[insanityscratching]

At dd's school children are assessed termly so in fact read individually to a teacher once a term. They do guided reading twice a week though and read at home to parents daily. Those struggling with reading are on reading interventions so read to a TA three times a week.

[redskyatnight]

Did he read more frequently during the rest of the year?
DD's school seem to abandon their usual routines in this last half term and focus more on school trips, sports day, assemblies and doing outside activities.

[signet]

Ours are read with at least every other day and daily if time allows. Usually with the TA or other helper, but the teacher hears every child once a week herself. Children who are behind are read with every day without fail.

[hels71]

DD is in reception. She read to the teacher twice in September/October and to a work experience person twice at some point. Apart from that she only reads in guided reading (where she is in a group with children about 5 ORT levels below hers based on home reading books) ..........I am hoping that next year (when the literacy co-ordinator will be her teacher) things will be better....
I shall be very interested to read her end of year report as they can have no real idea of her actual reading level....

[postmanpatscat]

I do guided reading once per week, try to do them all but if things get too busy I hand a group or two over to a TA. However, I also teach reading through daily phonics lessons, reading the board, instructions, free reading time etc, not just in a group with a book.

[Smartieaddict]

I have a DS in reception. He does guided reading once a week, and reads to either the teacher or TA once a week. I would not be happy at all with what you have described! I know the children in his class that are not read to at home, do extra reading at school as well.

[Elibean]

dd2 is heard 1-2 every week by a volunteer, and about every two weeks by the teacher. As well as guided reading. There are 28 in her class, and she is one of the best readers at the moment - those who are struggling are heard more often (rightly so, IMO).

I'm happy with that

[Elibean]

Bah - 1-1, not 1-2!

[Piddlepuddle]

Thanks all. He is on purple bookband do doing fine, but this is still a bit off free reading. Maybe it is the case that they are doing other things - I'm which case I wish they'd communicate better!

This is all very helpful though - I am due to see the head this week and it's good to see I would not be being too unreasonable to say that I would have thought he'd have been heard to read again by now. Thanks again.

[AbbyLou]

I teach Y1. I hear everybody once a week individually, any more than that is impossible. We also do Guided Reading twice a week so I get to hear two groups a week and my TA does another two. If it is a week where I am not on duty I will have extra time for readers and will pick up those who do not read at home regardless of ability. The TAs pick up those who are struggling or not progressing at the expected rate. I would be horrified if my child had not been heard read for over a month.

[Periwinkle007]

I would assume a couple of times a week to a TA similar to reception but my daughter isn't in yr1 yet so not sure. I wouldn't be happy if they didn't get to read to anyone at least once a week, even if they were reading war and peace in Yr1, they still need to be listened to.

[simpson]

In reception DD is listened to 3 times a week. Once with her teacher, once in a small group in guided reading with EYFS Head and once again either with HT, deputy Head or EYFS Head.

I volunteer in yr1 and they are listened to once a week in guided reading and usually once a week 121 with the TA or myself (I have had training).

[Karoleann]

We had that problem in ds' state school in yr1. He was only heard reading 2-3x a Term, which I felt was unacceptable. We were also only getting reading books changed once a week.
We moved schools to inde (not as a result of poor reading teaching) ds1 is now heard 2x a week.

[simpson]

I do thinks that in yr1 the reading diary is not filled in very often (by the school) whereas in reception there are quite a few entries each week.

[CatsAndTheirPizza]

In our school children are heard to read every day - by either the teacher/TA or parent helper. It performs really well in all areas, so the reading isn't at the expense of anything else.

I would be a bit worried, but it also depends on how well your child reads. If he is reading well for his age and there are others with greater demands, they may just be prioritising.

[Bunnyjo]

DD (also Yr1) reads to her teacher at least once per week. The TA hears her read at least twice per week and a parent helper reads with her once a week. On balance I would say that DD reads to the teacher/TA/parent helper 4 days out of 5.

As she is on chapter books now, she changes her book less often; I don't expect her to read chapter upon chapter daily. When she was on the smaller books (30ish pages) she would change it as soon as she had read it, meaning she often read 2 books a day.

[postmanpatscat]

simpson as a teacher I write in the reading diary every time we read. However, for about half of my class mine (or TAs) is the only handwriting in there. I wish the parents would write something too!

[Piddlepuddle]

Well this is another thing postman... we are often reminded by school of the importance of writing in the reading diary (which I do religiously). However I wrote a comment about something 2 weeks ago which has just been ignored so I don't think his teacher / TA takes it particularly seriously. I'll finally be able to get to school to speak to the teacher this week, but it seems to me it'll be hard to persuade parents to engage with the concept of a diary unless school commit 100%.

I still don't think he has read to a teacher though just from conversations I've had with him. But yes I do need to acknowledge could be lack of communication rather than lack of hearing him to read.

[insanityscratching]

Can I ask though what are the benefits of reading individually to a teacher almost every day? If a child reads to a parent at home daily why is it necessary?
Dd's school doesn't do individual reading as it's a huge drain on a teacher's time and listening to one child means that 29 others are unattended in effect. All the children learn to read through guided reading and phonics groups and the intervention programmes for those that struggle or for those not read with at home but individual reading isn't considered necessary.
Are there statistics that show that it is a good use of resources or that reading to a teacher is more necessary than reading to a parent (presuming a parent has good enough reading skills)?

[Piddlepuddle]

I agree insanity (and I said in my OP I didn't think he should be heard to read every day).

But I think going from that to not having been heard to read for over 5 weeks is a big gap. We hear him every day, and I have written a comment about something which has been ignored - if they are relying on us as doing most of it then I think they need to at least quickly scan the reading diaries. And yes of course I will try to talk to the teacher, but I work, and also the last few times I've been there at hometime it has been a TA bringing them out (and not their usual TA).

[insanityscratching]

I think because dd's school let us know their reading policy as children entered the school then parents don't get concerned when a teacher hasn't heard their child read for a whole half term and so expectations are different.
Dd's reading diary is checked by a TA once a week to ensure she is reading at home and any movement of levels (termly or more often depending on the child) is noted in there too.
I'd guess your child is doing pretty well but you need someone to tell you that really don't you?

[MaybeBentley]

Similar situation here, but the last week in May was half term, there has been the Year 1 phonics test taking teachers time, then there have been sports days, school trips, special visitors, etc. so I'm not surprised it has slipped. At least my DD has been changing her book and can tell me what they have been doing in school e.g. reading in literacy lesson, science information texts, etc. I know she is different to many children who don't communicate what they do at school (wish I wouldn't get a minute by minute account of the school day when I'm trying to finish typing a work project while I'm cooking dinner though!)I did discuss it with the teacher when my other child was in Y2 and the teacher told me that teacher "hearing a child read from their home reader" had limited teaching value and it is a minute strand of the teaching of reading that goes on in school. So I've stopped worrying about it, as long as I read with them at home and their books get changed I'm happy. I'd rather spend time reading home/library books anyway!