Expectations In Reading For The 'average' Child

[Guest]

The 'average' child, according to our management and KS1, would leave reception on ORT 4-5 haaving read at least 18 books at each stage. Is this realistic? What do you think?

[Susan]

The expectation is that children are secure at phase 3 at the end of reception and as such should be reading yellow and blue banded books. We have bookbanded our ORT and stage 4 books are within these bands.

[Guest]

I'd say the stage thing isn't so bad, although I'd say 3-4 would be average really, 5 is a bit much, but having read 18 books in each stage? What about those who's parents never read with them at home, how are you supposed to ensure they read the 3 books a week this would require when you have a class of 30? What about the children make rapid progress and so don't need to hang around reading 18 stage one (or pink band) books because they are ready to move on? Sounds far to prescriptive to me!

[KST]

I'd say most of my average children leave reception on yellow band (stage 3), a few higher and a few lower. I certainly wouldn't expect children to read 18 books per stage, some might do if they are not ready to move on before that, but then these are the children who generally leave reception on red stage (stage 2). I move children up a colour band when I feel they are ready to.

[Susan]

What constitutes that feeling, KST, you should have something you are assessing against to justify that feeling?

[Guest]

Last year I had 2 on pink band, 10 on red band, 10 on yellow band and 5 on blue band. Not sure where ORT fits in with that though.

[KST]

Well if they are able to read all the words easily then they obviously need a harder book. My assessment of their phonics also helps decide this, as children move onto phase 3 they are then able to access the harder books with the harder sounds. All our reading books follow the letters and sounds programme so its easy to match books to their phonic ability. Assessment is based on observations of their guided reading, which i use to plan their next guided reading session from. Its common sense a lot of the time.

[Guest]

All our reading books follow the letters and sounds programme so its easy to match books to their phonic ability.

 

Oh the luxury! I'm quite green with envy!

[KST]

I know Kariana we are so lucky! I had to fight for them and our fundraisers helped to fund them and they have made such a huge difference in children's reading.

[Guest heleng]

What scheme/ books are they KST?

[KST]

Floppy phonics. We also have some songbirds books which are nice stories, they are phonics books too but not as closely aligned to letters and sounds as Floppy phonics. Floppy phonics are good because they also have non-fiction books too.

[Guest]

Oh God... I must be failing my children., Most of them are reading Red Band books, hardly any yellow and some pink.

But most are on Phase 3 or 4 phonics. But we don't have nice phonic readers, lots with sight words.

Mmm

[KST]

before we had the phonics books children rarely got past red books because there were so many sight words they had to learn! So don't feel like you're failing your children. And don't forget their starting points might have been lower. I did still have about 10 on pink stage too so don't worry!x