1 boy in 10 start SECONDARY School with a reading age of 7!

[JsMum]

Thought I would post the story, quite alarming isnt it.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/primaryeducation/8208371/One-boy-in-ten-starts-secondary-school-with-reading-age-of-seven.html

 

JsMumx

Edited January 16, 2011 by JsMum

[justine1]

These stories have been around for so long and personally I think they are part of the problem Its the same with regards to black boys or those children living in poverty.I have all the above,I have four boys,on a low income and they are black(mixed race).It doesnt stop me pushing them and reaching their goals.I dont pay attention to these headlines,I feel the minute you do is the minute you stop trying to change things and just accept it as the norm.

[call me jaded]

Of course the leader of the headteachers union says it's because parents don't do enough at home.

[Sally44]

I know there are some children whose parents are not interested and who do not read with them.

But there are also alot of parents that do care, and who do try, and who do want their child to improve. Then you get attacked for being pushy!

I have been told that the minimum reading age for a child entering secondary school is 7 years. If the child's reading age is below that then the teachers have to differentiate the lesson to such a degree that it becomes an entirely different lesson.

So imagine my frustration that my son has a reading age of under 5 years.

Only at the end of last year did they put him on a reading programme. And only after I have had to be a considerable pain in the backside and persistent and tenacious have the school now begun to seek outside professional help.

 

This article mentions specialist teaching. I don't know any mainstream school within our LEA that gets 'specialist teaching' input for individual pupils.

 

But this is an interesting article, that I have printed off and which I shall put in my 'tribunal' folder for future reference as it mentions my city.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Sally44

[av16]

I'm very interested in this, I bet a high proportion of these children have some sort of dyslexia and even though they may have supportive parents and try hard in school they get stuck as soon as reading gets beyond basic KS1 texts. I'm trying to get the teachers where I work to realise that children like this need a different type of teaching. Most teachers know very little about dyslexia and just keep re-teaching the same thing in the hope it will 'go in' eventually.

 

I felt quite pleased last week as the EP identified 2 pupils in yr 2 with dyslexia type difficulties, in the past this has only happened towards the end of yr 5/6. It's an odd thing to feel pleased about but it has always bothered me - pupils leaving for secondary school and not being able to read. I hope these 2 pupils can get to the end of KS2 and learn to read and enjoy reading but of course identifying them is only the start.