Reading issue - how do I bring this up to his teacher?

Hi all, my son brings home a book to read as homework everyday and he has been on the same band since he started reception.

Recently they seemed to be far too easy for him so I got some of the books online. We have been trying them and he is comfortably 4 bands above at home, 5 at a stretch.

Im a little confused, he’s my first child and I haven’t any experience of how they learn to read at school. I asked one of the other mums to see if the whole class was doing the same books but her little boy is a band above so it’s not that.

What could be happening here? And how should I approach it without sounding like a pushy mother? 🤣🤣

By the way I don’t care what band he’s on or what others are on - I care that this gap in his ability hasn’t been noticed, maybe they haven’t reassessed him?

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That's strange as my son gets a new one every Monday and is on set 2 now. You definitely should have a chat with the teacher, there maybe a reason for it, maybe he isn't as comfortable reading in school as he is at home with you? You aren't being pushy at all, you care !! Xx

that’s what I thought. He’s a perfectionist so he may take longer. He wouldn’t rush through and get it wrong if that makes sense? Xx

Year 1 teacher here. Message me privately if you like x

I was a reception teacher for a long time, now deputy head.
Honestly, I would advise you just ask the question out of genuine curiosity. “We have noticed that he’s been on the same book band a while now, is everything okay? Is he making progress as you’d expect in phonics and reading? We can see it at home but I’m wondering if he’s showing you the same at school?” then you’ll hear their answer and can go from there.
There could be a wide variety of things happening. As Ruth said, he may perform differently at school and they assess him at the band they’re providing you with. There could be an intentional discrepancy between the level sent home and the one that’s being read in school, to build fluency and confidence. Could be an inexperienced teacher, an oversight etc etc.
I’m likely a reception teachers worst nightmare as a parent 😆 but I wouldn’t hesitate to query this.

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