Rebecca, Wales

My son was struggling to read according to the timetable set at school. They began using words and phrases such as "slow to progress" and "behind" in year 2. My oldest son had received similar feedback and we had seen the detrimental result that failing this arbitrary timetable had on his confidence, self esteem and ability to access and evidence other learning. Being unable to read or write extended texts quickly enough over the next few years meant teachers mistook his literacy struggles for lack of intelligence, informational retention and concentration. In fact, he was very able when permitted to receive and convey information and interpretations orally. He became a resistant reader and at 25 despite being able to read and write well now he will not read for pleasure and actively avoids writing. We were not prepared to allow the same to happen to our younger son but saw the same behaviours in him; his peers noticing he was struggling and his teacher making the same comments. His literacy homework increased in load so that eventually we were spending an hour every evening struggling through it, wondering how this could ever instill a love of reading or writing in a child when they had to come to it with such a fight for the sake of someone else's schedule. This was the breaking point and we had already been here before. Surely no parent would see their child suffer like this and then force a second child through the same experience hoping for a different outcome? His tears and frustration were heartbreaking - he simply wasn't ready for reading.

After removing him from school we did not ask him to read for about 4 months. We carried on reading to him at bedtime and anytime he asked for a story - we are both bookish parents and his younger sister could read fluently at 4 without direct teaching. After removing demand, he began reading to himself - he enjoyed picture books and would share a story with his sister. He read cereal packets and subtitles on the TV, signs out and about and chose books at the library. At 14 he is a self guided, fluent reader and has borrowed and read tens of books from the library in the last 5 years. He reads for pleasure by choice. He is a confident orator. He is currently writing his own series of books. He can access and evidence his learning in any way he chooses.

The opportunity for children to evidence learning using oral assessment. Children can demonstrate their understanding in a variety of spoken ways - presentation, song and discussion - without making proof of learning reliant on a level of writing ability which may come later.