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Meeting with the teacher Y2

5 replies

PhyllisWig · 31/10/2016 21:33

I have dts in Y2. I have a meeting with the teacher scheduled on Friday and could do with some help in how to approach this.

DD1 seems to be doing fine. She has always been in the top half of the class, fairly bright, a tiny bit easily put off but progressing steadily.

DD2 has always been trickier. She struggled a bit socially and had speech therapy. Her hand writing is poor although improving. However, she is has always been tagged as an academically bright kid. Last year her reading was strong, she was in the top maths group and was in the group who joined Y2 for phonics. Since joining Y2, her progress seems to have halted. She was put on the wrong reading books (they moved her down a level when she came back to school. We flagged this and was told it was a mistake). She's then been given the same book multiple times even though her reading record has been updated. I know this happens and it's no biggie but she's either had too easy a book or one she's read before more often than she's had the right one iyswim. Even though she is flying through these books and we've asked if she can move up, there has been no change but no feedback as to why either.

She's been moved right down in the phonics group and is with kids I know last year were mid/low ability tables. Her maths seems to have stalled as well.

She is a competitive madame and really seemed to enjoy being challenged which in the past but these days she just seems a bit 'meh' about school.

I know I need to talk to the teacher about all of this but wonder if I am expecting too much? I guess the other kids may be catching up a bit and she's just not progressing as quickly anymore but if so that doesn't sit quite right.

Any suggestion as to how best to phrase this without sounding like a pushy mother who has unrealistic expectations or is telling the teacher her job? Like I say, dd1 is doing fine, not stellar but fine and they are in the same class. I don't expect DD2 to be top of the class but this seems quite a worrying slip in ability and engagement.

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MrsKCastle · 01/11/2016 07:20

Just say that you are concerned about her progress and ask for specific targets/areas to work on to help her move forward. I wouldn't worry too much about the reading books- personally I would just read books from home/library that you know are a suitable level of challenge. I do understand that it's a concern that they don't seem to be agreeing with you on what is suitable though. With the phonics, is her spelling keeping up with her reading? That could be a factor in her moving groups.

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user789653241 · 01/11/2016 07:33

I don't get it. If the school books are too easy, you can get books from library, etc. Maths is too easy, you can get her a workbooks, online stuff,. etc.
Yes you need to ask school what they are doing, but you can help her not to stall her progress, quite easily at home.

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jamdonut · 01/11/2016 21:00

With regard to reading books...
Are they given the books or are they, as at our school, allowed to go and change them themselves? Some children get out the books they like, rather than look for one they haven't read. And occasionally, books are not returned to the correct colour level drawer, and they (and we, sometimes,) forget to check the back of the book to make sure it is the correct level.

Could this be the case?

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Lilianne · 01/11/2016 21:57

Irvine - but the dd is in school all day and it's them that should do the right level of work, a y2 kid shouldn't have to do additional work at home to compensate for the school potentially not challenging her enough.

I'd approach it with an open mind, just stating it as an observation that dd2 doesn't seem to enjoy school as much and it seems to you isn't progressing as well, and then seeing how the teacher responds

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user789653241 · 02/11/2016 06:20

Assume Lilianne = OP?

Sorry if I sounded bitter. 5 years of futile conversation with school regards challenging work do that to you! Grin.

Yes, of course school need to meet child's need. Don't worry about what teacher think of you, sometimes you have to be "that parent"
Hope it works out for your dd.

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