Aibu to ask for your help? Ks1 help.

[Thingsthatgo]

My son is in year one at a state primary. It’s a good school and I like his teacher... she has a very difficult job to do imo. Her (very large) class has a very wide range of abilities. At a recent parents evening, she said that Ds is a long way ahead in maths and literacy. He is fully able to do all of the ks1 curriculum. Which is great, but she doesn’t really know what to do with him and he is very bored.
I completely appreciate that she has to help the ones that are struggling to keep up, and that she tries to differentiate as much as she can. I think she is not really supposed to teach them beyond the year group curriculum anyway.
She asked for our help.... I can send in some workbooks maybe (he won’t read books to himself for extended periods of time, but would do questions quite happily).
Please can I ask for ideas of how to help her and my Ds? Any teachers on here who could suggest some ideas? Thank you

[Caulk]

If I was her I would be asking senco or gifted and talented lead for help. Has she done that already?

[Thingsthatgo]

I spoke to the g and t coordinator. She said the he is on her list, and further up the school there will be opportunities for extension activities. But they are single days of science challenges etc, not so much geared towards everyday differentiation. The senco said it wasn’t her department

[Caulk]

I’ve never experienced either a teacher asking you to send stuff in or a G&T lead being like that. Is it an academy?

[pudcat]

Can she ask the Y2 teacher for help? There must be a gifted and talented policy in the school. Ask to see it on see if it is on their web site. There should also be extension activities for your child.

[Thingsthatgo]

It’s not an academy. It’s a first school which has just recently become a primary (ie added ks2), so just coming out of a big change. His teacher does differentiate, and he is in the top sets, but she says that the top sets have a very wide range of abilities within them.
She is young, and under a huge amount of pressure to get the whole class at a certain stage ready to sats next year (it made me so sad and angry when I heard that).
I want to help if I can.

[Caulk]

I’d look on primary resources and find some worksheets that people have designed and try those with him.

[Feenie]

Ffs - I can't believe this. She is paid to teach your ds, and if she isn't up to the job then she shouldn't be doing it.

Speak to the Head - they need to know this.

[crimsonlake]

Possibly when she was referring to 'help', she actually meant supporting him by doing suitable activities at home with him to help move him on?

[Nanny0gg]

Her phase leader should be checking her planning and there is no excuse for her not stretching your child if he can cope with the work.

You don't want him demotivated before year 2

[Thingsthatgo]

Caulk thank you, that’s a good idea. I’ll have a look online, and see if I can sort out my old printer! I could do it with him, so he can choose things that interest him.

[Thingsthatgo]

Nanny I think she should be doing better, I agree with you. But, i Did have some sympathy with her. She outlined all of the activities she was supposed to ensure every child in her class could do in maths in one single week. It was a massive list and half of them can’t do any of it yet. I think she has a particularly difficult class.
My Ds struggles with art and pe, and I expect the ones who are brilliant at those don’t really get extended as much as they could be.
I don’t want to get her into trouble, if I can help Ds another way.

[turquoise88]

I don’t think she should be expecting you to send any work in from home for him. Did she mean for you to extend him at home, rather?

She needs to be looking at the objectives for Y2 (or above if necessary) and supporting your DS wi th those, having discussions with Y2 teacher too. Is it possible that he could be spending some time in Y2 for Maths and English if he really is working well above she related expectations?

I’m surprised she spent a lot of time talking about the abilities of all of the other children in the class. Surely the point of your consultation was to discuss your own son and his abilities?

[mygorgeousmilo]

I’ve had this issue with all of mine, and unfortunately it seems I have to have meetings at this stage every year for each kid, where I have to steer the teacher into doing more for them. I always involve the head, and it really isn’t fair for your child to be sitting there twiddling their thumbs. It’s one of those things where, if you let it go, then they won’t be doing much for him. At our school they give a sheet at the beginning of each school year, outlining what they expect the children to be doing by the end of the year. My children have, so far, already reached those stages. They are padding out the curriculum for them with additional worksheets, one of my sons is always making posters for whatever project they’re on - which nobody else does, and they get their books from the next class up. It is doeable with minimal disruption to the class and teacher, but you have to push them on it IME. Don’t let them convince you into having it all as homework, they need occupying actually in the classroom. None of mine do homework.

[pudcat]

If a child becomes bored and unmotivated this can lead to being disruptive. There must be ideas the teacher can download from the web - problem solving activities. Not every child in the class will be able to get to to the same stage in SATS anyway. I feel sorry for the children at the lower end of the scale as well.

[Thingsthatgo]

Thank you. I’m beginning to see that maybe I’m being a bit of a pushover. I am going to make an appointment with the head of key stage one to see what can be done.
Thank you all for your help.