Feedback from the primary school

[cseking]

Hello, my family and I just recently moved to the UK (earlier this year). We have enrolled our DS (he is in Y3) in a local primary school which has been rated excellent by OFSTED. We are satisfied with many things at the school, however...

we are surprised by the lack of feedback which is regularly provided to us as parents. Other than a meeting with the teacher one morning which I requested, we have not received any information about his progress in the school, or his individual lessons.

At his previous school in Europe, we received regular feedback from the teacher there. This included corrected homework and other assignments, comments in the "pupil's book," both positive and when he was in need of improvement, etc. We haven't even seen any corrected homework here.

This makes it difficult for us to reinforce and expand upon what he is being taught in school.

What I would like to know is if this minimal amount of feedback usual in the UK, or something which we need to be concerned about. I plan to discuss this more with the teacher, but would like to know what others' experiences are with this.

Thanks!

[LIZS]

Most will have a parent/teacher meeting plus send home and/or have on website curriculum plans and topics for each term. if you arrived part way through the year it is possible you missed out on the basic information. We had time each term to go in and see what the class had done and look at dc's books. ds moved from abroad at year 3 and it took a few terms to really get familiar with the way things worked and terminology. Maybe ask in the school office if they or perhaps a fellow parent could answer questions or point you in the right direction .

[Taz1212]

I don't know if it's standard across the UK (I'm in Scotland), but it's also the norm at my DC's school. I'm from overseas and where I grew up you would get your weekly work home with you so your parents could see your progress and where corrections had been made etc. We also had formal reporting each term.

To be honest, the hands off approach has been one of the things I've found hardest to adapt to. At DC's school we have 2 parent/teacher conferences each year and the final end of year school report. The kids bring home their workbooks on the last day of term and that's when you can see their progress in class. The end of year report outlines how they have been professing within each stage.

I can't say I'm a big fan- I'd rather see their work throughout the year, but that's not how it's done at DC's current school (DS will be at a different school next year so it will be interesting to compare).

[Taz1212]

Progressing not professing!

[trinity0097]

The school is legally obliged to provide one written annual report and an opportunity after that report to discuss it with you. Many schools do more, but it may be that you missed things due to starting part way through the year.

[Taz1212]

Euphemia- I wish it were so! It's pretty much impossible to speak to a teacher at DC's school outwith the parent/teacher conferences. If you phone the school to ask you are told that they are too busy and that if there were a problem they would inform you. It's good to hear that this isn't the norm, though. I'm not all that keen on DC's school- there was a change of Head when DS was in P2 and it's really slipped backwards since the old Head left.

[cseking]

Thanks for your perspectives. I'm just surprised that not even the corrected homework is sent home, and more frequent feedback regarding what the child is doing well or not doing well in is not sent home. I was expected to send corrected work home periodically when I taught primary school in another country. I know that it was sometimes a pain and definitely was time-consuming, but the expectation (from all sides) was that it would be done.

I haven't been here yet for one of the written reports, but I just have been used to something different in the school systems in the two previous countries where I have lived.

And it's fine to ask the teacher (and I plan to do so periodically). Thanks again!