DS not progressing at maths

[corinewmoon]

MY DS is in yr 4 and is really struggling with Maths. His recent assessment has put him at a 2b, so he hasnt made any progress all year. We pay for extra maths tutoring and though he seems to be working really hard we havent seen the results. His maths teacher at school says that he appears to understand the work in class but when they come back to test etc he has forgotten.
He is a well behaved child but does have a tendency to day dream. The problem mainly seems to be retention
The school and the tutor will now start communicating regulary to make sure they are covering the same areas at the same .
Id like to know how other parents have addressed issues with maths. Or if there have been kids with same problem of retention.

[PegPolkadot]

I have heard that the maths factor is good. It's an online programme developed by Carol vordeman. I don't think it is too expensive either.

[IndigoBell]

Is the problem only with maths? Or does he have problems learning / retaining other things?

Have you tried omega fish oils for his concentration?

How bad is his daydreaming? Does he need help to stay on task?

Is he the same at home and at school?

[RoadArt]

What does the tutor say? If you are paying for someone to help your child then he/she should be giving you the advice.
Is he/she teaching in a way that could be retained, or is your just doing exercises and then not repeating, revising, relearning them. Some children need to go over and over the same things over and over again.

For tutoring, we use whizz.com which teaches the basics and can re repeated constantly at your own pace.

Have briefly tried Maths Factor and this is good for the basics. The two packages are not comparable, but could complement each other.

How is his concentration in other topics.

I think you need to find out more info to pinpoint where the problems are and go from there.

Retention problems (I believe) is when they havent understood something properly int he first place. Quite often, children are taught a formula to do something, so can appear to understand it in class (and on tutorial programmes) but if you gave the same question in a different format they dont understand it at all. And I think this is where you might have to do a bit more investigation.

[corinewmoon]

The problem is only with maths. His writing is a bit behind but he is catching up. His reading is excellent 4b. He seems to have a bit of problem day dreaming but can certainly apply himself when he wants to i.e playing with lego , creating videos etc. There are no behaviour issues.
The tutor is doing a lot of repeating and revising of work, and she has said the a similar thing to teachers at school, and working with him towards his targets. She teaches in quite a creative way, and my son likes going to her sessions.
I am hoping with more communication with the school they will be able to work together to help him improve
I dont really want to sign up for something like maths factor when I am already paying out for his tutor.

[PenelopePitstops]

I would advise you to make sure he fully understands the basics of the maths before trying to teach him other things. A lot of kids ca appear to be able to do things in class which they then cannot reproduce, because they have been egged on by teachers etc. It is really important he understands things like number bonds to 10 and 20 and multiplication tables because these skills mean better access to the rest of the maths curriculum.
Ask the school what they think and also ask your son why he thinks he struggles.

[jeee]

I think you've already said it, OP - "I don't want to sign up for something.... when I am already paying out for his tutor."

If your Ds hasn't improved over a year, despite tutoring, I think you need to have a proper discussion with his tutor. Because he should have improved with one-to-one coaching. You may have to consider whether the tutor is right for your son, even if he seems happy with her. Obviously, liking her is a good thing. But for what you're paying for, it's not enough.

[corinewmoon]

The tutoring started in february i think. So only a few months really. He is pretty good with number bonds , multiplication tables have been a night mare

[forehead]

I would continue with the tutoring for a few more months and see how it goes. I would ask the tutor to assess your ds.

[sarahfreck]

As a tutor, I know that it can sometimes take as much as 6 months for a significant progress to be seen, especially where a student has lost confidence and/or got very behind with maths. So - I'd leave it until the end of the school year and see what you think then about your current tutor. Have you asked the tutor specifically if she thinks he is making any progress?

[corinewmoon]

She said he was working really hard , and yes has been improving. I also think his confidence has improved, its not being reflected in his levels though.

[sarahfreck]

It may be a bit early to be reflected in his levels IMO. Especially if he's had a lot of the very basics to catch up on! If it were me, I 'd give it at least till the end of the summer term. How does your DS feel - does he think things are getting any easier?