mixed years

[samone]

Is it ok for a school to place your child in the year below for literacy and numeracy without telling you?

[mrz]

Is it a mixed year as in your title or is the child in one class but have these lessons with another class?

[IndigoBell]

And have they never mentioned any concerns?

Or have they mentioned concerns but haven't told you that she'd be working with the year below?

Is she the only one working in a diff year group, or do loads of kids go to different classes for literacy and numeracy? (Think it's called 'stage not age')

Has she got an IEP?

[Wellthen]

If your child is in say, a discrete year 4 class but does literacy with year 3 then no, certainly not. At the very least you should know she is struggling with english and you should definately know the name and face of the teacher teaching her.

If she was in a year 3/4 class and she has come home and said 'everyone in my group is year 3' then no, I wouldn't expect you to be told that. This is not her being placed with a different year, this is simply her working with the children of her level. The year 3s may be high ability and it just so happens she is the only year 4 on this level, particularly in small classes with only 10 in each year.

[Wellthen]

Sorry just read that back and it doesn't really make sense. Yes you should be told if she/he is in a discrete class, no if she/he isn't.

Don't know why I assumed it was a DD sorry!

[samone]

My son is in yr 5 and is 3c to 3b in maths but has now been moved into yr 4 with a few others. I only found out when he told me. Is this normal practice in schools. The rest of his class are having a specialist maths teacher for 12 months.

[insanityscratching]

Our classes are streamed across two years so it's not unusual to have year four dc working with year three dc for numeracy, literacy and phonics so we wouldn't be told specifically. There is a lot of movement within groups as well so it wouldn't concern me at dd's school.
If that's unusual for your school then I'd have expected to be told about it tbh though.

[IndigoBell]

A 3b is exactly where he should be at start of y5.

So it all sounds a bit odd.

However streaming across 2 years doesn't sound odd.

[samone]

Feel annoyed as realised that the more able children are having special treatment by having a specialist teacher for maths whilst my child is placed with a few others in year below with no extra help . We have asked for extra help in maths for 3 years and have been told there is no funding, but they have found the money for a specialist maths teacher for the more able ones. Feel like all the headteacher cares about is getting children to level 5 and above and doesn't care about the ones who don't show this potential.

[aularaef]

If your son is not happy with this, I think I would be inclined in doing some work at home every night and let him know that if he puts the work in , then he will get moved up. Best to motivate him now when it's a small issue, rather than wait until he finds secondary maths a struggle, and comes to his own conclusion that he's "just not good at maths" and stops trying.

[samone]

The point I was making was, is it fair to spend extra funds on accelerating the learning of already able children and not bothering with mine? Today he asked for help and the teacher replied "I have to teach ALL the class!"(and didn't help him.) It is not his fault that he doesn't understand maths and he should have the necessary help. I rhink that this is his schools responsibility and not mine, after all he is at school for 6 hours so that when he returns home he is too tired to attempt a subject which he finds confusing. Otherwise, I might as well teach him at home full time and try and get advice about how to teach him maths. He already knows that he must work hard but he is not being shown methods which may help him. The headteacher will be very pleased with him/her self when his classmates gain level 5's and I am sure will not give a stuff about my child and others like him.

[Sillyoldelf]

Do you do numeracy work with him at home in the week or at week ends ?

[samone]

I try but he finds it very difficult. I have two other children and have always supported their homework and my other two do not have any problems with doing their work. Just wondered why you asked me/ Do you think that his school should not be helping him then and only concentrating on further accelerating the levels of the more able?

[samone]

Do some mums feel that it is the parents fault if a child lags behind and the school makes more effort with the able ones? Interestingly, if I didn't have my middle child at school and only put my other two through this particular school I would have said it is o.kish but having a child who doesn't always understand ( but they are saying is not special needs,) I realise that this school fails the less able (only as strong as the weakest link comes to mind.) Has anyone else had similar problems. If so, did you take your child out?

[Sillyoldelf]

O dear , you do seem very defensive and do seem to resent giving further info .
It is the opposite in our school, the more able children get the least attention because the school like to focus on the less able so that they reach the targets for the league tables.
Unfortunately sometimes you have got to deal with a situation knowing you won't beat the system ( and you won't beat the education system ).
Just like we have to help challenge our daughter because her school won't cater to allow more able children to progress beyond the average , perhaps you could work with your son to improve his numeracy .
I have a friend who was in your position - her DD is now at the same stage as all the other children . But mum really had to work very closely with his teacher and headteacher .

[samone]

I am not defensive but how does it help me or my son for someone to infer that I don't help my son enough or that he is not working hard enough when the opposite is true. Would you like comments like that ? I don't. especially as we have had such an upsetting experience at his school. I agree that the more able should be helped to improve but the less able should aswell. I have tried to work with the school but infact THEY are always defensive and, at times dishonest, and still insist in only really putting time and energy into the more able. You are right, I can't beat the education system as it is presented in my son's school but I am now looking at other schools which have a more inclusive attitude otherwise home-schooling is a serious option for us.

[samone]

When a person starts a coversation with "O dear....?" It is very patronisng and therefore not to be taken seriously. Good grief, you expect an older male boss to say that or maybe Michael Winner!

[CardyMow]

samone - my DS's school is exactly the same. My DD has quite marked SN, went through the school and left Y6 still working on p-scales (below Level 1) and got less help than my Y5 DS1 gets. My DS1 is currently in Y5 and working on a secure level 5b in maths. He and 3 other dc get taken out once a week for half a day to work at the local secondary school.

Which is all well and good for my DS1, as he is getting extended and will (apparently, according to his class teacher who is also the Deputy HT) sit the level 6 SATS paper at the end of Y6. Not so good for my DD who got precisely 10 minutes a week help with her maths for the whole time she was at the school...

(BTW, she gets much more help at Secondary, and is now working at level 4c in maths in Y9 - No thanks to her bloody primary school!).

[mrz]

I think you are confusing o dear with my dear samone

how does your son feel about working with the class below? have you asked him ... it is likely the move is to provide him with suitable work

[Sillyoldelf]

It is not uncommon for schools to mix years. I think moving him for this reason alone may be unwise if he is otherwise happy .