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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

DS (7) being observed

15 replies

suchnonsense · 18/10/2017 22:23

(re-posted from SEN, as I wasn't sure where was best - sorry!)

We've just had parents' evening for my 7yo DS (in year 2) and the teacher asked if we would be happy for them to bring someone in to observe him in the classroom. He is finding it very difficult to maintain focus on his work, and this is apparently requiring an adult to work with him almost constantly to keep him "on task" (which is obviously unsustainable). He's a very bright boy (and I realise that everyone says that) but very prone to daydreaming/losing concentration. I was very similar as a child and grew out of it, so part of me thinks that "this will pass" but equally feel that it must be a serious (and unusual) issue if the school are specifically concerned. He ocassionally complains that the classroom is too noisy and is able to work on a table outside the classroom if he wants to, but that doesn't seem to be helping with the focus.
We don't have any further information about what they'll be looking for, who will be doing the observation and when it will be (it was a 10 minute slot with the teacher, so difficult to ask too many questions). Really I'm just posting to see if anyone can let us know what to expect (or if anyone has any ideas about what they might be looking for). Thanks!

OP posts:

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PathOfLeastResitance · 18/10/2017 22:32

Could you email the teacher and ask? It could be for many things and it’s ok to ask for clarification.

BubblesBuddy · 18/10/2017 22:35

Could be their SENDCO or possibly an Ed Psych, although possibly too early for that. I agree that you should email the teacher with the questions you posed above.

MummaDeeDee · 18/10/2017 22:36

If it's internal it could be the SENCO that observes. Ask the school for clarification and I'm sure they'll put your mind at rest.

RueDeWakening · 18/10/2017 23:01

This happened to me at the last parents evening of year 2, last year, for the same reasons - I've just had the first one of year 3 this week.

DS had been observed that morning by the senco, and I was asked to go and speak to her. She asked my permission to request a specialist nurse come in and observe him, this happened within about 4 weeks. We were also given a pile of questionnaires to fill out at home. I then met the nurse in early July and went through those. The upshot is that she referred DS for assessment for ASD and ADHD, with the support of the school.

The referral was accepted towards the end of the summer holidays, and we're waiting for an appointment. I'm not 100% sure there's anything to find, but I'm glad it's being looked into, and if there is then the support DS needs should be clarified.

AnxiousAngela · 18/10/2017 23:09

Is he on target or working below expectations?

suchnonsense · 18/10/2017 23:25

Thanks all. You're completely right - I should just ask the teacher for some more details - seems obvious really.
He's working at expectations I think - possible above for reading and maths (although difficult to know). I don't think that they're worrried about the academics but he's obviously taking a lot of adult attention, and when the class work in pairs his partner will struggle as he isn't really pulling his weight (in terms of effort and attention). The upshot of that is that he's now working on his own when others are in pairs, and I think that bothers him a little.

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suchnonsense · 18/10/2017 23:27

Sorry - should have said - I'm pretty sure it's someone internal that will do the observation. He's already on their radar as they got him a chewy necklace (he was chewing all the class pencils to shreds....).

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Chunkamatic · 18/10/2017 23:34

My son is similar to the way you describe yours, although he's older. I've had to push and push for someone to observe him at school as it isn't something he seems to be growing out of and I have real concerns how it might affect him at Senior School.
Sounds like they are at least being proactive and keeping you informed.

BubblesBuddy · 19/10/2017 17:57

I would say it's not fair for him to work on his own when others have partners. The teacher needs to move the children around and change pairings. Or even have threes! Most children don't worry about another child not being as good as them (not pulling their weight is an odd concept for a child to have) and happily support the other child. I would ask if there is another child(ren) he could work with because he must be lonely but he needs to understand they may be slower then him.

BubblesBuddy · 19/10/2017 18:00

Many schools have pairings where, to enhance the learning of both children, the child who finds the work easier, explain the concept to the other child. This enhances knowledge for both children. Maybe the teacher could introduce this concept?

GreenTulips · 19/10/2017 18:14

He's working at expectations I think - possible above for reading and maths (although difficult to know)

This is a basic of parents evening. You need to ask these questions as well

suchnonsense · 19/10/2017 22:19

Thanks - we do ask about whether he's at or above expectations, but they only tell us that at the end of the year. At other parents' evenings during the year we just get vague "doing fine", "nothing to worry about academically" "excellent understanding of...." etc etc.
The working in pairs thing is probably not as big a deal as it sounds - they're on tables of 4 or 5, so there are a few left out of pairs, and sometimes they work as a whole table. I suspect (strongly) that a parent of his previous partner asked for him to be moved as she felt that he was holding her child back. I've probably now outed myself completely....

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laramara · 19/10/2017 22:30

The teacher most likely would like to have a clearer picture about what your son is doing or not doing to possibly help identify what could be causing him to be unfocused in class.
Its positive though that the teacher has recognised that your son isn't currently reaching his potential and can then find ways to support him; did he have any issues in Year1?

suchnonsense · 20/10/2017 00:21

Thanks, that's reassuring. No particular issues were raised in Y1 - handwriting a bit messy and a tendency to daydream, but nothing flagged as a real concern.

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jo164 · 20/10/2017 12:21

It sounds like your son may have some sensory processing issues. He has to work outside the classroom due to noise, he chews pencils hence the necklace. It may be that he is finding the sensory stimulation in a busy classroom just too overwhelming which is therefore inhibiting his concentration. If no one has suggested this to you, do a bit of research and see if any other traits apply to your son. It could be worth exploring.

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