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Original poster

Confused by call from school

236 replies

scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 15:28

So my daughter who is 7 just went back today in year 3.

I get a call half an hour before I'm due to collect her to ask me if it is okay if the teacher who helps out takes my dd in the mornings in a group of about 10 to do maths. Apparently not that she's going to be taught anything different, just taught slower. What the hell does this mean? It's her first day back and they have never said anything like this before and she has always seemed fine with maths.

They also always tend to have mixed classes. When I questioned it, apparently it is nothing to do with ability. But strangely, they have split two year 3 classes and 2 year 4 classes and mixed them together. Whats the point of that?

OP posts:
Original poster
scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:30

TeenLifeMum · 02/09/2025 16:22

I would want a conversation with the teacher. This isn’t because I necessarily disagree but I’d be baffled how they made this assessment in one day. If it was a week or two in I’d just go with it but there feels like a miscommunication and I’d want a more detailed understanding.

This is what I mean. No mention of it before but there is after 1 day.

OP posts:
Original poster
scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:29

SomeOfTheTrouble · 02/09/2025 16:27

You said in your OP that you’re raging about it.
The best thing to do is to arrange a time to go in and speak to the teacher, and figure out what’s going on. There might be ways you can support at home too.

Show quote history

I really didn't.

OP posts:
FuzzyWolf · 02/09/2025 16:28

scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:26

I'm not even cross. If she needs the help and they can offer it then great. But her reports and parents evenings along with feedback has been fine and nothing has been mentioned.

Parents’ evening and reports should never be the first time you hear or something, especially negative.

Stowawaysue · 02/09/2025 16:28

scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:26

I'm not even cross. If she needs the help and they can offer it then great. But her reports and parents evenings along with feedback has been fine and nothing has been mentioned.

Perhaps spend a minute rereading your own op

SomeOfTheTrouble · 02/09/2025 16:27

scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:26

I'm not even cross. If she needs the help and they can offer it then great. But her reports and parents evenings along with feedback has been fine and nothing has been mentioned.

You said in your OP that you’re raging about it.
The best thing to do is to arrange a time to go in and speak to the teacher, and figure out what’s going on. There might be ways you can support at home too.

Original poster
scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:26

I'm not even cross. If she needs the help and they can offer it then great. But her reports and parents evenings along with feedback has been fine and nothing has been mentioned.

OP posts:
indoorplantqueen · 02/09/2025 16:24

It’s good the school are offering support. They likely had discussions at the end of year 2 and identified students who would benefit from extra support.
it might not be to do with ability, it could be slower processing of information.

SomeOfTheTrouble · 02/09/2025 16:24

scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:22

Well I would have thought her ability in maths would have appeared sub par a mere 6 weeks ago.

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But if the first you’d heard of it was 6 weeks ago, would you have been less cross?
Who are you annoyed at? The teacher who has noticed an issue now and implemented something to help, or the teacher who apparently didn’t notice an issue last year?

ThereWillBeSun · 02/09/2025 16:23

There’s so much more than ability- processing speed, style of teaching, repetition needed, easily distracted etc.

Whatever it is, it’s to help her.

TeenLifeMum · 02/09/2025 16:22

I would want a conversation with the teacher. This isn’t because I necessarily disagree but I’d be baffled how they made this assessment in one day. If it was a week or two in I’d just go with it but there feels like a miscommunication and I’d want a more detailed understanding.

Original poster
scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:22

SomeOfTheTrouble · 02/09/2025 16:19

Well I guess there always has to be a first time that you hear of it!

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Well I would have thought her ability in maths would have appeared sub par a mere 6 weeks ago.

OP posts:
SomeOfTheTrouble · 02/09/2025 16:19

scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:16

Is isn't that at all. Its because it is the first I have heard of it.

Show quote history

Well I guess there always has to be a first time that you hear of it!

SomeOfTheTrouble · 02/09/2025 16:19

ShesTheAlbatross · 02/09/2025 15:34

This would only irritate me because they told you it wasn’t anything to do with ability. It obviously is. I mean, what other reason would they have to take a small group out to go through things more slowly? They’ve identified she needs support and are providing it, that’s a good thing. But don’t lie to parents that it’s not about ability, it’s very infantilising.

It might not be down to ability, but due to processing speed. She may be perfectly able to do the work, it just takes her a little longer.

RichardGeresTie · 02/09/2025 16:18

Arrivist · 02/09/2025 15:37

Make sure she’s with a proper teacher.

As opposed to a TA?
There’s many rubbish teachers out there and outstanding TAs.
Sometimes TAs are the difference between a child getting an education or being kicked out of school.

Original poster
scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:16

CurlewKate · 02/09/2025 16:00

People are always hugely in favour of sets so long as their child is in the top one!

Is isn't that at all. Its because it is the first I have heard of it.

OP posts:
Original poster
scorpiogirly · 02/09/2025 16:14

That's a good point.

The person who will be taking this group is the attendance officer. Usually on reception. On the phone stated they also teach too.

I'm raging about it, if she needs the help then I'm glad it's there for her. What I don't understand though is that this is the first I have heard of any problems with her maths, yet seemingly on the first day back, it's glaringly obvious. If I had known we could have worked on it over the holidays.

OP posts:
PurpleChrayn · 02/09/2025 16:11

You seem weirdly offended. They’re trying to help your daughter.

FuzzyWolf · 02/09/2025 16:06

She’s just gone into KS2 and has demonstrated that she needs additional help with maths, which is an important subject for her to achieve in. She needs to be taught slower because she’s not up to speed with those who are better at the subject.

Hopefully you were grateful this has been picked up and all goes well for her.

Indianajet · 02/09/2025 16:03

I used to work as a TA in numeracy - the work was set by the teacher then I would work with students who needed a bit of extra help to grasp a concept. The teachers would always check the children had understood before progressing. A good way to ensure no-one was left behind.

Mischance · 02/09/2025 16:01

I think you just need to go in to school and discuss it all so that you know what the position is. Be clear that you are very happy for her to be in a group that is appropriate to her speed of learning in this subject.

CurlewKate · 02/09/2025 16:00

People are always hugely in favour of sets so long as their child is in the top one!

Beamur · 02/09/2025 15:57

Processing speed is not about ability. A friend of my DD is a high achiever academically - off to study a difficult subject at a prestigious University shortly, has also been identified as needing longer for exams and works more slowly than her peers. She's clever and able but processes information more slowly.

m00rfarm · 02/09/2025 15:56

What do you think it means? If she was coping easily, then she will not be taken out to work at a slower pace! It is no reflection on her abilities - more that she may work better when she totally understands what is required of her.

spanieleyes · 02/09/2025 15:54

I thought the ability comment related to the class split rather than the support groups. So the classes aren’t split by ability but the group is for those who need a slower pace but are capable of accessing the same content at the rest.

modgepodge · 02/09/2025 15:51

Re mixing the classes, I would assume there is an imbalance in numbers. Eg if they have 60 year 4s and 40 year 3s, it might make more sense to make 4 classes each with 25 ish pupils in from mixed year groups, than have 2 classes of 30 and 2 of 20.

The maths group does sound like it is to do with ability to be honest. There’s 2 possibly scenarios - is she attending the main maths lesson, and additionally an extra session to help her keep up? If so, great. They’ve identified her as needing a bit extra support and she’s getting it.

Or, is she being removed from the main maths lesson to be taught at a slower pace by someone who is not the main teacher. In this case, the key is who is teaching this small group. If it’s a qualified teacher, again, this is a good thing. However, you describe them as ‘the teacher who helps out’ which makes me suspicious it’s a TA. In which case, I would not want my child’s only maths input by a TA instead of a qualified teacher. This is very bad practice. The children who need extra help need the qualified experienced adult teaching them.

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