If a student regularly completes their work early...

If a student regularly finishes before everyone else I'd check their work to see of it was rushed and needed further work, or fine, and nothing needed adjustment.

As has been noted, it isn't always possible to give extension work without further teaching.

A maths teacher told me about a child who was dawdling a little over a task and when reminded to get on with it, the child pointed out that if they finished all the set work, they'd just be given ANOTHER one to do, so there was disincentive. :o

I encourage students to a fiction text with them in case they finish ahead of others.

I was always allowed to read up to GCSE level when i'd finished my work... whatever i liked. I got 12 A*s in a state secondary with a pretty awful reputation but I wouldn't say that I was an Einstein.. i think that letting me explore literature how I liked really helped me (i'm studying it now at AS) and I don't see a problem with it. That said, whenever I asked for extension work my teachers gave it to me and I often found that really useful too- usually reading or researching around the subject. I think that the child should ask for extension work but often just reading is really good, and will make the child enjoy the subject far more. unless they always get the work done but get awful marks it can only help them.

That's always possible in subjects with a lot of written work. No possible in maths and similar. When pupils have finished all the examples, they can't go on to the next thing without further explanation. It is not necessarily a differentiation issue; the rest of the class may be just as able - just slower workers.

I used to read secretly under the table when I had finished my work in year 6, the teacher used to scream at me for doing it. Apparantly I should have sat silently once I had finished. :(

I'm an RE teacher and whats nice about the work I set is that generally pupils can always write more down. I never accept that they have 'finished' until the time is up since there are always more observations to be made etc.

AGunInMyPetticoat - pretty shocking, although I was told by some Year 10 students that they were given Year 7 unit tests to mark in Maths so it seems to still happen
What would our hallowed Ofsted inspectors say?

As a high school student (in another European country) I was excluded from my English class. Apparently the combination of one English speaking parent and a talent for grasping linguistic structures meant that I was simply 'too advanced' to benefit from the lessons.

My mother complained because she thought I should be intellectually challenged at school. After that the teacher would give me her other classes' assignments to mark.

Totally agree about the word 'regularly'. As teachers it is our job to ensure all students are moving forward every lesson by being challenged. If a student regularly finished his/her work early and spent the rest of the time reading I'd question the extent he/she is being challenged. Generally teachers' assessments of a class should enable them to provide suitable extension work for the most able students. As an MFL teacher this might include reading a text in the TL. Very occasionally a student might read his/her own book for the last few minutes if they have completed an extension task or if there is no time to make a reasonable start on one.

I think the key word here is "regularly".
To my mind, if a student "regularly" finishes work early, then they are not being stretched enough - the teacher is not differentiating to cater for their needs. On an 'odd' occasion then fine - reading's good, but not spending 1/2 a subject's lesson times not doing thet subject, surely ?

I always tell my students they can do independent reading/work if they finish a test early. As long as it is appropriate though. But if they finish the classwork early, I always try to give extension work.

Thanks thirdhill. Was a bit overtired last night . My day off today will work wonders, I'm sure!

Thirdhill are you a teacher? Round of applause for this: Ask yourself if you're more likely to get 5 A* A2s through an enforced regime of best practice or through the joy and adventure in seeking knowledge. One is tiring and the other tireless. Both can easily be taught.

The 'tick box list' seems to apply in our school. I often want to shout to teachers 'apply your intellect - you know he can do it, we both do' but alas their hands are tied.

IHeart it wasn't meant to criticize you, and the fact that you feel the way you do means you're in the right job. Despite the crude interventions you're living with. You obviously know that teaching people the joy of learning is about the most important thing a person can do, and fashions will pass. That said, spending 5% of your time and effort jumping through the hoops will mean the system keeps teachers like you on, and those kids need you. and

Don't tell me I lack imagination and professional integrity. I was answering the question the OP asked - I answered it in a bit of a jaded way, perhaps, but that's how I'm feeling today. And quite how we've got from letting a student read after finishing a task to an attack on my approach to teaching is beyond me.

I couldn't care less about the latest OFSTED fad but unfortunately no-one above me cares about anything else. 'Following it blindly' would be the easy option. Jumping through the hoops I have to jump through, knowing how much better it could be, is fucking torture.

Please don't pass judgement without knowing what you're talking about. I can't believe I've let a comment from a stranger upset me this much when I know I am a good teacher (yes, with imagination and integrity) and so do my students and 12 years of my ex-students, who I have worked very very hard for.

I agree with your philosophy of education. If I didn't, if I was 'following blindly', I wouldn't be feeling jaded and weary.

IHeart, I'd have a teacher who's brave enough to look with fresh eyes at their pupils and checks for themself what lights up their lives any day, over one that lacks imagination and professional integrity, and resorts to following the pack leader's formula blindly, with their eye on the next promotion. There are good schools that nurture these teachers and parents and pupils hold them with affection and gratitude. That's what lasts, not an ofsted rating because some superficial indicator was reached that did not touch anyone's life. It's nice when they get good ratings too. Despite superficial chaos and casualness, somehow results are good and the kids stay on the rails, becoming adults you'd like to know.

I accept though that parents tend to get what they look for. They're too timid to trust a child's innate curiosity and drive to learn, and end up burying it, never to be found again, in pursuit of some fashionable educational accessory.

Ask yourself if you're more likely to get 5 A* A2s through an enforced regime of best practice or through the joy and adventure in seeking knowledge. One is tiring and the other tireless. Both can easily be taught.

As a parent I'd like to say I wouldn't' be impressed.

But, TBH, if my DS is not disrupting the rest of the class after finishing his work I am just grateful.

Thirdhill it's not MY definition of good practice - I said that this is what I am expected to do. If I were being observed and told a student who had finished a task to read I would probably be 'marked down' for that under the new OFSTED criteria.

My students are given reading lists, complete reading records and talk about books they've read in class. But when doing written tasks I am expected to provide extension tasks around the same topic or skill.

To be honest at the moment I am just too wearied by the constant observations and changes of goalposts to have an opinion on the matter.

Actually so am I!!!

"Glad you're not teaching my dcs!"

haha so am I!

sorry titchy I should have been clearer.

I was musing over the increasing number of 14 years olds who are well ready for university at that age and choose to stay at school for several more years.

Third hill not sure what you're saying.... A bright (after all they've completed the requires class work) 14 year old may not at that time want to go to university but rhey do change their minds and for the teacher to write them off and let them read whatever they want is seriously lazy IMO.

Glad you're not teaching my dcs!

We are talking secondary school here.

You'll run out of work very soon for the "most able". They may already know there're ahead of most graduates by secondary school, they'll definitely be far more intellectually agile and depth will come very quickly.

Why should breadth of curriculum prevent depth of learning? The "most able" can easily cope with both, this is curtailing depth using breadth as an excuse.

However if you're ever get an Einstein in your working lifetime, they'll be smart enough to get by, and pass the years sweetly tempering their responses to your standards. You won't even know they were there, the "good practice" will have them declared as late developers, when they hatched unnoticed under your noses.

Secondary teachers (I am one) are expected to provide extension work to stretch the most able. This would NOT be considered good practice, even in my English classroom. No-one's disputing the benefits of reading though!

"Becuase we are talking about secondary aged children here who have not yet had the breadth of curriculum to determin whether they will be the next Einstein or Wittgenstein"

So it would be OK for a sixth former to read anything s/he wants, when they've done the work and homework and extension work with a period and a half to go?

I see why 14 year olds who elect not to start university must hate school. Rules is rules, we'll flex up to the point you break.

If the work they've finished was appropriate (challenged them a bit and possibly included extension work) it can be.

Pupils get a bit unhappy if you reward finishing work by giving them more work... and some pupils finish everything you can throw at them quickly.

But if they're routinely finishing very early because the work is just way below their ability level then no.

I forgot this was in secondary education and was thinking about primary - not give a secondary pupil more work to do is unbelievably lazy! Would not be impressed - presumably classes are set so it is easier to differentiate, sloppy stuff