Primary teachers! how do I talk to school over 'overworking' of 6yr olds

[waterrat]

I know teachers work incredibly hard and I know that the year 2 sats are a pressure on them and the school.

But my heart is breaking for my boy coming out of school more than once this week and sobbing . He told me 'mummy I'm not allowed to daydream I hate school I have to just learn all day'. He kept saying - no daydreaming allowed. He says its boring, maths is boring its too hard his hand hurts from writing.

I am aware that kids moan - but he is six yeaars old and usually a very enthusiastic child. He is not averse to a bit of effort either - I HATE this system - I wish he was given the chance for free play/ learning through play at least some down time in class with lego or craft etc - why is play removed so early?

I am going to speak to his teacher - but what can I ask? I would feel like a bad parent and irresponsible person if I just bumbled along ignoring his unhappiness but it feels futile even complaining about it.

This is not in the teachers power to resolve FFS. The system is to blame, not the teacher.

Different schools manage things differently though so perhaps this is a particularly formal school.
I think i would ask about the day dreaming - just say your chikd has obviously beeb daydreaming in class as he has been upset about it and did they have any concerns? It might open up a conversation a bit.

The state system is ridiculous, but the teacher can't do anything about it.
They will be under pressure for good SATS results, it's probably all they'll do this year.
I would ask about the day dreaming and not suggesting this is the case but dyspraxia can mean that you grip a pen/ cil too hard and it makes your hands ache.

‘I have to learn all day’

Umm ... it’s a school!

Different schools have different teaching methods and although the system dictates what children are to learn (DfE publications) it doesn't always prescribe the how, so perhaps this is something the school could look at tackling.

As for hand hurting, yes, it may be the way he holds his pen, so that is also something to look at - can you maybe get a pen grip or ask the school if they can provide for classroom use?

I’ve never heard of children that age doing play based learning as a part of the curriculum to be very honest. If hrstriggles with maths maybe talk to the teacher about that instead. There may be something that you can do to help.

@SushiMonster I'm not sure why you say 'ffs' ? I didn't say anywhere that I blamed the teacher - I want to know how to work for change in the system which I am very aware is the problem.

I start with the teacher because she is with my child all day - I would happily take my issues elsewhere if that is the right thing to do.

@continuallychargingmyphone he is six and I don't expect him to be pushed with literacy and numeracy to the point of tears. In many countries a child his age would still be in Kindergarten.

Thanks for the helpful comments. I deliberately didn't post on AIBU I just wanted some suggestions on working with a school in a useful way.

I'm confused by people saying 'teachers can't change it'. We are all responsible for speaking up when things don't work - parents/ teachers/ heads etc so I hope we can all work constructively together if a system is broken.

My DCs are older and I’m horrified at the way our education is going. It is Dickensian to shut little children up for 6 hours a day to work. They should be playing, learning to get along with others, singing, painting, making things. With a bit of maths and writing thrown in.

If I don't get the results I am expected to get from the children I won't get a pay rise or I may lose my job. If the school as a whole doesn't get the results the head will certainly lose her job. My colleagues and I are always complaining about the pressure the children face here, whilst in other parts of the world six year olds are not even in formal education.

But definitely speak to the school so they are aware of how he is struggling - they may be able to help.

That sounds horrible.
Speak to the teacher and to the school (ie the head) but you might find that they won't change their approach.
Look at other schools in your area and see if any of them are a better fit for your DS.
Atm the school is teaching him that learning is hard, sore and boring. That's not ideal. If there's no other school then just reassure your son that his best is good enough for you. It doesn't matter how it compares to others in his class. If he's still struggling in year 4 I'd reassess but for now just make sure he has plenty of fun outside school.

I was in school this afternoon (I volunteer with helping Year 2 to read). The teacher was telling the DC about verbs and adverbs! Ffs! This is six year olds! I was in first year grammar school before we learnt this stuff!

Not all schools are like this, nor do they need to be. Yes, children need to learn, but this can be achieved without extinguishing all enthusiasm for learning. If I were you, OP, I'd start by acknowledging the pressures school staff are under, then ask how they plan to ensure your DS enjoys learning during his time at the school.

Tbh if your son is daydreaming when the teacher is telling them what to do or when he’s meant to be working he’s going to start struggling and the teacher is going to be unable to help the children who did listen while she’s explaining everything to him again.
He can daydream all evening and every weekend/holiday and at breaks and lunch times and maybe even sometimes when he’s finished his work. But if he’s at school he does need to listen and do some work.
I wouldn’t say anything to the teacher. What d’you want her to do? Say ‘ok tomorrow during phonics I’ll let little Johnny have a little daydream and not learn that day’s sound like the other children!’

Verbs and adverbs are part of the year 2 curriculum yes.
As a pp says- schools don’t get results, heads lose their jobs plus the school gets forced to be part of a huge soulless MAT usually.
It’s the system. We don’t like it either.

I think you should discuss your concerns with his teacher. No teacher likes to be told that a child is unhappy in her class.

You could maybe ask why she thinks he's not happy, and see what she suggests. At the moment, all you have to go on is the word of a (probably) tired little boy at the end of the day, plus (it has to be said) your own ideas about what is best for him.

I think pushing a child in order to get a pay rise is probably not a particularly sound pedagogical approach. On the other hand, encouraging a child to achieve his potential is a great thing to do.

I happen to agree with you about the value of play, and hate the way some children are pushed by some schools nowadays. Children are little individuals and learn through play as much as through everything else that they do. At the moment, your son is learning that school is boring .

However, I wouldn't openly sympathise with him, because presumably the last thing you want to do is undermine his teacher or his school, or give him the idea that he has a choice. Go in, see the teacher, and take it from there.

Good luck.

Teachers do speak up and are quite often shouted down by SLT. That’s where the problem lies. Most (but not all) heads are only concerned with league tables/ofsted etc and exert pressure on staff to get results. That pressure is passed onto the kids. It’s shit.

I would look at other schools. The school I teach in has play based learning in year one and year two so you may find a school using the approach you like. To be honest though, we have noticed that less children leave key stage one at the expected levels now compared with when we taught more formally. I have mixed feelings myself about play based learning.

Yourownpersonaljesus, are you sure of the correlation, or could there also be other reasons for falling standards, eg cutbacks in learning support, changes in the catchment area, more children with special needs or with English as an additional language or living in poverty? It seems that the above do affect the numbers who reach the required standards at Key Stage 1, but things can level out later, especially when it's just a question of language.

The system has become increasingly academic, literacy and numeracy-based to the exclusion of more expressive and creative arts and much more pressurised for students and staff.
Teachers have been pointing this out, objecting and complaining for a couple of decades...Literacy hour anyone? Our opinions were discarded and our objections bulldozed and policy was and is enforced by those with no classroom experience.
There are a few holdout schools, and many that do their best with the shabby, underfunded hand they have been dealt. Other schools toe the line and run their sausage factories, with good SATS results and great OFSTED reports. It’s only going to get worse, and teachers will continue to leave the profession after a few years.

Solo Obviously I can't be sure. We are finding that we aren't covering as much as we did previously as we only work with small groups of children. Of course there are great benefits to working with children in this way too. We are finding that writing is affected the most. Although there are lots of opportunities for independent writing (both inside and outside) some children just don't enjoy writing as much as others so will play in the construction area (for example) all day. They are learning other skills, of course, but these skills are early years goals and not in the National Curriculum and it's the National Curriculum that we need to cover.

It's a vicious circle. Parents pick an Oustanding school. School is Outstanding because the test results are great (one of many criteria) Test results are great because school is pushy/parents tutor. School is pushy because of OFSTED. Teachers push because pay is related to pupil performance. Pupil performance is improved by working them harder etc

I teach in Scotland and many schools here run a play based curriculum in P1 and 2. I teach P3 and my class play every day at some point.

The school I teach in has play based learning in year one and year two so you may find a school using the approach you like. To be honest though, we have noticed that less children leave key stage one at the expected levels now compared with when we taught more formally.
I'm very interested in this s I just wondered how long has the school been doing this? Have they caught up by year 6? Are there any noticeable differences when they leave primary school?

My 8 year old has some play everyday, also free time for reading whatever books he wants. I’m in Scotland too.

I do have issues with aspects of the Scottish curriculum but at the end of the day I want my kids to be children as long as possible, they’ll probably have to work into their 70s.

I have huge sympathy for my six year old’s comparatively newly-qualified teacher, who is detectably under pressure to to get good SATS results, but I had to tell her gently at a parents’ evening recently that when I ask how DS is doing — I almost never do pick-ups or drop-offs, so seldom see her — I don’t mean whether he’s still five words per minute below the reading speed of 90 words per minute he’s supposed to achieve by SATS.

I’m not from the UK, so this is my first experience of non-university education here, and god, it’s joyless and regimented for such little children.