Falling behind at school - how to approach this?

[Ataxicbrother]

My DD is 9 and in year 5.

We live in an area that is 100% selective for secondary age, so 11+ is looming in September.

She goes to a crap school (not going to pull punches here, it wasn't one of my choices, but was the only one she was offered and appealing and waiting lists proved futile). The school went into special measures and has just become an academy.

Despite this dd has thrived, always top of the class in English and Maths.

This year she got a new teacher. In November the teacher praised DD, I was happy.

DD has become increasingly unhappy (bullying, being sat with others who distract her, etc).

DD told me at the weekend that she was unhappy she wasn't allowed to do tricky maths that half the class are doing. It transpires that this has been the case since September!!! I spoke to the teacher yesterday who said it was just confidence, and the maths was "extra tricky", and that DD will be bang on where she should be for her age at the end of the year?!

She's doing perimeters at the moment, so I found some more advanced books, and she sailed through them, no problems, no questions; all within minutes.

She cried telling me that the teacher has told the class that no one knows all their times tables - no one in the 'top' set - but she's known them since the start of yr 4, and tried to tell the teacher but was ignored.

She said she always finishes her tasks, then has to sit for 30 minutes, as the teacher is too busy helping others to give her more work....she is finding the work too easy.

I actually feel quite sick that others who were behind her in September have leap-frogged over her, and she has been left to fall behind (and going from top to "coming up average" since the beginning of the year is falling behind.

I don't know how to approach this. She seems uninterested in school, and not surprisingly as she in not being challenged and the teacher is not concerned why she has regressed.

I should add that I know that she was stronger in Maths than several of the children, due to test results and displays of their work, and the fact she was always top of the leaderboard which was displayed in the class last academic year.

Anyone have any advice on how to handle this?

Make another appointment with the teacher. Be frank and approach it from your daughter's POV. She loves Maths etc but needs more stimulus as she is bored etc

Thank you tiny. I have a parent's evening next week (was so fired up to go in today - probably not helped that it is my 50th today, I'm perimenopausal and feel like I've raging PMT, so very short tempered right now).

Not sure whether parent's evening is the best time to discuss it.

She's had problems with being bullied and being distracted during class. Last week a boy told her she should die and to kill herself (funnily enough the same boy who copied her maths exam at the end of last year, and the teacher said she knew he'd be copying her as she was superior to him, but now HE is in the top set).

I think this merits far more than a 10 min parents evening catch up.

The bullying needs to be addressed. The miscommunication about your DD's capabilities needs sorting. DD's motivation needs to be nurtured.

From what you say, she has been badly let down/neglected since September.

I'd be insisting on urgent action from the teacher, which you'll be happy to support and reinforce at home.

@Gazelda thank you so much . That was just what I needed to hear, I'm very quiet, very much a non-complainer and not good at knowing when action needs to be taken. I will request this tomorrow. Thank you.