Reception Home Visit - felt so awkward😂

[Cheekychiq]

Omg just wanted to quickly vent - just had my child’s teacher/TA round for their reception home visit. I had been extremely nervous about this because although I had consented to it, I was really not keen on having it because I just feel like it’s a massive invasion of privacy - don't get me wrong, I know that them doing home visits serves a fantastic purpose and they get to see your child in a more comfortable and familiar setting and can definitely be a great opportunity for some parents to raise concerns that they might not get the chance to do on the school premises but still - I feel like if I had not consented then you automatically get labelled as that uncooperative parent and it might look like you’ve got something to hide 😳

the visit went well and my child was very pleased to see them and super enthusiastic 😂 but it just felt soooo unnatural to me and I just felt soooo uncomfortable throughout. It’s the first time I’ve had a teacher at my home so maybe that’s why and they were very lovely but still 😂😂😭😭 just curious, has anyone ever declined a school home visit (if it was ever offered at your child/ren’s school?) if yes, did you feel like there was any backlash? Or not? Arrrgh feel like I need to really unwind and destress after this because I noticed the TA checking out the house (she didn’t know I could see her) and her eyes were darting left, right and centre) 🥲

ARRRRRGHHHHH😂 I’m sure I’ll recover …vent complete

This post is sort of saying what some other posters feared: “ tidy up a little” because they are judging the child’s background…

Edited to say I hadn’t assumed they would be too judgy and it was more about putting the child at ease and maybe verifying address; but it’s interesting to hear from a teacher they do form opinions about “ background” …

Could it be that parents are feeling negative from the start because they are being forced to take annual leave to cover a 30 minute home meeting with a teacher, followed by a further couple of weeks juggling staggered starts etc., and then being requested to attend weekly assemblies, school trips, create/buy costumes and similar events? I know Ofsted push unreasonably in terms of parental interaction, but it does appear on here that many parents are being pushed to breaking point by school expectations on their time, which in turn makes the parents resent the teachers. I am very lucky that our school has immediate start for reception, organises and communicates all events for the term ahead, and makes good use of live streaming and the such like on secure channels. It is essential for families with both parents working full time.

Failing to value education is of course another issue in itself, and (I accept I am being hugely negative here) it will take a lot more than a quick home visit by a Reception teacher to bring those parents back into the fold...

*setting, typo

It sounds like you're projecting your own feelings of inadequacy onto the teacher. They aren't judging you - you're judging yourself.

It is not about having anything to hide
Some people may be ashamed of their homes and simply do not want anyone from the school judging them.
I think all those saying that judgements are not made about a family based on their home are not telling the truth. People will always judge
I was brought up by a single mother in a cramped two bedroom flat. I vividly remember being visited by our primary school head teacher. I could tell that my mother was mortified by our living conditions.
I have a lovely five bedroomed house and still refused the visit, because I didnt want my children to be judged

I guess they do it on the days that all the children are moving up and there isn't really space/time to do the visits in school and be mindful of child protection.

My DS has this and I think it is really worthwhile and helps the child settle.

I think my ds teacher visited his nursery. Home visits were mainly for sahp or kids not in childcare.

We've only had it (or should have had it) in a state school - the two private schools didn't do it. They were in the afternoon after the morning settling in sessions at school.
We had the last slot on the Friday and by the time the teacher arrived, DS was fast asleep and I couldn't wake him, he was absolutely exhausted.

Either the UK is full of fussing snowflakes or they have all joined this thread. The OP doesn't know if it was a teacher or TA.
Some says their infant objects to people coming into the house and would therefore decline.
A 5 yr old makes decisions on visitor policy.
FFS

This is a ridiculous comparison. As teachers, we have a legal duty to protect and safeguard children.

Parents of those children have no responsibility to safeguard us.

There is no invasion of privacy. No personal questions are asked and certainly there would never be any snooping. Just sit in whichever room we're invited into to chat for 20 minutes or so. Or alternatively a quick introduction on the doorstep.

The vast majority choose the visit as they know it's best for their child to spend as much time as possible with the adult they're going to be left with from next week.

We also must challenge parents who use false addresses to get places in over subscribed schools. Taking school places from children who genuinely live there.

Yes I agree with this, I personally don’t have anything to hide, which is why I allowed it to go ahead, it’s more to do with it feeling slightly invasive as it blurs the lines between the “school is school” and “home is home” concept.

You can’t adopt a pet without home visits so personally I feel school home visits are a good thing.
You have to prove you can look after a pet in a safe place so why do we not value childrens life’s in the same way?

has your child been at nursery or a childminders?
in my area, the teachers visit nurseries towards the end other summer term prior to then starting school.
I’d probably feel a bit awkward if they came for a home visit but now I’m used to parents evenings done over the phone since Covid 😅

My children’s school did the same, in fact they delay the start of reception to enable the home visits to take place.

Didn’t bother me, and the kids seemed to enjoy their new teacher coming to their house.

My child absolutely loved it tbh😂

My child's state infant school did this (or it may have been when she joined the attached pre-school, can't remember now). Ten years ago ish.

I assumed that the staff used INSET days at the beginning of the term partly for this purpose.

I'm not keen on having people in the house, but can see the value in it.

Yes I think this pretty much sums up how I felt. I’m not keen on having people in the house, but I do certainly see the value in it.

My dc were at the very opposite of a fancy private school and this happened 20 years ago - I assumed all schools did it. It was helpful for dd to meet her (lovely) teachers as she didn't really know anyone going into reception, she'd been at a different nursery to most of the dc. It was very helpful. I'm still friendly with those reception teachers when I see them around two decades later. But AFAIK you could easil decline. As for those saying their 4 yr olds don;t like visitors - tell them to get over it.

Bit of a weird comparison 😂 if you're adopting a child you will have home visits, but teachers have no authority to decide where a child should live.

Our local school has these visits, but we missed out due to covid.

DCs state primary do this for reception.

Once school starts back the reception class don't join until a few days later and that gives the reception teachers and TAs a chance to have a crazy few days doing home visits.

Been doing it since #1 started 6 years ago and still are this year so clearly something the school feels is valuable.

They’ve been doing these for years , although I’ve never been offered one. I did have the deputy head come round one morning and try and get my 15 year old out of bed and into school though ( with my blessing) which was fun.

DS”s deeply ordinary village primary did home visits just before the start of Reception. It was slightly surreal (we’re not British, and it’s not done in our home country), but perfectly pleasant. DS was delighted and was showing both teachers (job share) his chaotic bedroom. Both teachers were lovely, and it was nice to get a sense of them before the first day, especially as DH and I worked FT and saw little of them apart from special events and parents’ evenings.

Think of it from the child's POV. Some dc haven't been to nursery or ever been looked after by any adult outside their own home. Some are only used only to adults who speak their home language. Some are nervous of strangers, shy or anxious in new situations.
If they've already met the nice smiley friendly teacher in their own home where it's all safe and familiar, and their parent behaves happy and pleased to see this new person, then they are much more likely to feel confident and secure when they start school to see that familiar friendly face.
Of course the teacher is getting a quick useful window into the dc's home life but believe me, the things dc innocently tell their teachers about what goes on at home will make many parents squirm!