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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

in wanting to cry at parents evening?

50 replies

onanightlikethis · 07/04/2011 17:51

child in yr 2. at the beginning of year 1 was at level p8 for writing. end of yr 1 moved to level 1b. yr 2 moved to level 1a. now mid yr 2 is at level 1c so HAS GONE BACKWARDS. teacher cant expalin why. he should be somewhere around 2b. she talked about a writing group to help once a week. what else can i expect? i knew he struggled, but to go backwards i'm furious. and upset. what can i do to help? or what should i expect school to do. he goes into yr 3 in sept, with writing at level of yr 1 child. i try to do work at home but hes reluctant and often ends up with tears saying i cant do it.
oh and NQT to boot.

OP posts:

Ormirian · 07/04/2011 20:51

How 'bad' does it have to be to have an IEP? . My youngest has an IEP for maths as did his older brother who is now in secondary and doing well. It means that Child is significantly behind where he is expected to be and needs extra help to get there. Instead of being furious or tearful try to make an appointment with the teacher to ask what is going to be done and how you can help. His levels are not a reflection on his intelligence simply the speed at which he reaches certain targets. No reason to get upset.

Reallyneedajob · 07/04/2011 20:55

My mum, who was a special needs teacher at a mainstream primary, once sent a boy up to secondary school with a reading age of 9. Not brilliant, but aged 11 he was only 2 years behind and had made slow but steady progress in reading over the last few years. When he was 16 my mum bumped into his mum who told her that he'd just left school with a reading age of 8. So not only had he made no progress in 5 years of school he had actually gone backwards. So unless you have teachers who know how to bring children on and keep them working hard it can happen.

Original poster

onanightlikethis · 07/04/2011 21:04

ormirian, why the quizical face? i think a child performing 1 level above reception in the middle of year 2 is bad, dont you? he has reached targets but gone back. the only thing that has happened is that he has had a new taecher. now, either he cant gel with her teaching methods/doent like her/isnt motivated to try his best/or she is underperforming.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 07/04/2011 21:17

Or the previous assessments were inaccurate. Have you got examples of previous work which is obviously of a higher standard than what he is producing now?

Original poster

onanightlikethis · 07/04/2011 21:21

yes, some work is better than it is now.

OP posts:

leeloo1 · 07/04/2011 22:23

Perhaps he is now more aware that more is expected of him and that other children are outperforming him, so is more reluctant to try (and fail). :( What are his composition skills like in the computer-homework assignments? The important thing now is to help him to move on before he gets any further behind rather than worry about the levelling.

Is there anything he does enjoy that would encourage him to write at home - making a mini-comic about his favourite tv character, drawing a treasure map (with labels), making a card for someone... anything that would be a positive experience that might help him to start to enjoy writing again.

You could also try making up/re-telling stories together with you transcribing them - ask him to help with phrasing/spelling/punctuation occasionally, modelling how you re-read 'your' work and correct something you're not happy with.

Also, boys are often more willing to write when its not on paper - so whiteboard and pen, magnadoodle etc might help - although not if its just a problem with his handwriting. Oh and if its an issue with his gross (arm/shoulder strength in this case)/ fine motor skills - then getting him to play racquet games, dig, paint / put pegs on a line, pick up things with tweezers etc will help to develop the muscle strength and coordination (including hand-eye coordination) he needs to control his pencil when writing.

Becaroooo · 08/04/2011 10:02

Erm....my ds1 has an IEP and I dont think he is "bad"

As om very eloquently said, it just means they need more help to achieve their potential. Its nothing to get upset about.

I am sorry that their has been confusion over your childs "level" but surely its better now she has a teacher who has a better idea of their abilites???

Chandon · 08/04/2011 10:15

Hello,

I was in this situation a year ago. He went back a level with reading (?!) and completely stalled with writing, and was 1.5 years behind for his age.

I sat down with the teacher, and we made a plan of how to help him, at school and at home. She gave me extra writing homework for him in his own "special" book. He got 30 minutes one-on-one a week for writing, and 30 minutes for reading (two IEPs). I signed him up with a tutor for 1 hr a week (otherwise it's just me vs. him all the time), he responds well to his (male) tutor.

IMHO an IEP is just some extra help for a child who needs it, and GREAT if you can get uit! Not a "label" or something "bad".

Sit down with the teacher and make a plan. You and the teacher want to achieve the same thing, so you should work as a team!

vj32 · 08/04/2011 10:22

Loads of good suggestions have been given. If you don't like them, and don't think you can move forward with the teacher, then you need to find another school ASAP.

wfrances · 08/04/2011 10:34

ds4 is 7 and he cant read or write very well everything else is fine,his memory is outstanding he is crafty when it comes to reading
we found when he has the read a book once {with a lot of help,} he memorises the text for that page so can reread with his eyes shut ,but if you take those just read words and put them on paper he is clueless ,he even sometimes starts to spell out words backwards ,we are giving him until the end of this year and if theres no improvement we want more help{he is having help now with a sens teacher but is still behind his peers}

Ormirian · 08/04/2011 10:43

becaroo - yes exactly. My was at the use of such a loaded term to describe a child's abilities

Original poster

onanightlikethis · 08/04/2011 12:40

no i mean i would like him to have an IEP, meant that how far does he have to slide behind before one is put in place, not that its bad for him to have one, or hes "bad" for needing one.
have found out today that he is not the only one who has slipped with schoolwork. apparently, nearly 50% of children in this class are performing below the average, whereas previously it was 20%.
the teacher says he can have extra help, time taken out of literacy class onece a week. so maybe not extra, but more focussed.
i dont think its pencil grip, he holds it right.
thank you for the helpful suggestions, we have already tried some of these, but perhaps we need to insist that he practices 10 mins per day.

OP posts:

Feenie · 08/04/2011 12:59

have found out today that he is not the only one who has slipped with schoolwork. apparently, nearly 50% of children in this class are performing below the average, whereas previously it was 20%.

How do you know this, digbert?

Original poster

onanightlikethis · 08/04/2011 13:16

someone who works at the school feenie

OP posts:

Feenie · 08/04/2011 13:23

Who shouldn't be divulging this information, from the sounds of it!

It concerns me that your ds has gone backwards - this shouldn't happen. My first thoughts, and other posters', were of over-assessment in the first place, but if his work was better before then that's worrying.

Sounds like the school have two issues at least to deal with - poor teaching and a breach of confidentiality.

Original poster

onanightlikethis · 08/04/2011 13:31

possibly. maybe he just isnt motivated enough.

OP posts:

IndigoBell · 08/04/2011 13:44

Things is, regardless of whether the OPs DS has actually gone backwards or not - it is not right for a kid to be a level 1C at this stage in Y2.

He should def be on the SEN register, with an IEP, and be receiving extra help.

You should make an appointment with the SENCO to ask what they are going to do to help your DS.

KS2 levels are submitted to the LEA in a few weeks. If he is a 1C today, he almost certainly will still be a 1C then. (Although they'll only actually submit a Level 1 - not the sublevel)

This puts him in about the bottom 5% of the country nationally.......

Time for the school to take serious action. Time for the OP to turn into a PITA mum and become very assertive.

Feenie · 08/04/2011 13:56

You're absolutely spot on with everything you say there, Indigobell.

Original poster

onanightlikethis · 08/04/2011 14:58

and even if he improves massivly, at start of yr 3 he will be a 1a tops. which shows almost zero progress since entering yr 1. school say he doesnt need to have an IEP. i feel he does.
thanks everyone x

OP posts:

IndigoBell · 08/04/2011 15:02

He could easily be a 1c in Sep.

I was told DD was a 1a end of Y2 - and then told she was a 1c start of Y3.

I'd wager money on them doing this to you too.......

Becaroooo · 08/04/2011 16:35

digbert Your son absolutely needs to be seen by the SENCO and needs a targeted plan of action to help him achieve his potential (IEP)

Make an appt on monday to see the HT - dont bother with the teacher, it doesnt sound like you will get very far - and outline all your concerns in a letter too and send a copy to governors.

sigh. Sadly IME its the only way to get them to listen

Becaroooo · 08/04/2011 16:37

(a teacher once told me that y2 SATS results were pretty meaningless as by the time they started y3 they had usually all gone down at least a level (i.e. over the summer hols)

I hate SATS. Hate them with a passion. Box ticking, pointless paperwork and stress for the children Some kids dont fit NC "boxes". They just dont.

clam · 08/04/2011 16:42

But isn't that the danger of statistics? 50% of children below average now, as opposed to 20% last year? That's not good, certainly, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the current teacher at fault. As others have said, it's just as likely that they were over-assessed before.
And, whilst you're pressing for additional support in the form of an IEP for your son, I would be suggesting to the Head that she deals with the unprofessional staff member who is divulging such information. That's professional misconduct.

easterbunnyhopsback · 08/04/2011 20:09

Has he started to write less, as this could affect a level 1 assessment?

honeylamb · 08/04/2011 20:53

I would push for IEP. Try not to get too worried though, I spent hours stressing about my son who was p8 in year one and 1c at the end of year 2 for writing, reading and numeracy ( we now know he is dyslexic though) but now year 3 just 12 months on he is level 3c for both reading and numeracy, writing is level 2b. it is as if something has clicked and he suddenly gets what he's meant to do! I do think some kids, particularly boys, are slower at 'catching on' they would rather be out on their bikes and climbing trees then writing! My son does have an IEP and has since year 1. I would see the head teacher and express your concerns any half decent school should work with you and your son to help.

With regards to 50% of the class being below average, is it a 'young' class? in my experience classes in the infants with a lot of children who are May to August birthdays are often lower average likewise those classes with a heavy concentration of older September to January birthdays are high average.

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