.. to expect perfect spelling, punctuation and grammar from YR teacher?

[LLJ4]

Briefly:

DS1 starts in Reception in September. We have had a little booklet from his new teacher giving information about the structure of the school day, uniform, food rules, etc.

It is simply riddled with simple punctuation errors and poor grammar and style. I am particularly angsty about this as I was a subeditor in a previous life, so I am genuinely wondering if I am overreacting, since it is EYFS and the children will be unaffected.

AIBU? or should we be able to expect flawless written material from teachers?

I wasn't taught grammar at school, we were supposed to just pick it up as we went along. I know where I am likely to go wrong though (practise / practice gets me every time) and I check.

I don't agree that it doesn't matter because it's "only reception". I think it's very important.

I have corrected spellings in the planner, I also corrected our surname on Boy 1's exercise book at parents' evening. I am "that parent". Although I have seen very few mistakes from the boys' primary school (with the exception of letters from the PTA. Our PTA are over-fond of the apostrophe).

My spelling and punctuation is crap
So agree with HumphreyCobbler

the odd mistake is understandable... though if it was a publication for parents, i would check and recheck and get someone to proof read it for me. i would be embarressed to send it out if there were so many mistakes. though i have given up with the capitals on the keyboard as i do not want rsi gggggggggrrrrrrrrr

why isn't it always important? I think it is in a literate society.

"When confronted by the grammar police - I whisper softly "there, they're, their" " - Anon....

teachers are people too... people make mistakes...

Oh, and EndoplasmicReticulum just remember is is a verb , ice is a noun - hence pract is e is a verb, pract ice is a noun - learned this at school and it has stayed in my brain for 40 years or more!!!!

YANBU. They shouldn't get onto a teacher training course unless they've reached the required standard for English and Maths. This used to mean O level Grade C but of course now it's GCSEs and I'm afraid I think these are less rigorous. So I think there should be additional numeracy and literacy tests to check potential trainee teachers really are at a suitable level.

Definitely ynbu

Ousted sent the usual letter to parents with no fewer than 4 obvious mistakes - never got around to sending back to them with red pen corrections - really wish I had!

My DDs report says DD is working above her ability. (?!)

Ofsted - blummin autocorrect

Am I the only nosy bugger who wants to know what you put on the form in response to the question on religion, OP?

"My DDs report says DD is working above her ability. (?!)"

That's clever!

(bluecarrot, I had to read that twice before the penny dropped!)

As a teaching assistant in a reception class I would expect good spelling, punctuation and grammar from a teacher. I can understand a few errors on an observation as we do these on the go, usually whilst watching one child and listening to three others but on a printed information booklet? That should have been proof read by the person writing it and checked by a second person before being handed out.

Euphemia Her language skills were limited to begin with, and they're not going to improve if she always teaches infants.

Really? So as an infant teacher for the past twelve years, and every intention of remaining so for 20+ years until I retire, will my brain have atrophied by then?

Olive, new teachers, despite their GCSEs, A Levels and in many cases a degree and even post-grad or Masters, DO have to pass additional literacy and numeracy tests. This has been the case since I qualified in 2001.

It depends on what you mean by riddled. I generally have very good spelling and grammar but there are just a few words that catch me out sometimes. Does not mean I can't teach.

That's hilarious carrot! I'd have to take that in and ask what she meant!

WenTheEternallySurprised - Well, it began with "He is FOUR!!!" and only just didn't end with "FFS".

A friend, inspired by me, went significantly further, and wrote a small essay, during which she proposed a new religion, "Dinosaurism", which she said would suit her DS down to the ground.

I have been sitting on my hands a lot recently. The school has had its nth successive Outstanding Ofsted report and is truly very good. But it could still do so much better, and makes me wonder quite how shitty non-Outstanding schools can be!

Unrelated rant - it would have been useful if the school had given us the uniform list (1) before the deadline for ordering uniform, or even (2) when I asked for it three weeks ago. But nooooooooooooooo: "There isn't one". Except printed in the Reception Welcome Pack. Gah.

What does 'YR' mean in the thread title?

Year Reception, I think. As in YR, Y1, Y2 etc.

I think you might forgive the occasional mistake, but not so many as you're describing.

I do, incidentally, always find it amusing and irritating in equal measure that the people who're keenest to insist on good spelling/grammar can't seem to manage the same for themselves! Very obvious on this thread. But then, I am one of the generation who wasn't taught spelling and grammar, so what do I know?

It is one of the Rules Of The Internet that it is impossible to complain about spelling, grammar etc without making an error oneself.

But I think it isn't unfair to distinguish between quick chat typing, possibly on a mobile phone, and a formal publication or wall display.

YANBU.

My grammar and spelling are spot on when handwriting, but typos are another thing, which is why I give my word-processed work to another teacher to check.

A booklet/poster should be re-issued if it's got misspellings, etc. It's in the public domain, and is a representation of the school. I can see this might be expensive, though.

YANBU. It depresses me whenever I come across glaring mistakes in spelling or punctuation by the people who are meant to be teaching our children to use English correctly.

I'm also of the generation who weren't taught grammar, so I'm sure I make mistakes along with the best of them. Simple errors of spelling - the sort of thing that can be very quickly sorted out on a computer - are not on, though.

YANBU. It depresses me whenever I come across glaring mistakes in spelling or punctuation by the people who are meant to be teaching our children to use English correctly.

I'm also of the generation who weren't taught grammar, so I'm sure I make mistakes along with the best of them. Simple errors of spelling - the sort of thing that can be very quickly sorted out on a computer - are not on, though.

YANBU. It depresses me whenever I come across glaring mistakes in spelling or punctuation by the people who are meant to be teaching our children to use English correctly.

I'm also of the generation who weren't taught grammar, so I'm sure I make mistakes along with the best of them. Simple errors of spelling - the sort of thing that can be very quickly sorted out on a computer - are not on, though.

oops.