Aibu to be slightly annoyed with my child's report from nursery?

[firawla]

Ok, I realise this may be quite pfb and overall not that big of a deal but I've got my 4 year olds report back today and it just feels as though they don't really know him and what level he is actually at.

For eg they have targets to correct pencil grip, and learn how to write his name. - But he already can write his name, and his friends names, and a few other words. They've put he can write the first letter of his name, which was true when he started nursery but he has learned since, so they either haven't noticed or just wrote the report ages ago

For maths target they have put begin to explore practical addition and subtraction. This is a child who is obsessed with numbers, he knew about adding and taking away well before he started nursery. If you give him a number he will tell you all the different methods he can think of about how to make it with different combinations of numbers. and they have put 'uses some number names accurately in play'

They have also put 'is beginning to differentiate between colours' and im thinking ffs he knew this at 1.5 yrs...

Its not a case of being a competitive parent, or i think my child is advanced or genius or anything like that! It's just that the report is not an accurate representation of his actual level.

It seems like they probably just copy and paste the whole thing, or just shove a few generic phrases into the form, so maybe i should just read it, and think hmm okay whatever and move on, but they have said that they invite comments on the reply slip so I don't know whether to write that the report is not accurate, or just leave it.

I feel like it might come across a bit too pfb or pushy to write something, but I do feel the report is not very good...

There are 120 kids in the nursery and his original keyworker teacher is off on maternity, and he has a new one who may be does not know him too well, so may be its just to be expected to get inaccurate reports like this. And he is barely 4, so in a way does it really even matter??

but then putting begin to explore addition and learn to write their name etc, when they already can do it, is not really on is it

So aibu and should I write anything or not?

YANBU, as this report follows him into Reception. I would go through it writing notes, and give them to the teacher at your parent/teacher meeting, or next time you see him or her.

I don't think it's pfb if the report is that wide of the mark.

I'm pondering something similar in relation to DS's school report.

I think there's an element of them not necessarily showing their full capabilities at school / nursery, along with the need to use a few stock phrases just to get the reports written and to link up with the EYF etc.

Do you have the chance to discuss the report or progress more generally? If so, that's perhaps the place to explore the issues you mention. If not, provided the report isn't needed to get into prep school or anything, I don't think I would get overly worked up about it.

Annoying as it is YABU - it's only a nursery report so it doesnt really matter does it!! Obviously once he goes to school they will get to know what he can and cant do....he may well be more willing at home to do these things with you than at nursery anyway where there are loads more distractions for him

I didnt even realise kids got reports at nursery.........my DS never did.

I would waste your energy writing TBH!

they can only judge on what they see at nursery though - not what he does at home. Maybe he is less forthcoming at nursery.

But, as this is a big but, does he actually do any of those things that you know he can do at home, at nursery?
Most children are different in a nursery situation than they are at home, so while he may be able to do all those things at home, the nursery may not have actually seen it. They can only comment on what they have evidence for.
I wouldn't worry too much- he will be at school soon and the teachers there will do their own baseline assesment.

Welcome to the world of schools and reports. It doesn't get any better.

wouldnt waste energy writing that should have said.....its nearly home time thank god!

Annoying as it is YABU - it's only a nursery report so it doesnt really matter does it!! How rude, and very patronising for those who work very hard writing them.

YANBU,, and there is nothing to stop you writing to the school to explain that you feel that he has been underscored in the report. YABU, if you think anything is likely to change later on, my favourite parents evening was when my DD1 was in yr 2 and we spent 15 minutes talking to her teacher before she realised that she was talking about the wrong girl! It was only when she commented on her spelling test results that we put 2 and 2 together - just thought that she must be very different in school to how she was at home

He is quite shy so possibly he is not doing all these things at nursery, but his previous teacher (maternity leave one) did seem to have more of an idea, so he must have been doing some of these things there before or she must have been paying more attention?

He is going to a different school for reception so dont know if they send it over to the new school or not?

If it is anything like my nursery's report, it is a series of tick boxes (which lists the basic expected level) but leaves them with no space to actually say if he goes above and beyond that, which is useful to know if child has achieved basic level but not at all personalised if their skills are more than that.

I would illustrate the inaccuracies and send it back, they need to know the true picture and so you need to know they are aware of what that is.

He's barely 4

He's quite shy

You're not sure if he's showing the new teacher what he can do

None of this matters, especially if he's going to a new school for reception because basically, it'll take him a while to show the teachers there too.

Plus, we're talking at least another 8 weeks time before he starts reception and anything can happen between now and then...including regression.

I really wouldn't worry about it.

I would say this is about their observations being based on tasks that are at a lower level than what he's capable of.

And I don't think it matters at this age, unless he has problems, which he doesn't

You could tell manager that you hardly recognise your child from the report.
None of my 4 children ever showed the reception teacher their nursery reports.

Well YANBU.
Does it matter in the grand scheme of things, probably not.

BUT this is supposed to be a reflection of your child's abilities.

It is also a reflection on how ell his teacher knows him and it is obviously showing it is not the case. Or that you have a child who knows how to do things but doesn't do them at school in which case it needs to be addressed. (What could possibly be so frightening to him that he doesn't do what he can do?)

As for regressing .... why would a child be regressing? I would be very worried if my child was doing that tbh.

My DS's first pre-school report was like that, but it was when he was 2 so I didn't mind, especially as he was just there to play. It said he could count to 3. They took him to visit a playground that had a snakes and ladders on the floor and he started at 100 and counted down all the way to 0 as he jumped on each square . They were very excited about it when I came to pick him up.

I would however mind for a report that is going to follow him to school. I would ask to have a meeting with his key worker and make a meaningful parent comment in your section on the report. It puts you in a difficult position with school if they don't change it because they will get one impression and if you go in you sound as though you think your pfb is an unappreciated genius!

The report is probably computer generated to an extent but it is lazy of them not to amend the standard comments for a child who is different.

"this report follows him into Reception"

that bringing up and looking after young children has become so much about nonsense like this. After 'let girls be girls' could we not have 'let children be children' and try and stop people labelling, measuring, constricting and judging children's natural learning so much until they are say 7???

I think they have to observe your child doing these things independently, without any adult prompting.

Do follow it up though if you are concerned, dd1s reception report was wrong and the wrong comments had been copied and pasted in!

I checked all the comments against the Early Years Profile points and queried something that seemed obviously wrong. Next day - the teacher apologised, it was just a cut and paste job and they have so many to do. Mistakes do happen.

Don't worry too much though, your child will be reassessed on entry to reception anyway. Plus the government are changing the ways in which children are going to be assessed from September I think, anyway.

I really wouldn't worry about a nursery report.
It sounds like the report is more of a reflection of your child's keyworker's ability that his.

I looks like they have used a generic report for just about every child. Part of me would be annoyed but another part thinks, 'does it really matter'. You know what your child can do but these people don't; your child will be in reception in September and will never see these people again. In fact, do 4-year-olds really need a report at all. Seems like a waste of paper to me.

DD2 had two nursery reports
Per schools (4 mornings) very conservative, had to do things consistently, every time to get a tick.

Private nursery (one full day) ticked just about everything.

The preschool teacher was probably one of the best teachers I have ever met, but the young girls at nursery were far more accurate.

DD2 did not always choose to show off.
She felt relaxed with the nursery crew, who she'd known since she was one and they had the measure of her.

I think she was quitter for the older pre school teacher.

Quieter

As a nursery worker who spent an hour on each of my key children's reports I find it a little hurtful to say they don't matter. The reception teachers we transfer to say they are helpful. Sometimes it is true that children do not always demonstrate all they can do when at nursery, depends on how many hours a week they do. Also sometimes it is down the the interpretation of the language. When I state that children can count upto 5 objects parents often are quick to say "oh but he can count to 30" and I have to explain that reciting numbers in order is not the same as counting.
I would definately speak to them. I go through reports word by word with my parents and they only get sent onto reception teachers once parents are happy with them. Parents know their children much better than we do and are indeed their main educators in early years. If a parent tells me their child can do something I haven't seen them do I would make extra effort to provide an activity where they have full opportunity to show me that skill.
It's not all about counting and writing. The most important things are communication, physical skills and PSE skills. Those are the areas that matter.