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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that all children should have the same amount of resources available as another child in the same year ?

37 replies

Snowfedup · 17/10/2014 20:13

My ds is average to below average in reading, he is young in his year and didn't really 'get' phonics for a long time.

Now I understand that all children should be taught to their own ability but last year at the end if the year I found out that a lot of the other children had been given extra books home to read at the weekend, I found out from other parents the teacher never mentioned it. I thought this was a little unfair but didn't complain as we have loads of books in the house and visit the library regularly!

But this year all parents were told that the children would have access to a computer programme where the teacher would allocate books appropriate to each child's level and once these were completed (they read and do puzzles related to the book) more would be allocated.

So I waited and waited and last week got a note with the password. I mentioned to another mother how good I thought it was only to be told that other children had had access 4 weeks earlier and had read 12-14 books on it ! I sent a note in asking for more books as ds had finished the 5 he was given and got a note back that he isn't allowed any more until after Halloween .

I just think this is grossly unfair and unequal distribution of resources.

If it was PE and they didn't have enough equipment so decided that the strongest children could take part for 50 mins and the rest for 10 mins there would surely be an outcry!

This is the same school that a parent asked why her child hadn't moved up a reading group to be told there weren't enough books - she complained and her child came home with a photo copied book the next week!

Is there not some sort of rules around treating children equally ?

OP posts:
RabbitSaysWoof · 17/10/2014 20:17

If there isnt a rule there should be.
I would be pissed of it sounds like a token effort to include your ds at all.

CrumpleHornedSnorkack · 17/10/2014 20:18

Sounds to me like there might be a focus due to Pupil Premium but it still sounds very lacking and not on.

Aeroflotgirl · 17/10/2014 20:18

Yanbu I would arrange to talk to the teacher about it, why parents had access to this programme before you, why are they limiting the amount of books your ds can read.

TheRealJoanWarburton · 17/10/2014 20:19

I don't know about the school and its systems, but why don't you take this as an opportunity to do something for your son, yourself? Get down to a bookshop over the weekend.

CrohnicallyAnxious · 17/10/2014 20:23

For he most part, I agree. HOWEVER, there is something called pupil premium where extra money is given to benefit children who are eligible (usually through eligibility for free school meals). The school has to show that it is spending this money in a way that directly benefits the pupil premium children and 'close the gap' between them and the other children (pp children as a group do less well than the others, obviously this is a generalisation and there will always be more able pp children and less able non pp children).

Coolas · 17/10/2014 20:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CarmineRose1978 · 17/10/2014 20:24

I do hate comments like that.

OP: my child's school is treating him unfairly/teaching him badly, AIBU?

PP: why don't you take this an an opportunity to do the teacher's job for them, spending money that you may not actually have?

For one thing, Joan, the OP has already said in her post that they have plenty of books at home and go to the library frequently, and for another, she's asking about unfair allocation of resources, not ways to home school.

Original poster
Snowfedup · 17/10/2014 20:24

As I said already we go to the library regularly, it's really hard to motivate my ds but he loved this computer programme and read 3 books on the first night !

I take every opportunity I can thank you very much but I know a few others in his class get no support at home and I suspect get similar treatment to my ds in school too !

OP posts:
Hakluyt · 17/10/2014 20:25

I would go in and find out what's really happening if I were you, rather than listening to what other mothers are saying........

sooperdooper · 17/10/2014 20:26

If it's an online program it shouldn't matter how many people log into it, how odd!!

CrumpleHornedSnorkack · 17/10/2014 20:28

Actually it can depend on how many licenses are bought

Purplepoodle · 17/10/2014 20:32

If it's bug club my ds school the reading is set at the child's ability on it. So slower readers get less books therefor more time to read them and only get access when they reach a certain level of their reading, nothing to do with allocation of resources it's how the scheme seems to work.

Hakluyt · 17/10/2014 20:32

If it is unfair, then go in all guns blazing- but it might well be that they can only have so many children on at a time or something like that and it's being done in rotation. I honestly don't think this would be anything to do with pupil premium.

Purplepoodle · 17/10/2014 20:33

Ds friends also got extra books home but they are at a more advanced reading level than ds

skylark2 · 17/10/2014 20:33

Is it possible that there's only a limited number of books available on the online program and they don't want your DS to race through them?

Not sure it's unfair that your DS has had access to 5 books in a single week, while the other kids have only had access to 3 or 4 per week.

I think it would be entirely plausible for the strongest kids at PE to be given access to a piece of equipment they were ready to use before the weaker ones, who would get access to it when they were ready.

I think it's shocking that a child's reading group would depend on how many books there are.

MrsPnut · 17/10/2014 20:33

I really wouldn't worry about books from school. Let him have free reign at the library and look for reading programmes on the Internet yourself. We stopped reading school books as soon as possibly could and stuck to the books she wanted to read. Her reading came on in leaps and bounds as did her writing skills. Her use of language comes directly from the books she is reading as does her critical analysis of written pieces.

Melawen · 17/10/2014 20:41

Quite frankly what horrifies me is that books are being photocopied! That's totally illegal - so speaks my librarians soul!

In any case, it doesn't seem fair that some children have access to more than others, I would certainly try and find out why - there may be a reason? But as someone else said, if you're getting books from the library (yay!) en I reckon you're ok.

Original poster
Snowfedup · 17/10/2014 20:43

But this is what I don't understand - he reads as quickly as others but at an easier level therefore why should he not have the same number of books ? Surely there should be equal numbers of books at all levels ?
Yes it is bug club ! I looked at the levels online and there are plenty more at his level !

I just want him to have as many available as the next child !

OP posts:
Purplepoodle · 17/10/2014 20:49

My ds seems to get 6 per term

TheRealJoanWarburton · 17/10/2014 21:22

CarmineRose1978 People are on MN all the time whining about schools... what schools do isn't mysterious, so if you don't like the way they are doing it, do it yourself. Just.

Aeroflotgirl · 17/10/2014 21:26

It dies seem like they are doing this as a token effort, I don't think it's acceptable!

AMouseLivedinaWindMill · 17/10/2014 21:26

There could be an over sight or confusion.
i would write in non emotional way what you have put here and ask for books or what it is you want.

then see what they say and go from there.

CarmineRose1978 · 17/10/2014 21:29

But as the OP noted, she is doing it herself - they have a lot of books at home, and she takes her son to the library frequently. What she wants to know is whether it is unreasonable that resources seem to be allocated unevenly. So what if lots of posters complain about schools? If she was complaining about her GP, would you tell her it was an opportunity to get online and diagnose herself?

In addition, I think it's enormously privileged of you to assume she can just go down to the shops and buy him books, you have no idea if this is affordable. My family was way too poor to do that, but fortunately for me, my school were willing to hand out as many books as I could tear through a week, sometimes several a night. We also went to the library regularly.

WoodliceCollection · 17/10/2014 21:31

YABU and absurd regards the general principle. If all children got the exact same amount of money/resources, a severely autistic child would be dumped in a class of 30 alone, a blind child would not get braille books because they are more expensive than print, etc etc. Equality is people all getting their needs met, not everyone getting the exact same thing however inappropriate.

You may not be being unreasonable about the books for your son, however would have to know more about the scheme. My older daughter has been to a couple of gifted and talented workshops through her school, and that is not available to all students because kids who are struggling to do basic maths/science/english would not benefit from a day working with university students on advanced activities, they'd just be bored witless. Similarly she doesn't get to go on all of the sports trips because she is not so great in that area. It would be really shit if schools didn't treat children as individuals with their own needs and abilities, and though this does seem like your son has missed out on a minor 'perk' from his school, for all you know the teacher has targeted resources to where they are useful, and does similar with your son on other occasions (if he struggles with reading, for example, she almost certainly spends extra time in class with him on that- would you like it if some other parent went storming in and said your child should only get the exact same amount of staff time as every other child?)

Aeroflotgirl · 17/10/2014 21:32

Definitely talk to the teacher to find out why thus is so. My dd 7.5 has ASD and dev delay and the teacher has told us despite dd reading improving, that they want her to understand the text, not only decode it.

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