To object to this policy?

[Skullyton]

This year the school have introduced a policy that if the children don't read at home at least 3 times a week they will lose their play time!

Now, i read to my two every night, and they always take turns to read me a page of whatever story we've picked, but i can be forgetful about remembering to record it in their reading diaries, DS has significant disabilities and SEN and remembering to write what he read that night is really somewhat low on my list of priorities, and he cant write it in himself.

AIBU to think this policy is unfair. The school know me, he's in yr 4 now, they KNOW we read EVERY night (part of his routine so i couldn't stop if i wanted) and his reading level, despite his SEN is actually 2yrs ahead of his peers!

He also has it in his IEP that they are not allowed to remove his break time or they have to offer an alternative movement break.

DD (yr2) is not covered by that, but is equally at risk of me not writing in her planner.

I really object to this policy, its not fair to punish the children for their parents failures!

yanbu that is punishing the child for the parents not doing something. very odd

I really hate when schools link discipline/rewards in school to actions of parents.

YANBU.

Maybe the school think the DCs should be recording the reading themselves so they don't see it as punishing them for the forgetfulness of the parents. Surely the recording only takes the form of writing the title of the book and then the relevant page numbers. Your yr2 could do that. Give her responsibility for completing her own book, and she can act as the prompt to remind you to complete your DS' book.

(whether losing a break is a relevant punishment for not completing reading is a whole other question - but I don't see that ensuring DCs fill in reading diaries is that much of a hardship iyswim (obviously it's different for your DS because he is unable to complete it himself) .)

Going forward can you incorporate getting the planner and a pen into your routine?
IE, "oh its reading time. Ds can you get that book we were reading yesterday? Dd can you grab the planners and a pen?"

Vajazzler, if i could guarantee they would bring them home, then yes on those nights i will often do it as soon as i come downstairs, but its hit and miss whether i get them, and i dont have access to their classes in the morning to do it then!

YNBU. It's nothing but power thriving against little children. As a pp has said. It's up to the parents to read with them.It's certainly not the child's fault if they don't. Plus life is so fast paced now isn't it. Almost gone are the days When. Mummy stayed at home and daddy went to work. In most families both parents are working full time, and lone parents are forced out to work the split second their child starts school, so a lot of parents simply do not have the time for home work reading ect., and not having the time, is a reason, not an excuse
Also is it not an Ofsted requirement that children go out in the fresh air each day

It's daft. There's nothing to stop anyone just recording that they've done it anyway, even when they haven't.

Get a note book / block pad and record it in there as part of your routine that way it doesn't matter if they bring the planner home they just take in the piece of paper and show whoever cares .

This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Sometimes I get the impression that UK schools have all been taken over by a bunch of incompetent, target-driven people with BAs in management studies from a former polytechnic, who know fuck all about managing professionals, or about child development.

What a clever way to make reading seem like a chore, rather than something to be done for pleasure...

No practical advice, sorry, but I do worry when I hear of actions like these.

Set an automatic email to school to be sent at 8pm every night to say " X read to me as is our usual bed time routine" :)

You're unlikely to be the only parent objecting to this scheme. You should at least be able to expect that the school ensures the reading record goes home with the child every single day.

Surely that's spectacularly unhelpful for children who have sub-optimal parents? Poor kids neglected at home and punished at school.

I'd object. I'd object long and fucking loud.

Way to nurture reading for pleasure across a whole school...

slow hand claps

Also play time is really important for social development as well as giving all children but particularly those with adhd and other conditions an essential outlet to help prepare them for learning in class.

So stupid.

OFSTED now want evidence of absolutely every little thing and the teachers will be under pressure to produce full reading records from every child, regardless of the fact that they have no control over them. So, this school is passing on the pressure to parents and children. The UK education system is so utterly ridiculous it really is hard to believe.

Agreed.
'Jack why are you missing break again'
'Oh because my home life is unstable and my parents can't/ won't read with me'
What a massively stupid and unfair policy.

And agree re making reading a chore, that's the last thing you want to teach them.

Object loud and long op.

OFSTED now want evidence of absolutely every little thing

I am increasingly fed up of pusillanimous SLTs using this as an excuse for lazy and negative policy-making. For box-ticking and arse-covering, regardless of the impact on the young people the system is supposed to serve and protect.

Don't get me wrong, I am no apologist for Ofsted, and the sooner it's knocked into touch and a school-centric accountability system introduced in its place the better - but 'Ofsted wants...' is never a good reason in itself for a head teacher to make a decision. Ever.

I don't think my parents ever read with me during school, ever. There would have been more chance of hell freezing over than them opening a book with me, or filling in a planner to pretend that they had, or even caring that I may have missed a playtime because of it.

All it would have done would have turned reading from a pleasant escape from everyday life into something else that felt unjust and not for my kind.

I agree multivac. But the fact remains that that is what's happening, and nothing is being done about it.

YANBU for all the reasons above but there is a small right-wing part of me who would like to dock the holidays of parents (both genders) who can never/ever find 5 minutes to read with their children.

calindana - schools could start by taking down all those fucking "OFSTED OUTSTANDING!" banners from the playground railings.

Heads could start by taking decisions based on what is right for the children in their care, without checking the inspection framework first.

And governing bodies could start by realising that their job is not, actually, to raise the school's Ofsted rating - and be a genuine critical friend to the SLT instead.

True, but parents could also stop being unduly impressed by them.

That would be the point of taking them down, BarbarianMum. The circle has to be broken by someone - and in fairness, schools are better placed to understand the implications of doing so than parents.

YANBU, it's as bad as punishing children for being ill by not winning a 100% attendance award.