To not send my 6 year old to extra Maths after school?

[IHeartKingThistle]

I'm a governor at the school. Eyebrows will be raised.

I'm not sure I care. DS is 6 years old. He is the youngest in the year. In a term he has gone from loving school to saying he hates it. He doesn't, there's lots he still loves, but all he can think about is English and Maths tests. He was quite tearful about it tonight.

Most of the class have been invited to after school Maths sessions. They're not compulsory. He doesn't want to go. I don't want to send him. I expect most of the other children will go.

I don't believe in the SATs system at all (I'm a teacher, but not primary) but I am usually quite careful to be diplomatic in front of the DC. WIBU to put what he wants first for once?

Disclaimer: I'll do some Maths stuff with him at home. I just think a full day of school is ENOUGH.

[glamorousgrandmother]

Good for you!

[FarAwayHills]

YANBU

I've heard of extra lessons for Y6 SATS and that's bad but Y2 is crazy stuff.

All this testing is ridiculous and totally pointless. Has anyone produced any evidence that any of this testing in primary has improved things?

[skinofthericepudding]

This really makes me angry! You are right: children work very hard at school and certainly don't need any catch up classes like this. I teach Y2, and wouldn't dream of running this kind of after school -torture- club.

[MistressDeeCee]

Don't send him. Its not compulsory why should he be pushed to do what he doesn't want to do, for the sake of what others might think? The stress and unhappiness will be on him, and thats not fair.

DD1 hated maths at school. I got her workbooks, we did maths at home which brought her up to a reasonable standard. I didn't pressure her at all, and made sure to praise her when she did well. She was placed in the top group once at secondary school but was really, really stressed by the work. I went in to the school spoke to her (very understanding, thankfully) Maths tutor who agreed to move her down to the "middle group" - she was much happier hence so was I, no sense of ohhh no she's not in the TOP group. We didn't care.

She got an A in her Maths GCSE, she wouldn't have if she'd remained struggling and anxious in the top group.

[MistressDeeCee]

Just scrolled up more and saw you haven't sent him. Thats good, and you were right anyway

[Marilynsbigsister]

Well done you !!! In 12 yrs time will you remember (or want to remember) that you sent him to some govt ordained maths class , or the fact that you had time with your ds having simple fun... I know what I would cherish!...

[dairymilkmonster]

I think you are right.
It is just too much for such a little person. They are tired after school. I am very glad my ds1 (who has ended up at private school due to being unhappy and bored at his previous school) doesn't have to do all these various assessments that seem to cause panic and stress and teachers and kids. Our school does little internal spelling tests but ds doesn't seem to really notice them yet (yr1).
I think the school should be able to teach what is required in the school day! Why can't they do this when other schools can......?

[incywincybitofa]

I think the deputy head was very un-professional, and I am going to buck the trend and say whilst the NC has changed, is it the curriculum or the teaching that has caused your son to be perceived as in need extra help?
If so many children need more help I would be inclined to suspect the latter.
Our son was removed from his school owing to poor teaching and bullying, and the school "could only apologize" for each incident of harm and for the fact that in a year our son whose teacher had said he was doing "very well" every time we asked, had not gone up a subset and it was months since his reading level changed.
The TA was teaching maths to most of the class, and by her own admission "only got a C" on her third try.
I could rant about pressure and targets but in this case the blame lay very firmly with the teaching-other teachers (and TAs I assume) in that school did an amazing job, just not his.

[mamaduckbone]

YA absolutely NBU. My son is also 6 and I'd be horrified if he were expected to attend booster groups. Thankfully he seems to have no idea what SATs are at present.

I'm a primary teacher btw and the least inclined to do any extra work at home towards tests. All we did over the Easter hols was a bit of reading (and lots of playing.)

[thewavesofthesea]

well done OP for standing up against this! I am so glad my son is in a sensible school in terms of SATS; he is not even aware he is doing them, all he knows is that he will be getting a bit more homework (the homework he gets normally is not normally a huge, he can usually do it in about 30-40 mins, excluding reading). He is an anxious child anyway, so this sort of pressure would be horrid for him! It makes me so sad that 6-7year olds are being tested and stressed out like this

[Rezolution123]

It is surprising the number of primary pupils who have done NO MATHS at all during the school day. In my humble opinion the best time for Maths would be in the morning when the children (and adults) are fresh and alert. That is surely the prime time for learning?
After school and in the evening should really be for repeating or practising the work covered earlier on in the day, using the methods shown in class at home when they are working independently.

[my2bundles]

Resolution, no at 6 years old after school and evening should be free play, winding down, meal time, bath and bed not covering the days work.

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

I'm all for raising his confidence in Maths though. Just don't think testing and after school stuff is the way to do it.

Then as a school governor I think you should make that point. If the school wants to improve it's results then if they want your support they need to find better ways of doing so. What are they doing in this tuition? It should be snakes and ladders in a group taught like a club or similar, not actually presented as extra tuition??

My DD is around the same age in Yr 1. As far as I can see a lot of maths is taught like a game. They do 20 second speed tests weekly on simple sums, to "beat their own target" [set by themselves the week before] and then complete what's left. Their teacher uses an iphone to set the timer and finds a new silly sound and it's all a big laugh. They have no idea it's any sort of "test" in the external world and nothing is made of the child who scores 7/7 in 20 seconds versus the child who takes 2 mins to do the same sums well.

[Rezolution123]

my2bundles
I agree with you about 6 year olds. I was thinking in terms of older Primary pupils in general.