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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Home visits by teacher?

39 replies

caitlinohara · 05/05/2016 13:16

Ds3 is about to start school in Sept. In the induction letter it mentions that as part of the settling in process the reception class teacher visits the children in their own homes to get to know them better "in their own environment"

The letter stresses that visits are optional. My initial thoughts are that I'd rather they didn't visit, but then would that be seen as stand offish and count against ds3 in some way?

Is this a thing now? My other kids went to a different primary school and they didn't do this. Has anyone else had this?

OP posts:

Pearlman · 05/05/2016 17:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheNotoriousPMT · 05/05/2016 17:15

I think it's mainly to help ease the transition to a new environment where they will be the smallest children in the school. Also it helps the teacher get to know your dc too. This will be especially valuable if your dc have any AEN or anxieties about school. Unless your home is spectacularly horrible or unsafe, the teacher is unlikely to remember it out of the 30 homes s/he'll be visiting. While I imagine lots of parents do take up the offer of the visit, there is any number of different reasons why it might be declined, so I wouldn't worry about seeming standoffish.

Original poster

caitlinohara · 05/05/2016 17:16

pearlman I could always suggest we do a home visit to the teacher's house to observe her in her own environment ...

OP posts:

magratsflyawayhair · 05/05/2016 17:20

I like the idea of my daughter meeting her teacher before she starts, and me meeting them too. Sounds nice, I hope they do it here!

RoseBaby · 05/05/2016 18:38

I worked in a school until recently, our FSW would do the visits - not the teacher (which sort of gives the game away for it's purpose imo)

It is of course an environment check and a check of the child. Also to see if the family have any difficulties. Some children may just turn up in September with behaviour or needs that could be entirely unknown to the school. This has happened several times and it is much better to get an entire of any support ahead of time.

The niceness of getting to know the child, having a chat etc is a bonus of the visit - as in our case, the FSW wouldn't likely see the child again if there were no need for ongoing support.

The fact that many HP's now visit pregnant women at home (before baby is born) is a clear sign that this is a welfare check, your home and your own welfare.

There's nothing wrong with this - I don't disagree with it at all. But no point in thinking these visits are much more than welfare checks. Much easier and less time consuming for the staff to have parents come to you (on appointment) in school.

pointythings · 05/05/2016 19:07

We had it with DD2, not with DD1. I was between jobs at the time so I took it up - had I been working, I wouldn't have done. It was fine, DD2 really enjoyed it and it made her feel special.

spanieleyes · 05/05/2016 19:11

I have never worked in a school where it is anyone other than the Reception teacher and possibly TA who do the home visits, and it certainly ISN'T a welfare check! It is to enable the teacher to meet the child in a familiar atmosphere, where they will be more relaxed, and get to know about their likes and dislikes, interactions with others, favourite topics and pets etc without having 29 other children hanging around.

shadesofwinter · 05/05/2016 19:14

We had it with DD, who's in this year's Reception class. The teacher came round with the Home School Link Worker and they were here for about 20 mins. The teacher played with DD while the HSLW went through a questionnaire with me - questions about important people in DD's life, what did she like doing, how I felt she'd feel about school, anything else I wanted to share with them. That sounds way more intrusive than it actually felt, and what was especially nice was that the teacher knew all the children by name on the first day of term.

I thought it was a lovely idea and I wish they'd had it when DS started reception, as it took him much longer to settle and that may have helped a little.

RoseBaby · 05/05/2016 20:24

spaniel A welfare check isn't like a SS inspection or anything near.
It is literally to get a feel for the family, the child. They won't care about mess, but squalor would certainly lead to them contacting other agencies. SEN needs the child might have may be flagged up at this visit expecially if they don't attend pre-school.

An education welfare officer comes out around twice a year to see homeschooled children - another optional appointment but it is of course to check all is going okay.

It's a good opportunity to meet the child, but it's one and the same however you dress it up. Any major red flags won't just be ignored because that wasn't the 'purpose' of the visit.

Flossieflower01 · 05/05/2016 20:33

My year 9 Twins had this- it's not new! Partly to make sure that you live at the address that's in the forms, partly to see what sort of family you are ( bookcases or giant telly, proper coffee or lager from the can etc etc). My DD sat there and wrote her name, recited the alphabet etc and I could see the teacher mentally ticking off the early years targets.

TheSconeOfStone · 05/05/2016 20:34

I wish our school had home visits. My DD1 now in year 3 has recently been diagnosed with autism. Preschool hadn't identified any problems and we hadn't at home (with hind sight there were indicators but nothing alarming in a 4 year old).

Problems kicked off from term 1 and the assumption seemed to be problems at home until a school nurse visited in term 3. The whole situation would have been much better if we'd met the teacher beforehand and she had observed DD at home because it would have been obvious much sooner that school was triggering for her (not that were shit parents with no boundaries for our children).

Also it would have been nice for us all to have met the teacher outside the madness of school. All the local schools that our friends kids went to did home visits so I was really surprised our school didn't.

molyholy · 05/05/2016 20:39

This happened with us and I had no issue. Our dd's teacher and head teacher came. I also think it is partly to check up that you actually live in the house and aren't using it as it is in the catchment area iykwim.

Unfortunately the reception teacher sat on our poof and the top fell into the bottom and threw her legs up in the air

HandWash · 05/05/2016 21:02

It's not a welfare check. If an electrictian came to your house and saw your children were living in awful conditions, he could pass that information on. Does that make it a welfare check

It's to meet the children and their parents and for them to meet us. It's amazing how much you can learn about a child in 15 minutes!

I played trains with one little boy, he didn't speak to me once. I made sure we had the train set out that first week, guess who wanted to play trains with me?

Mamadothehump · 05/05/2016 21:20

DC is 9 and it was done before they started school. Mine all loved it

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