to think the expectations about children starting Reception are very low?

[mendimoo]

I look after my nephew a lot because his parents both work long hours (NHS.) Today he had a home visit from his teacher before he starts school next week. She bought some things with her as 'ice breakers' and, in her words, was 'absolutely amazed' by DN. She bought some five piece peg puzzles that my two year old has been able to do for months. DN showed her the 100 piece puzzle he'd completed that morning and she was gobsmacked. She asked some leading questions to see if he knew his colours and again was shocked that he did. Again, my DD can pick out colours and colour sort and she's two - DN has known his colours since around 18 months.

DN also demonstrated that he could read numbers 1-10 (he can read 1-20 but she didn't have the resources to stretch that far), read CVC words and use words like more, less, bigger, smaller, the same to compare objects and groups. She asked if he could recognise his name and was really shocked that he could read and write it.

I think reading the CVC words is a little ahead but don't most children know their colours and numbers by reception age? The teachers expectations seemed extremely low.

I agree with others, the teacher visit is not an IQ or ability test, but to get to know your child and establish a rapport with them. To meet the parents and discuss any issues or concerns.

and reading (and knowing colours) and just single skills

what actually matters is terms of long term ability is general approach to skills and problem solving

A kid who self teaches themselves to use a skate board are better equipt for later learning than a child who is "taught" reading or colours at 2/3 with no internal motivation to do so

e.g. learning to count to 20 by rote because you're taught to do so at 2/3 is no more "clever" than learning to sing along to a pop song or cartoon theme song, but the latter carries more parenting brag-kudos

But figuring out counting without being encouraged or pushed = learning self motivation and is very clever.

Usually braggers kids fall into the first category not the second though.. there's no advantage to that

This scares me. My DS is starting reception this month and can read and write his name, knows his colours, do jigsaws upto 60 pieces (last I saw, it's been months since he was interested), and recognises numbers up to 9. He can count to 12, then goes a bit off up to 20. He can't read yet.

purplebunny, none of that really matter at this stage
what matters is being able to take turns, being able to sit and focus on a task for short periods, being potty trained, being able to look after own coat etc.

But why was the teacher so amazed?

I doubt she really was

she was probably just saying things like "amazing job OP's DN, well done, that's really clever" to help the child feel confident and comfortable doing tasks for this strange new adult

and it wouldn't really get parent-teacher relations off to a great start if she said "yes well I can see that this child is unremarkably average" would it?

Some children will never have seen a book, will still be walking with reins and couldn't open a lunch box when they enter the education system. It just depends on their background, depth of poverty, whether they have attended some form of preschool, etc. I was a teacher in the dim, distant past and I remember when I was first teaching, a child in year 4 spotted a camel on a school outing and shouted, "Look Miss, its a Zebra." I giggled because I thought she was joking but a more experienced teacher pulled me to one side to tell me to be a bit more sensitive. When I explained why I laughed, she sent me to the lunch hall to observe the Reception Children, got me to watch the same children coming in to school and in the classroom. I was horrified.

Reception teachers are great at over enthusiastic responses that children that she respond so well to!

At least half the children she will see will be at a similar level I expect. Some will be lower for many many reasons. No need to compare and judge.

As for teachers in the home. Think they WANT to spend time travelling from house to house? Well, probably, but only because it has SUCH a positive effect on the child's learning. Different children have varying responses. My son is a good example, even though he is completely different to your child, he is a MLD child. He didn't speak at school, or interact with anyone, children AND teachers! Not even hello! When they came to the house in the second week of school they saw a completely different child, one who never shut up and was able to do way more than they realised. Even more importantly, in my sons eyes, the teachers became people now! He could talk to them! The next day, the child he was at home went into school, he finally interacted in the classroom! Ok, still only with teachers, but it was just the beginning.

YeOldMa. Some kids needed reigns, done children have invisible disabilities. As a teacher you should have been less judgemental.

My EIGHT year old would benefit from reigns TBH! For her safety! Why? Not really anyone's business but my own and the plethora of health professionals that are involved with her.

Even though my Dd is about to start year 1, I am still shocked at what kids in the UK are expected to know at such young age. I started formal schooling at 7! At that age, the differences between kids in the same year were much smaller than the various levels of development of UK reception kids. Op, not all kids develop at the same level, but they will all get there in the end!

Remember, some children are not even 4 when they get the pre school home visit. Bit of stealth boasting here I think

YeOldMa if you were "horrified" by very young children's ability/intelligence not being up to your standards I'm pretty horrified that you were ever a teacher.

Our teachers come and visit the reception children in their homes too. Luckily as there was something we needed to discuss without my child listening I suggested meeting at school. So she didn't see what my child could do or not do.
Children must vary on what they can do. My son started bringing spellings home quite quickly after starting. But heading towards the end of reception they were getting quite difficult like "queue" he got really quite stressed about them. I thought it was a shame as I don't think there should be masses of pressure in reception. So I'd say the teacher had quite high expectations.

Tbf YeOldMa was a teacher a long while ago with differing attitudes to now, which I feel are more positive and child friendly, even though its obviously not perfect, but better than when I was in Primary school some 33 years ago. A child would be written off quite early like me, and there was scant knowledge of disabilities unlike today.

notmuch if that is stressing your very young child out, I would have a word with the teacher, ask her to ease off and to give easier ones for the time being.

The teachers don't do home visits in order to assess the child!!! ( or indeed to pass any judgements on parents or the home!) They bring along some resources that ALL children will be able to engage with in a relaxed situation. They come to spend a little time with the child so that they are familiar to each other in the classroom when term starts.

Iwouldlike, I wasn't horrified they weren't up to my standards, you misunderstand me. I was horrified they'd been denied books, sometimes toys and often significant parental involvement. Some of these children were highly intelligent, they were just deprived of the things many children take for granted. May be I should have said saddened because I was horrified for them, not for me. These were kids who at 8 were often given a pound to buy their food for lunch from the local shop and would come in with a bar of chocolate to last the day. I actually think we formally educate children far too early for the most part and that every child has something they shine in. Aeroflot my child found school extremely difficult because he had developmental delay problems so avoided doing anything if he could because he was intelligent enough to recognise that the others were working quicker than he. Some teachers wrote him off as a waste of space, others encouraged him. The encouraging ones have my heartfelt thanks as he has now found his wings at 25.

Aeroflotgirl If you aren't in the minority and your situation is the norm, why would your teachers be "very surprised" that you got a degree despite not being very academic at primary school? That suggest that you are the exception rather than the norm.

People need to be supportive of schools, it's hardly going to help if you won't allow a Teacher into your private space. They can look after your child but arnt allowed into your home.

YANBU. DS is 4 and starring reception in 2 weeks. He can read well (only one syllable and some two syllable words but brilliant for his age I think), write sentences and add and subtract. He can do puzzles alone and dress and undress himself correctly including shoe laces. While I don't expect every child his age to do the same things as my DS (all children are good at different things, DS can't ride a bike but some of his peers the same age can), the fact that they are amazed at knowing colours and numbers shows that either a) their expectations are low for the age group or b) she was being overly enthusiastic ans praising unnecessarily. There's interesting research by Alfie Kohn about that too...

That's a fair point Aero there would have been a lot more ignorance back in the day regarding invisible disabilities/learning problems and so on - which is sad. In an ideal world though I would still have expected teachers to understand all children don't develop at the same rate, even without the increased awareness we now have of these conditions.

It was more the teachers in my senior school were surprised as I was in bottom sets in my senior school, had dyslexia and dyscalculia which did not help so made things that much harder. The careers lady at school told me to look at non academic careers as I wasent that way inclined.

yeOld I had dev delay and ds 4 starting school does, according to Paeditrician, he is 2 years behind, but due to his fantastic pre school attached to his local school, he is more like a year to 1:5 years behind. I can see me in him. He is very bright, but slow in academic things. He loves exploring and working out for himself. He is really developing socially. I just want him to be happy at school, and to make good progress for himself.

YeOldMa I do apologise in that case as completely misread your post! That is very sad. On the plus side you must be very proud of your DS as well