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 don't think their expectations are low but they will see a wide range of children and abilities quite often down to age. Between the eldest and youngest in my daughters' yr is a whole yr - there is a big difference between the child who is 5 as they start school and the child who has just turned 4.

In addition they have to build rapport and settle the children so they are enthusiastic and OTT with their praise. I am sure your DN has a promising start ahead though!

YABU - I'm 44 and I don't know what a CVC word is.

I don't think their expectations are low but they will see a wide range of children and abilities quite often down to age. Between the eldest and youngest in my daughters' yr is a whole yr - there is a big difference between the child who is 5 as they start school and the child who has just turned 4.

In addition they have to build rapport and settle the children so they are enthusiastic and OTT with their praise. I am sure your DN has a promising start ahead though!

I imagine she's starting at the lowest they'd expect in case he was outside the lowest expected norm & might need some help? & just being really friendly & encouraging so he has a positive & welcoming 1st impression

Woolyheads they are consonant vowel consonant words like HAT, RAT

We had a home visit too when dd started reception. Her class teacher and the teaching assistant came and the TA did things with her like asking about colours etc while the teacher asked me questions about her, home, whether she can do x y z.
She struggles academically now but had no problems with any of the stuff they had brought with them.
And I was extremely bright as a kid, started reception being able to read 'normal' books from a library and could add subtract blah blah blah. I think it made a huge difference to how easy I found school but essentially, it was too easy, the school didn't push me, I lost all interest and by gcse year I had spent so much time fannying around I had fallen behind and ended up with reasonable, but not great gcse's, having been predicted A's across the board. Education is entirely dependent on the relationship between child and school imo, being clever doesn't guarantee success later on and being behind doesn't mean you cannot catch up and excel later

My 3 year old cannot recite numbers and her speech is extremely low level. I think you have to see that not all preschoolers have the same capabilities, it isn't down to poor parenting.if she was a month older she would be starting primary this year. You also sound very smug unfortunately not everybodies children are as clever as your nephew or daughter.

Most primary school teachers I know would far rather have a happy confident child who is able to play well with others and listen when needed than one who can already read longer words with easier phonics basics missing, probably write differently to the way they would be taught and has a pushy parent that keeps the teacher chatting whenever they are spied in the playground (usually for no other reason than to express how much sunshine comes out of their child's behind and show what an 'amazing parent' they themselves are).

Teachers aren't usually impressed with parents making their kids jump through hoops until they are at least 6 (and even then it's debatable!).

You don't want to push them so hard at home that they resent it and stop putting any effort in because nothing is good enough.

There are far more important things to be able to do in reception:
speaking clearly
understanding turns and sharing
a bit of self care (washing hands after toilet) etc

The "activites" are probably designed not to test the activity itself, but to see how they child reacts to being asked to participate, how they express themselves etc

Social skills are far more important than academic skills in reception (and arguably, in life!)

I could read basic books independantly before reception, I wasn't very good at the social side of primary school…

I'm of about average academic ability now (got a batchellors but no masters etc.. pretty basic level professional now)

I was somewhat surprised when my DD told me that her DD's nursery class teacher and teaching assistant would be making a home visit (DD and DGD live with me). This never happened when my DD was starting school,some 29 years ago. I felt like we were being 'checked up on',despite the school's reassurances that it was just so that her prospective teachers could 'get to know her'. What didn't improve matters was that my DD's tropical fish tank had spring a leak 2 days previously,in the living room,so that room was in a state of disarray,with furniture moved,carpet taken up etc in an attempt to dry things out. So we couldn't take them in there. My DD explained this to them but I am sure there was 'a look' exchanged between the teachers. I felt they thought we were trying to hide something!

Also people need to be aware that if you ask the teacher repeatedly for a brilliant report on your child they will probably give it to you. A smug mum once tried to show off her child's reading book in the playground to me several years ago as the teacher had apparently said she was "amazed" by her DC's reading - she was a level below my DC (unlike her I didn't feel the need to let her know this). Everything needs to be taken as harmless encouragement at this level.

mary not necessarily. Using me as an example I was not very bright in my primary school years, certainty at 4 I could not read, write I did not know my letters. I coukd not do simple sums, I somehow accelerated later on. I have a BA 2:1 in psychology and a good Msc health psychology and will hopefully do a PhD later. There are lots of late bloomers like me, so children should not be written off at an early age. Children develop at different rates, generally you cannot really tell how academic a child will be later.

Being able to read and do sums at the age of 4 is not really an indicator or academic ability as some children will not have been taught those skills yet.

Regardless, the fact that there are some exceptions does not mean that there is "little relationship" between academic ability at a young age and in later life. As I said that majority (note: not all) of the children in the "top" tables at my Dds' reception classes have continued to be more academic than their peers, even at secondary school.

Oops, wrong attitude, coolerthanthereddress - better change it PDQ or they'll have you down as touchy and defensive with something to hide....

At 4 all it means is that that's what their parents have spent time on

I know 4 year olds who can ride a bike without stabilisers.. because their parents are keen bike riders and a lot of time was spent on that

I know 4 year olds who can surf.. because that's what they were exposed to at home

I could fish at 4, because that's what I was exposed to

I could also read….. because my parents spent a lot of time teaching me to read.

I couldn't play football, because nobody had ever taught me, I know some 4 year olds who are quite good at some sports though

I couldn't ride a bike or surf or bake (my DD could bake bread almost without help other than the hot/dangerous bits at 4, because I make bread a lot) but I learnt to do those things later when the opportunities were presented to me

It says very little about the 4 year old's natural abilities usually, 4 year olds learn what they've been exposed to.

Mary I agree with that, what I am trying to say is that if a child is not academic in primary school does not meal they will be like that as a teen or adult. My ds 4 cannot understand simple sums or cvc words yet, we are just about counting to 20, and beginning to follow instructions and sit for a period of time. His ability to hold a pen is sporadic, but I am sure in time he will grasp those things, he just wasent able to at stRting school. He has skills in other areas. Children differ in skills at that age, later on it starts to even out.

This just comes off as a tedious stealth boast Would you rather the teacher was nice or said something to him like - "DUUH big deal i've known all MY colours for years."

What is even the point of this thread - should the teacher have arrived with a formal entrance exam for him to sit?

I do remember the teacher coming to see DS4. Looking back, it was obvious as the nose on your face that my poor dear boy had ADHD (I couldn't see it). And the teacher stayed bravely enthusiastic and full of praise as he leapt around the kitchen, was unable to settle to anything, and spoke rapid goobledegook to her. So don't be too carried away by the praise!

It is the usual practice for schools to offer parents a home visit for their children so that the child can meet the teacher and parents have the opportunity to raise any issues they may have. It makes the first day at school a lot less pressurised for many people. As for the reactions of the teacher to your nephew's ability, this would have been because she wanted to praise him and make him feel good about what he could do. Her reaction does not reflect the ability of the rest of the children at the school. Many children are able to recognise their own names, read numbers and recognise colours before they go to school.

I am a teacher and maybe some of you will be surprised to hear children arrive in Reception unable to dress, wipe themselves, use a knife and fork. Increasingly, as carers spend most of their time on mobile devices, children arrive barely able to talk properly so it is no surprise to me that teachers have low expectations

Aeroflotgirl I agree that a 4- year olds skills depends on what they have been taught. However, once they are at school think there is a correlation between the ability to learn skills and academic ability in later life. Obviously, there will be exceptions but I don't think it is true to say that there is no relationship at all.

YABU.
Children progress at very different rates at that age and the teachers behaviour was perfectly normal imo.
Using a platform to convey how amazing your nephew is perhaps?

Bit misguided thinking what goes on in your home is only your business, we all have a duty of care to those vulnerable in our society hence if suspected abuse we have a duty to report it even though going on in the privacy of someone's home!!

I am not saying there is no relationship at all, you can have the late accelerators I am sure I am not in the minority. If my academic ability at primary school was to go by, I would not be expected to go to uni, the teachers certainly did not and were very surprised to hear I graduated with the results I did. It was not an RG uni, but I did it never the less. I worked hard, studied, something I hated at school. In fact I hated school, I retook everything at college with such supportive and encouraging tutors. They encouraged me to try for uni, which I did. So you can ver say for definite where a child will end up later, it like writing a child off which I hate!

I think there are proper studies that show that there's no long term benefit to doing academic work that early in childhood actually.

sure there'll be some early readers who do well academically later.. but they probably would have anyway

I think it also depends on whether its something that children do organically or not (mine both read early.. but we didn't "teach" them, they'ld see words and ask us to read it for them" and started teaching themselves that way, Vs when I was their age I was "taught" to read at home before school)

YANBU however....

The EYFS curriculum and expectations are so wide range for an age band that what one child can do within that band looks very different to what another can do.

I also suspect that the teacher was trying to put.your nephew at ease by over emphasising the praise