AIBU to think there is too much pressure and expectations put on infant school children

[BazilGin]

This may be a huge cultural difference that I will never get over. I started primary school at the age of 7. I move to the UK 10 years ago and my August born daughter started reception just after her 4th birthday. This in itself is wrong, but I am honestly shocked at the curriculum the teachers have to follow. She has just started year one and is given spellings every week that the teacher tests on Monday morning. AIBU to think this is too much too soon? She is doing well academically, but said she is sad they are not allowed to play and "in the morning it's literacy and we just have to get on with it". At this age I though they are just learning through play! Clearly not !! I honestly believed that infant school will be more play based, but they were doing lots of writing/ready ng etc even in reception. DD went to a wonderful Montessori preschool and somehow I thought that infant school will be just extension of that, sadly not. I wish the whole system was different. If my circumstances were different, I would home school as it breaks my heart.

[RainyDayBear]

YADNBU. My DD is seven months and I already worry about the education system she will go into. There is a Montessori school thirty minutes away, totally impractical but I'd love her to go there instead.

[CantStickCabbage]

Inmyown that's awful! DS has just started year three and he has one short maths worksheet a week plus reading books to bring home. He also has some maths facts to learn by half term but the suggested method is learning a small number each week.

[toffee1000]

I totally get the sentiments of people here. However, I would be too shit at homeschooling any potential kids I have. I also don't get why the government are obsessed with Chinese schools.
There is too much faffing around with education these days. It's not a fucking football for ivory tower dwelling elite poshos to kick around from pillar to post.

[arethereanyleftatall]

All I'm saying is realise that some children want to sit and learn.
They don't need to you're right, they want to.

[HeCantBeSerious]

I also don't get why the government are obsessed with Chinese schools.

We're slowly being sold to China.

[TisConfusion]

Yanbu. I was having this same conversation with my mum today. DD is in her third week of reception class and she brings home a new reading book every few days (that I then have to write comments about in the contact type book thingy) and she gets homework every friday which has to be in on monday. She's 4 years old! By the time we walk home from school it's 4pm and she's tired. She wants to watch a bit of telly then play with her toys before dinner, bath then bed. Weekends are usually busy as it's our family time. I feel mean telling her that we have to do homework now etc. I know it's been 20ish years since I was at primary but we honestly didn't have this pressure

[HeCantBeSerious]

Most primary teachers are setting homework because parents demand it, not because it's in any way helpful. Have a chat with them.

[RaskolnikovsGarret]

Both my DDs hated nursery, but loved the structure of school from age 4. They would have been very bored by play based learning. Maybe different approaches work well for different children. Very hard to accommodate different types of teaching in one class though, so it's difficult to find a solution.

[Blue4ever]

Look at the posts on this board 'is 3 years old too young to start teaching ds to read the time' ; 'my 2year old can't tell colours should I speak to hav about it'; 'my 10 months old can't speak yet should I be worried'. Sorry but a lot of worries and pressure on children comes from parents.

[dippymootoo]

The transition from reception to year one is too sudden. My son has just started year one and his behaviour at home has drastically changed for the worse. Why should such a little one be so sad in school because he just wants time to play and it's not happening any more? He can't understand the sudden change and I just don't want to send him anymore because I can see it is putting him off learning. He's very inquisitive and keen to learn but it's slowly being drummed out of him. He's gone from reading happily at home to refusing to read his reading books at all as he's just so exhausted - physically and mentally.

[arethereanyleftatall]

I don't know if it varies from school to school, but at ours a quick word with reception teacher reassured me their homework wasn't remotely compulsory. It was set because some parents demand it, and there are many many demanding, pushy parents, but the teacher wasn't fussed at all if dd didn't do it. So she did it whenever she wanted, and not otherwise.
Same with a sats, it just friends on the school. At ours they didn't tell the y2s they were sitting tests, so there was no pressure whatsoever. Unless of course the individual parents took it upon themselves to apply the pressure themselves.

[arethereanyleftatall]

Depends not friends

[FantaFoo]

I personally and professionally absolutely agree with you and I am a lecturer/ researcher in childhood and education. I wrote my PhD on the pressures in early education i.e. 4-7 years and basically how wrong the UK have got it! I've ranted about this for years, presented to politicians, social policy and education decision makers, I met michael gove (awful man!),I've published papers, and has it changed things at all - nope not in the slightest! Incidentally my son is now home schooled!

[arethereanyleftatall]

We talk a lot about how 'good' it is in Norway, but I do wonder how much people actually know about it.

My sister teaches 8 yr olds in Norway. She loved it for her children up till 7. But she said it's terrible - where in the uk we start at 4, teaches are accustomed to a massive variation in levels and cater accordingly. My sister says where they start later, they are all expected to be on the same level, there is no differentiation at all in the classroom, they are all taught the same at the same speed. I guess that costs less. So, their system isn't all rosy.

[BazilGin]

dippymootoo that's exactly how I feel. dd is exhausted after school, by the time we get home it's 4. Then she has 2 hrs to relax and play before dinner bath and bed. So far I am really disappointed with the state of education system here. The amount of hours they spend at school, they really should not need to do any homework! I remember finishing school around 1-2 pm depending on the day in the first 3 years of primary! (And that was between ages 7 and 9).

[Ellieboolou27]

*Aero thanks! I tried to do some spellings with her but she seems to small and didn't understand what we were meant to being doing. I think I will try your suggestion to just do very little a bit and try not to stress. She's only just 4, its like they don't have a chance to be kids for long at all these days!

[BazilGin]

FantaFoo I still do hope something will change. I was considering deferring DD only to be told she would need to go straight to Year 1, which defeats the objective. There seem to be a lot of equally frustrated parents out there. Maybe we need to make more noise!

[Enidblyton1]

YANBU

My DD has just started in Y1 and her school is very relaxed about formal learning. Lots of free play and time spent outdoors in all weather. She is starting to read, but no spellings/homework yet. The children in the class all appear happy and engaged. Plenty of time for formal learning when they are a bit older.

[Delatron]

I just don't know what our government is thinking. There is no research to back up this approach. Why don't they try to emulate the Scandinavian method, this has proven results!

[Aeroflotgirl]

That's right ellie, she's so little, don't stress her. Even have a word with her teacher and say that you think it's too much, too hard for her and to give her less.

[Nodney]

My little boy (yr1) yesterday said "we don't play at school any more" and last night "I hate books, I hate reading". It really concerns me as we are big readers in our house, but he's really digging his heels in. He doesn't even want a bed time story anymore

[bemybebe]

Home education looks like the only sane option.

[CodyKing]

They would have been very bored by play based learning.

Three kids - 2 were really happy to get on and learn - No 3 not so much

Which way would I vote? Difficult to say!!!! I would be throwing one or more of my children's learning experience away -

Maybe you should partition for choice rather than reform?

[Out2pasture]

the objective of early education is more about getting the adults back into the work force and has little to do with the children. it is government sponsored day care.
it also effectively keeps the children off the streets until they reach the age of maturity.
all the material necessary to meet the basic minimum level could easily be achieved in half the time.

[fleecyjumper]

Just don't do the homework. Write a letter to the school explaining why. Most teachers know that it is ridiculous but you wouldn't believe how many parents demand it. A bit of reading every day is all that is needed and you can make it fun by reading a page each or even half a sentence and they fill in the end. Also learning spelling lists is a pretty pointless exercise as spelling needs to be done in a multi-sensory way. The most important thing is for the child to know their sounds (phonics) and if they do then everything else will come in time. If they are struggling with phonics then that is what needs focusing on.