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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Nursery reports that are flights of imagination

67 replies

SantanaLopez · 01/04/2017 19:45

The more I think about this, the crosser I get.

DD just turned four in February there. She is a very good and happy wee girl. She likes going to nursery, plays well, comes home covered in paint etc etc.

I just got her report back and it is all total shite. She can add and subtract in her head and is also beginning to blend.

This is total claptrap- especially as neither adding, subtracting nor blending has even been taught!

I found it vaguely amusing at first, but I really am a bit cross. DH says it's a nursery report, and not worth the paper it's written on, but it's the principle of the thing.

AIBU to ask for a meeting to discuss it?

OP posts:

Avioleta · 01/04/2017 19:48

Can I ask why you're so sure these things haven't been taught? I'm pretty sure they're part of the EYFS so they should be.

But yes, there's nothing wrong with asking for a meeting to discuss it. YANBU.

Fannyfannakerpants · 01/04/2017 19:49

I should hope that they are teaching adding and subtracting. I'd be very worried if not. In a nursery setting it may be as simple as 'you have 2 breadsticks and Sally has 2 breadsticks, can you count how many that is altogether.'

Original poster

SantanaLopez · 01/04/2017 19:50

We're in Scotland, so following CfE instead of EYFS.

I'm pretty sure they haven't been taught, because I (obviously) asked DD what four add two was when I read it.

OP posts:

museumum · 01/04/2017 19:52

Have you got another child's report. My ds (3.5) shares a first name with a 4.5yr old in his nursery and there have been mix ups.

mumofone1234 · 01/04/2017 19:52

YANBU

Original poster

SantanaLopez · 01/04/2017 19:53

I don't think it is a mix-up as DD's name is quite uncommon and they've also attached photographs of her to the report.

OP posts:

EdenX · 01/04/2017 19:54

Children are often different at home and at school/nursery. When they're doing a group activity or game and everyone else is blending or subtracting she probably joins in whereas she might not want to "perform" out of context at home.

Sounds like you have a very difficult relationship with nursery if your first thought is that they are lying to you!

Ca55andraMortmain · 01/04/2017 19:56

I doubt they've been teaching them mental strategies for addition and subtraction of they're following CfE. The Es and Os for early level talk about being aware of what numbers are, counting a group of objects and counting on and back. Even if they have been teaching them addition and subtraction, very weird of them to say she can do it if she can't. Maybe it's someone else's report? There's a fair amount of copy and pasting involved in most report writing so it might be that?

Ladybirdtinselturd · 01/04/2017 19:56

Preschool children often can't generalise their learning. She may well be demonstrating her ability of basic adding or subtracting in the nursery setting during a particular task such as snack or a group game, but not be able to answer you at home. My 3.5 DD can do this, as could hundreds of preschooler's I gave taught over the years.

Groovee · 01/04/2017 19:57

I'm a Scottish EYP and we are doing a lot more work that we would have done in P1 not nursery. Do you have a parent consultation soon? If not you could ask for one and the staff would explain their tracking and how things are being taught.

Original poster

SantanaLopez · 01/04/2017 19:59

They offer very good care, but the learning opportunities are not so hot. They don't teach phonics at all, and I have rarely seen counting activities set up, beyond the numbers on the wall. They also don't do group activities- it's totally free flow.

I know this because they were baffled I was going to defer her.

OP posts:

gammaraystar · 01/04/2017 19:59

My kids could do these things at 4... that is normal. I would be worried if they couldn't!

EdenX · 01/04/2017 19:59

Agree lots of 4 year olds would struggle with a "maths question" who are perfectly capable of doing simple calculations in a practical context. 4 plus 2 doesn't mean anything, whereas we have 4 boys and 2 girls today, how many cups should we get out? does.

EdenX · 01/04/2017 20:01

If they are talking about blending then why do you think they don't do phonics? Do you mean they don't do written letters? Blending and segmenting should be oral at nursery age.

Original poster

SantanaLopez · 01/04/2017 20:02

4 plus 2 doesn't mean anything, whereas we have 4 boys and 2 girls today, how many cups should we get out? does.

She could answer the second question only by touch counting all of the cups. That is different to being able to do it mentally.

OP posts:

EdenX · 01/04/2017 20:06

Maybe they have seen her do it without touching the cups though? It wouldn't be unusual for a bright 4 year old. If you are curious why not ask for a chat with her key person and have a look through her file. I find it so odd that your first thought would be they have made it all up for some unknown reason.

TinselTwins · 01/04/2017 20:07

Would you rather the staff spent their time perfecting reports or sitting on the floor playing with kids?

I find crap nursery reports reassuring - the more thrown together the better IMO

Original poster

SantanaLopez · 01/04/2017 20:11

I just can't understand why they would write a load of guff (I know she can't add/blend) instead of 'DD can count forwards and backwards to ten. She recognises all numerals apart from numbers 9 and 6'.

OP posts:

EdenX · 01/04/2017 20:14

Exactly. So surely the most obvious explanation is that in a different environment with different resources, activites and people, your DC does different things to home? Why not just ask her key person, understand more of the context, see the evidence their judgements are based on?

NoLotteryWinYet · 01/04/2017 20:18

it would concern me, you should have a word about it. Either they've got the wrong child or are using terminology in an interesting way!

luckylucky24 · 01/04/2017 20:21

DS is very different at nursery to home. His learning skills are transferable so if I say "if I have 2 sweets and you have 2 sweets how many do we have", he can answer. But languages that he picks up at nursery he cannot repeat at home. He also tries foods at nursery that he wont eat at home. Those things should be taught so it is not impossible. Maybe they are embellishing rather than outright lying?

Goldmandra · 01/04/2017 20:28

Why don't you arrange a meeting and ask them to explain how their judgements were made?

sniggy01 · 01/04/2017 20:35

As a nursery teacher I am wondering if they mean she is having experience of these things - which may mean it is happening through play activities but not formal teaching - although we have 15 minute slots where letters and sounds and number activities are introduced. Not all the children pick up on this at this stage and I don't know many that could answer the question what is 2 plus 2 but they get lots more opportunities and might understand the concept. As they send home reports Do you also get a parents meeting where you can discuss things? I find these much more productive than paper reports as questions can be answered straight away and these kind of problems can be sorted out straight away.

Marcipex · 01/04/2017 20:38

They really wouldn't write about things she hadn't done, I write my reports very carefully and so do my colleagues.

DGD is 4 and remarked last week that G r a c e says Grace. ( Not her own name! ) Nursery have taught this, not us.

muckypup73 · 01/04/2017 20:41

Op blending is in the reading, not in maths.

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