AIBU to send a snotty email to school?

[Dontbestupidagain]

My DD is in year 6 of a small school. She is very capable - greater depth in sats results and has a place at a very competitive grammar locally. The rest of her cohort are low ability and there is a high percentage of SEN. This hasn't been a problem generally and I have always felt the school have provided challenge for DD. Today however we had a conversation about what she had been doing at school. She said that in maths she went on the computer like always. I asked what she meant and it turns out that for the last three weeks she has been playing two maths games on the laptop as what the others are doing is too basic for her. She doesn't have a problem with this and has enjoyed it but she has had no teacher input or actual teaching herself. I'm pretty pissed off about this. I understand that she is more capable than the others but she has a right to be taught and stretched too. In my mind they should be setting her up for a strong start at secondary, plugging any gaps they feel she might have and building her confidence. Instead she has had nothing. I am going to write an email but just wanted to check that I'm not being over-zealous in my reaction. AIBU?

What an awful post for July of year six if it’s true roll on September for everyone’s sake !

I call absolute nonsense on this. You're either lying or embellishing. Either way there's no way on earth an entire class bar one failed their SATs.

Perfectly possible if it's a small cohort. When my ds started at his primary school there were only 3 in his year group (including him). There are 7 of them now in year 6. Where I live there are lots of small village schools which have several year groups to a class. I know who passed, and even quite a few kids' actual marks, because the children tell each other and ds told me.

@ADropofReality

'Substandard class'

What a vile term

All our yr six are pretty much chilling. They worked their hearts out for their sats.

They’ve got a massive transition coming up where they may not see some of their friends they’ve spent the last six years with anymore.

They’re having fun.

But yeah, complain about the lack of teaching because your exceptional daughter has completed the terms curriculum and the teacher is helping those that need it.

That is categorically not the case. I am a secondary school teacher. If a child has finished the curriculum, you give them work from off the curriculum

Well I don't know what kids in secondary are like at this stage of the year, but in primary the children are on their knees. They are emotionally exhausted and have very little left to give. The games that the children are accessing are still educational and allow them to practise their skills.

The OP didn't say her daughter was watching DVDs every day - which I have seen and really don't agree with!

Oh and YABU to send a snotty email. What on earth would be the point at this stage? If you have been generally unhappy with the school's provision for your daughter, then the time to complain was long ago, not in the last two weeks of her career there, when most schools are doing plays, trips and fun stuff anyway.

Singlebutmarried Precisely.

Is she really bright ? Quite often these children are 'school bright' but not so special when it comes to actual real life. It's not going to damage her long term. You sound like a pain. Just be glad she's doing well.

Well I don't know what kids in secondary are like at this stage of the year, but in primary the children are on their knees. They are emotionally exhausted and have very little left to give. The games that the children are accessing are still educational and allow them to practise their skills.

Oh god, they absolutely all deserve a bit of relaxed learning, don’t get me wrong. But that’s not what seems to be happening here. If teaching is continuing, teaching of the OP’s child should be continuing.

But on this one occasion I do feel after sats etc, she's safe and lined up for a great school.. Let her chill

Thank you. I won't send the email.

Whilst I have taken quite a lot of uncalled for abuse, this process has been cathartic. It has made me realize that I am actually quite bitter about what has happened with my DD and this has compounded those feelings.

Don't get me wrong, I'd raise it if it had been earlier in the school, but it sounds like they've done a good job stretching her throughout.
At my pushy prep school many years ago, we did no classes at all for the last week of term.
The last three days were completely unstructured and we weren't even supervised...just turfed out into the grounds and left to get on with it.
It's one of my best childhood memories.
I was still literally top of the class all through secondary. It's definitely not all it's cracked up to be.

But what @ADropofReality said isn't true is it?
It sounds like the ops dd has been lucky to have a tiny class, so fantastic ratio of teacher to pupil. The schools input has got her in to a grammar, despite the fact that she is completely different to every single other student. (She May well have had private tuition or whatever as well, we don't know, but she will have had the vast majority of her education at the school).

Like @LostInNorfolk said at the very beginning. This is thank you letter territory.

It isn't a secret at the moment that decent teachers are leaving the profession solely because of whinging parents like the op and others on this thread, whose expectations for their precious offspring is 121 attention at all times.

ADropofReality "A substandard class" Not only a vile comment, but an ignorant one. Many many primary schools only have one form entry. And even those who have more do not generally set children at that age.

Seems like the school have done a great job with her! Maybe thank them.

Frankly I’m impressed they are still doing maths as ours are literally just doing performance, leavers assembly, transition visits and the science we missed in the run up to sats

If a child has finished the curriculum, you give them work from off the curriculum. You don’t leave them to coast.

She’s playing maths games on a computer while the others are doing maths with the teacher. There’s absolutely Sweet F.A. evidence to suggest she’s ‘coasting’. She could very well be working on off-curriculum stuff via maths websites.
OP doesn’t know and neither do we.

@Dontbestupidagain you need to get over this before "big school", OP. Small fish, big sea territory there.

At my last school, I was lucky enough to teach at least one student in each year who was profoundly gifted. I still taught them. I found ways to challenge them. It was my job.

I see where you are coming from OP and YANBU. She should be receiving just as much attention and praise as the other children, irrespective of whether she has already shown that she knows the work. They should be giving her the opportunity to stretch herself.

I know what it is like being in that situation at school (it happened to me) and because they know you can do the work without any input you are totally forgotten about and get no praise at all. You are expected to do well and unless you misbehave you are left to your own devices. If you come top all the time you don't get awards, they go to everybody else for making improvements. You can't improve because you aren't given anything to do that you have to work hard at.

The OP's daughter acheived GD. If we are to believe that every single other child in the class didn't even achieve Expected, then the teacher is going to be under an awful lot of pressure to get those children upto the expectated standard before the end of term...

She hasn't said she's watching films or colouring. She said she's been playing maths games. If she's been using MyMaths or PurpleMash then she will be practising and applying those skills that she has mastered.

NoSquirrels

Well, I don’t know exactly what she is doing, but “two Maths games” in three weeks sounds shit to me. As I said, I don’t think the OP should go in like Rambo, but I would be questioning this myself.

My kids went to a private junior school, and did absolutely nothing once the AQE (11+) was finished. That was 6 months of time wasting. I thought they would have forgotten to write by the time they started big school in Sept.
They are both in grammar schools , and I can tell you now, they did nothing, not a flipping jot for the last 2-3 weeks of school again.
Drives me nuts but seems to be the norm.

At my last school, I was lucky enough to teach at least one student in each year who was profoundly gifted. I still taught them. I found ways to challenge them. It was my job

You are aware that this is the last couple of weeks of Summer 2 and not Autumn 1, aren't you? OP's daughter has been taught all year and now, she is applying those skills that she's learnt in a fun way whilst the teacher supports those children, of whom there are clearly very many, who are not so naturally gifted.

I can see your point, I'd be pretty pissed off if my daughter wasn't given the attention she deserved just because she's clever! They should all be given an equal amount of teacher time, regardless of ability.

Having said that, I'd be grateful that she's doing well and has done well in the school she's at over the years. At this point, I probably wouldn't bother saying anything.

I admit to not reading the whole thread, I feel you have a point OP. If you can't stick up for your child and ask questions who will. I'd write a factual email and send it to the head, it might make another child's time at the school better.

You are aware that this is the last couple of weeks of Summer 2 and not Autumn 1, aren't you? OP's daughter has been taught all year and now, she is applying those skills that she's learnt in a fun way whilst the teacher supports those children, of whom there are clearly very many, who are not so naturally gifted.

I don’t think that matters. She is entitled to the same teaching and support, regardless of how naturally gifted she is.