Uninspiring introduction to year one

[Randomsunshineovermull]

Just come back from a meet the teachers evening, my DD has just started year one, they gave a 20 minute talk on curriculum, homework, how to best support your child etc. I remember last years talk in reception and feeling the teachers enthusiasm and agreeing with their philosophy. I’ve an older child so I knew spelling tests, phonics screening etc would be talked about but they kept talking about how they are going to train the children, train them to do this, train them to that, I’m so tempted to email the head and point out you train a dog not a child, where’s the inspire, motivate, encourage?
There was a talk then by the senior leadership team and that was far more positive, so it’s not a whole school culture. But what a depressing start to the year!

It's an information talk. I'd expect it to be informative about the year to come.
Sure, some people are better public speakers than others and it's nice when you get someone you click with, but I've also met my fair share of teachers who are great at talking the talk, inspire / motivate / learning experiences you name it but dear me they were average practitioners at best. They had the gift of the gab with parents and visitors and senior leaders but as actual teachers they were average at best.

Please don't send an email or compare a parental talk to their ability to engage ks1 kids.

What were they saying they’d train them in exactly?

If you have an older child already you know what to expect so not sure how emailing would make a difference - just something the teachers will all have a chuckle about in the morning meeting!

OP I think YANBU. I had an identical meet the teacher talk last year and nearly left in tears. It didn't inspire me at all, it made me feel miserable. There will be NO time to play, NO fun, MORE learning, MORE structure, MORE responsibility etc. Other parents were lapping it up like the previous responses to your thread. I want to hear about how my child will be nurtured, how their individuality will be encouraged, how they can achieve through self directed learning, how they are addressing their need to explore and be outdoors. I don't want to hear how my 5 year old will be tested on spellings. Research shows children learn spelling through free reading faster than rote tests, that they consolidate more knowledge with self directed activities/play, that homework is overrated. Yes if you choose school over home education you need to accept a lot of things you may not agree on, but the current curriculum is not formualted on research and children's wellbeing and we should be allowed to express an opinion on that, not just smile and nod.

Let’s be honest - ‘inspire’ and ‘motivate’ are meaningless buzzwords. I distrust anyone who overuses them

^totally!

FWIW, I’m terrible at talking to a group of adults. I’m good at talking to a group of children- that’s why I teach in a primary school and not in adult education.

There is a huge difference between EYFS and ks1 sadly- due to the delights of testing 6 year olds on phonics and 7 year olds on everything. The teacher would be trying to inform you all about how they are going to try to support your child through those assessments.

Can you imagine how cringeworthy it would have been if she’d bounced out and talked to you all like 5 year olds, in an attempt to ‘inspire’ you?

Both my son's teacher last year and even more this year have really noticeable 'teacher voices' - both are very good but very new - both NQTs. Last one was fab and I think this one will be too. I'm not sure I could sit through a full meeting of being spoken to like that. I'm also not prepared to do the clapping and wiggly fingers for silence that I'm sure is probably more necessary in a meeting of adults than of the 5 year olds...

OP really! I bet the teachers had better things to be doing with their time (IN THE EVENING!) than explaining what they plan on doing to a bunch of parents who probably think they know/could do better!! I for one as a teacher would highly spending my evening doing that!! 🙄

Highly resent!! I am too tired tonight....

Thank you all, glad I asked here before emailing, in reflection it is obviously far more about my fears for my daughter not being ready for spelling tests when she can just about write her name and maybe a little sadness that the days of learning through play are gone and days of being trained to take tests are here already. Time for brain and heart to catch up.

It is a bit sad. My elder dd is very young in the year and I know she'd have been much better off doing everything a year later. A year longer at nursery, reception a year later and so on.
Her first year 1 teachers for the first half term were two retired teachers doing supply job share and they would have agreed with you as they remembered still having a sand tray in the classroom in year 1. In the 70s we played each afternoon until the end of year 2.
Both mine are now thriving and happy at secondary school but both found the transition to year 1 and less playing hard.

YANBU I knew it was a big jump to Y1 but I am struggling to try to enthuse my Son at the moment and lots of parents feel the same way. He is upset every day and says he has no play at all within class. Children are not robots, there should be more to School than spelling tests and screening.

I asked his Reception teacher about this at the end of Summer term and she said they were talking to Y1 about phasing them in, they would have toys in the classroom, be still allowed to play. In reality none of this has happened.

I don’t blame my Son for hating School at the minute, I feel the same. Y1 is still EYFS, I would hope most of the Teachers would recognise that. They are 5 and 6 year olds. I am so thankful I chose a Compulsory School Age start for my Summer-born so at least he hasn’t just turned 5.

The Curriculum is a travesty (thanks Michael Gove) and I would hope most Teacher’s would be against it too.

Jesus fucking wept. You, OP, are one of the reasons good teachers are walking away without a backward glance. In their thousands.

Yes, parents are the problem, not the government, not Ofsted but parents who would like their Infant School Children to be allowed to act like Children. I would write your email OP. It can only be a good thing in my opinion for Heads to know that not every parent is in favour of endless homework and screening.

Sorry in my opinion Y1 should be EYFS!

I'd like to have deferred my summer born dd but it wasn't an option back then. Do they stay in the year below throughout their education?

Darakdarknight-I agree with you completely.

AnneWeber yes in my LEA at least they stay with their adopted cohort throughout their education. It can be a bit more of a fight elsewhere in the country but they would have to prove it is in the Child’s interests to skip a year. I’m so grateful it’s an option now.

Bringonspring I would love EYFS to be until the end of infants. We are so out of step with the rest of the world. I really believe it is so detrimental to young children.