To raise this with the teacher?

[Whitepots]

DD, (Yr 4) has always been strong at maths - maths prize, selected for school competitions said to have natural ability etc etc. Definitely doesn't get it from me, but seems to love it.

This year, they have put them into sets for maths for the first time. DD thinks that she is in the middle or possibly the bottom set (and I suspect she is right) and says that they are going over things she knows/finds boring. (My priority is for her not to lose her enthusiasm).

It seems to me the options are:

1. The maths ability in the class has levelled out - children developing at different rates etc - she's now among those competent at maths but not particularly strong, and in the correct set; or
2. She's been put in the wrong set - they have a new teacher who doesn't know the children well yet - and should be moved.

So my AIBU is - would it be unreasonable to raise it with the new teacher - which would be my first contact with her and make me sound like 'that' pushy parent (!), or should I just trust the school to do their job!

I'm frankly delighted (as is DD) that she is back in school, and am happy if she is in the 'right' set, and appreciate this is an extremely minor issue...

That’s a perfectly reasonable query to raise with the school. I’ve always really hesitated to raise things with school, particularly difficult when you have a bright child because there is the fear of coming across as a pushy parent. I’ve tried to change and be a bit more confident speaking out on stuff like that - it’s important for our kids that we advocate for them so they aren’t overlooked.

Are they in the same set for everything?

I’m a teacher and wouldn’t think twice about you raising this, it’s definitely not pushy parent territory (in our school at least).

Have they done a test do you know or is this just based on what the teacher has seen since they came back?

It is very possible that the rest of the class has caught up.

It’s only been a week or so, let it run for a while before you say anything.

I think it's fine to raise it with school. Find out who to correspond with and see if you can have a conversation about it. It's a strange term, with many children missing months of schooling. Teachers will simply be finding out what the children know at the moment, and working out who needs extra support. I doubt very much if children will have been put into rigid groups just yet. But however it's being organised, if your child previously loved maths but is currently losing her interest in it, it's worth speaking to the teacher. It doesn't have to be confrontational. (I say that as a teacher. I would never have a problem with parents raising issues about their child's attitudes or worries).

I think you would be reasonable to raise the fact that she's finding the work familiar and not challenging, and as you said, that you don't want her to lose her enthusiasm. Ask if there is any potential for work that will stretch her a bit more, or query whether there is another set more suited to her if there isn't the option for more challenging work. I would hope most teachers will want to see kids achieving, and maintaining enthusiasm as much as the parents do.

We're in Scotland so have been back 6 weeks now and today in numeracy my class were still recapping things they have previously been taught. The maths curriculum is so broad it takes a while to full assess where all the gaps are. I suspect your DD's teacher is going over the same things with all the groups.

Today I thought I had pitched the lesson at the middle of the class but they found it trickier than expected and was all stuff they were taught a year ago. Since lockdown a lot of children have forgotten the basic numeracy strategies they need before they can progress, and the teacher will likely still be figuring out who needs help with what at the moment.

Just adding my own insight:

The reason she may be recapping old ground is because we currently have to determine what knowledge has potentially been lost during school closures. With perhaps a minimum of 30 in her class, its inevitable there will be children who know more than others which in this case is your daughter. Perhaps try to show it as a stepping stone for her: if she knows this content off by heart then it WILL help her moving forwards.

Personally, I don't advocate sets. They place ceilings on children but I think you could explore it with the teacher. 'I noticed year 4 are in sets this year, can I just check how X is getting on?' See what the response is and have a back up question prepared.

I am sure you will, but please be kind. It has been incredibly challenging recently with many parents upset with new systems and a lot of blame, anger and upset. I promise we really do have your children's best interest at heart.

No harm in asking.
I asked about DD's reading book, turns out the teacher made a mistake. It happens.

It might be that your daughter is mistaken about the level/table she's working at.

It might be that she has some big gaps.

It might be that the teacher got the seating from last year and there was a mistake there.

It might be that while she finds this week's lessons easy, what's coming is a lot harder.

You won't know until you ask.

I had a similar situation with English last year.

I raised it, had a few back and forth emails with the teacher who tried to say they weren't in 'sets' but groups (clearly not the case, looking at the children in the groups) and that they would all be working on the same texts etc.

I kept politely repeating the same thing (dd was upset and demotivated by what she saw as being moved down) and she did then get moved. Turns out they were working at a much higher level, different texts, etc. When homeschooling started the teacher was giving a few of the children in the 'top' set work from the year above - dd was one of them and she flew through it, so she was clearly one of the strongest ones in the group.

I really think the initial grouping was just an oversight or a numbers thing. Sometimes you have to be 'that parent' to make sure your children get everything they need/deserve. It's easy to get lost in the needs of 30 other kids, especially if they're not doing badly or being disruptive.

Many thanks all, some really helpful responses. It's particularly good to hear from teachers and get your views.

Ineedaholiday - they are in sets for other subjects and these seem to be 'right' for her.

Flamingo - that's a good question about a test. I don't know but will find out.

That's a very good point about it being a strange term, and there being a need to recap on things - they haven't been in school for six months after all.

I think I will probably give it a couple of weeks and see how it pans out. If she is still a bit disillusioned with it, I will raise it then.

Glera - absolutely! I'm delighted that they are back and very impressed with how 'normal' the teachers have made it all feel, while doing their best to keep them all safe.

This is very minor in the scheme of things...

I think it's fine to mention it, I would never have minded. I agree with PP that I wasn't a fan of sets. But when I have used them, it always took me a couple of weeks to get the sets right- I'd place children roughly where I thought they should be using a mixture of their previous teacher's assessments and my own observations from the first few days. I'd always end up shifting children around as I got to know them better. Perhaps this will be the case for your DD, but it's quite useful to know if a child is saying that the work is too easy at home.

Definitely mention it to the teacher if it is having an impact on her enthusiasm, the last thing the teacher will want is for her to lose her enjoyment and motivation.

Based on the assessments in my class so far, the groups are looking very different to last year. Children who engaged at home are overtaking peers who did not. The previous 'top' group is now spread out and my top three groups don't know where they are in comparison to the other two groups as they aren't with all the children they are usually grouped alongside.

As a primary school teacher and someone in leadership I can say that there is copious amounts of educational research out there that has found setting for primary age children to be a barrier to attainment and development of positive behaviour for learning.
I taught a child recently who never recovered from setting in year 4 and although massively bright, never reached her full potential because of plummeting low self esteem.
As you can tell, I am very against setting of primary children, gives me rage 😡 poor little thing. Definitely bring it up with the teacher (and beyond if you have the evidence to back it up!)