Quick question as I write a long email to the school

[Someonepassthegin1991]

This is not regarding current homeschooling as mine has been off since March.
How as a teacher do you teach children to add up to 10

So say you were teaching using the sum 6 + 2.

Not as you would teach it home as a parent but specifically how it’s taught in schools ?

@AngelicaElizaAndPeggy it’s been really hard unfortunately daughter hasn’t been allowed to attend school since covid began.
We battled through with finally getting after even before covid a battle.
We got the funding that was needed after a lengthy process but still there is always an excuse as to why something that was in the plan can not be done and there excuse is fine if it was actually the reason but it isn’t which I know based on the work that is set and the lesson she is being sent.
It’s hard to explain but I have my answer. :)

@twistedsistersocks the local authority does and because I am apart of the plan and she is home with me so I am dealing with it. Receiving the work / communications etc.

I teach year 1.

First we use counters and count out 6 using touch counting on the table. We say 'I know I have 6' then get 2 more counters, touch one '7' and the other '8.'

When children recognise numicon plates we use these and count the holes with the same method as above.

1:1 are not education specialist. Their remit should be to set curriculum/learning approaches for children who need additional help. They are there to support the child to learn, not to teach them.

I would say that your complaint has to lie with the teacher who the TA works with.

I would also say that if your child has additional needs, you should consider if the gaps in their knowledge are due to their disability, rather than any failings in teaching.

I have a child who is Year 2 who is very behind and still struggles to read and write. This is not the teachers/TA fault. It is likely he has ADD/Dyslexia or something else but it would be unfair to blame the TA who works with him.

Won’t your DD’s 1:1 be a Teaching Assistant? If so, will she even be the one setting the work?

DS1 had a 1:1 throughout school (5-16). In primary it was a little hit & miss but in secondary he also had his own LA funded TA who was amazing & with him throughout. She wasn’t responsible for setting work however.

I know it’s hard to deal with parenting an SEN child through mainstream schooling. I have two younger children, both NT, and it really is a whole different scenario.

@Someonepassthegin1991

It does sound like you have a reasonable complaint, but I really would write it now, but don't send it until next weeks. I imagine all in schools are doing a great headless chicken impression, so if you send it now there is a good chance it will be lost under piles of other more pressing stuff-plus if they want an excuse to ignore it they have a ready made "forgot due to so much work" excuse.

Concrete - Pictorial - Abstract

• Concrete - physically counting thing, creating the calculation with objects

- Pictorial - pictures of things to count, picture representation of the calculation - Abstract - able to do it in their head/picture the calculation in their head, tell you how they worked it out and for number bonds to 10/20 or for doubles they 'know' the answer. They need to be secure at each stage before moving onto the next.

Sorry, their remit 'shouldn't be...'

Just what schools need. Another long (moaning) email from a parent.

@MrsBobDylan

1:1 are not education specialist. Their remit should be to set curriculum/learning approaches for children who need additional help. They are there to support the child to learn, not to teach them.

I would say that your complaint has to lie with the teacher who the TA works with.

I would also say that if your child has additional needs, you should consider if the gaps in their knowledge are due to their disability, rather than any failings in teaching.

I have a child who is Year 2 who is very behind and still struggles to read and write. This is not the teachers/TA fault. It is likely he has ADD/Dyslexia or something else but it would be unfair to blame the TA who works with him.

Some are, some aren't. We have one who has a MA in Education, a BSc in Science and a PGCE. Don't make assumptions that they aren't - a lot of former teachers work as TAs and do SEN support.

@blue25 no offence but this is something we have dealing with since reception and years later still not getting anywhere.
I have seen many many parents stressed about kids suffering without education etc for lockdown.
We have suffered for nearly 4 years with a lack of education.

Jeez, when did learning to add up become so complicated!!

A good way to teach is to start with Subitising.

That is the ability to look at a amount of objects and immediately know how many is there without counting.

This can be done with objects, shapes drawn on paper, when out for a walk and there's trees/swings etc.

Start with up to 3 then move to 5.

This is the fundamental basics a kid needs to be able to add up.

Because if they recognise 2 they learn to recognise 6 as 3 lots of 2. It's a visualising technique.

Then when they have 6+2 they will picture in their mind 4 lots if 2. If that makes sense? And will recognise it as 8.

Sold you start subitising 2's. when you out objects out for 6+ 2 make sure you put the 6 and 3 rows of 2 objects.

@MrsBobDylan you are spot on and that’s what my email is about ( is just a very long long long complicated story )

I have friends who qualified as teachers who due to the pressures in the profession, choose to work as TAs.

At my son's special school there are higher level TAs who can lead small group work and take on some curriculum planning, but a 1:1 TA remit is to support a child to enable them to cope with MS education.

Her 1-1 isn’t a TA though which changes things slightly she is hired from a tutoring agency from LA.

https://www.numberstacks.co.uk/uncategorized/what-is-subitising-and-why-is-it-important/

This is a good website that can probably explain it better than I can

When I pressed a complaint through the school's complaints policy at stage one the HT refused to respond so I escalated it to stage two regardless. Stage two response was laughable as they actually never referred to the complaint instead the chair of Governors told me what a wonderful school it was. I escalated it to stage three, which fundamentally was a panel hearing to determine whether or not the complaint had been addressed properly.
Funnily enough the panel deemed that the complaint had been handled correctly and reminded me what a wonderful school it was despite having had no stage one response and a stage two response that never even acknowledged the complaint much less address it.
By that time I wasn't bothered tbh because the aim was to get it to Ofsted and I knew full well that the complaint response would be another nail in the coffin and it was. My complaint will form the basis of the next inspection as it raises serious concerns about leadership and management at the school. I also referred it to DfE as advised by Ofsted and they launched their own investigation.
Anyway what I wanted to advise is that you look at the complaints procedure, if the school have missed deadlines then escalate to the next stage, if you get no response contact Ofsted anyway advising that the school have failed to meet the complaints procedure and six months have now passed. Be sure to contact DfE as well their school complaints department are really helpful and may well contact the school for you.

@Someonepassthegin1991

still there is always an excuse as to why something that was in the plan can not be done and there excuse is fine if it was actually the reason but it isn’t

I totally understand this. Do what you have to!!

That is different as her role is to tutor so I can see why you are frustrated.

It's so much harder to have a child with SEN in MS (depending on the school). Some MS schools just can't be arsed with the extra effort. I always felt we were lucky when we realized my middle child had SEN and would 'fit' into a special school. He did 6 months in a MS nursery and it was a bloody nightmare, everyone appointed themselves the expert on him.

Good luck op.

@Slightlydisillusioned she is at home not out of choice.
So basically she has a 1-1 from amazon agency funded by LA not school.
She has severe medical needs. This was put in place so that whether she was at school, home or elsewhere the 1-1 would attend and “ teach her “ she was signed off school and not allowed to attend from March due to covid not out of parental choice.

• tutoring agency.

The issue we have is how then when it came to her being at home they moved the goal posts and used excuses as to why she couldn’t attend home ( fully noted in ehcp about home and agreed with LA)

Well why should a tutor have to attend your home during a pandemic? Why should someone have to put their health at risk for the sake of your child’s education?

@Someonepassthegin1991 apologies, I see that now having read the posts while I was typing. It sounds justified that you are writing a letter of concern and apologies if any upset was caused by my post.