Worried about my ds

[venusmay]

Do is in a Year 4/5 class. He's in Year 5 and currently for Maths and some topics his class are going into the hall (Maths). His Maths over the last few weeks has really gone downhill. Other parents say the same. The class teacher is working with Year 4 and Year 5 have a TA (she used to work in after school club and only recently became a TA). Ds says that she gives them a worksheet and tells them to do it and then she sits with a boy who has special needs for the entire lesson. The other children have their hands up for help but the TA won't come to them.

I've complained to the teacher but AIBU to complain the the head?

If you’ve not had an acceptable response from the teacher then yes, contact the head.

Contact the head but be prepared to find out that the TA is employed as a 1:1 for the child w SN.

Rather than a complaint, you need a meeting/email with teacher over concern about the maths lessons not meeting his needs.

How did the teacher say when you asked her about it?

It's probably her job to sit with the child who has additional support needs for the whole lesson. That said, if the teaching isn't meeting your son's needs then of course it's OK to raise it.

*what

It sounds like the child with SN has a 1:1 TA who isn’t supposed to be helping the rest of the class. The teacher is only teaching Year 4 and ignoring Year 5. In which case you’d be right to complain because Year 5 are receiving no teaching. This is why I don’t like mixed year groups, half of the class always gets ignored.

I have raised it sgain with the teacher this morning so things might change. If not I will have to speak to the head. Other parents also feel the same way so they have also complained about the lack of support.

Is it possible this is due to covid shortages and the TA is trying (and understandably failing) to do two jobs at once?

@YukoandHiro no they haven't really had any staffing problems. The problem seems to be that they decided to do a split year 4/5 class and this hasn't worked so well.