Maths interventions Yr 6 I don't want my dd to do it

[Chocolate2cake]

My dd, age 10 in Yr 6 at school has been struggling with mh to the extreme I've found suicide notes, notes saying she's useless at everything and notes saying she's fat and ugly. I struggle to get her in school.

She's come out of school today upset because she's been told she has to miss lessons one afternoon a week (probably art or PE, lessons she enjoys) to do extra maths for SATs. I'm angry.

I've told her Sats mean nothing, in 5/6years time college, apprenticeships or sixth form won't ask about sats.

I intend to tell school tomorrow that they are failing to offer her a broad and balanced curriculum, that they are failing to support her mental health and this intervention consolidates her belief that she's useless.

For all those that will say secondary school groups based on sats our local doesn't, it using CAT tests.

Am I missing something? Primary school should be about enjoying learning I don't care what she gets in her sats. I just want her to be happy.

Nbu...tell school she will not benefit from missing lessons etc

Bu..support school, make her do it.

In our secondary they are used to predict GCSE scores. But that’s not important, right now I’d decline too

I am a year 6 TA and run intervention sessions in the afternoon. I doubt your child is the only one being targeted for extra sessions. My sessions generally last about 20 minutes and target specific gaps in learning that have been identified. I currently have roughly 1/2 of my class doing some kind of intervention. Some are in small groups, some 1-1. I am careful to ensure that the children I see do not always miss the same lessons each week. They really do work if done properly and give children a major boost of confidence when they master something they have previously found difficult. I would say that the main thing to concentrate on at home is that she knows her times tables including understanding the link with division. I would check with the school and see if they can make sure that your DD is not missing the same lessons each week. Alternatively, can they use assembly time instead? I would think very carefully before saying you don’t want her to do them as the long term impact on her mental health could be far worse as she will fall further and further behind her peers.

I don’t think you really get a say to be honest. You can voice your opinion of course, but parents don’t get to dictate the school day. I think you going in insisting she shouldn’t do the interventions just confirms your daughters belief that it is a negative thing and something to make a fuss about and feel ashamed of - and it’s not. It’s a normal things that lots of children do (all abilities, so they can reach their best potential). These sessions are usually around 20 minutes or so, aren’t they? Not an entire maths lesson in place of PE or Art.

Our school did after school maths "clubs" for year 6s which was streamed so the help could be targeted (the kids thought they were just being put in random groups). The school overall had incredibly good SATS results. No one missed any other subjects. I think they also did something similar for literacy.

You're not doing her any favours by telling her, "SATs mean nothing".

I agree. Obviously if you’ve worked hard all year and then fluff up the exam because your dog just passed away or your very under the weather, that’s not a big deal. That’s knowledge you gained doesn’t just disappear because you can’t prove it on paper. But not learning what you need to in the first place or not achieving your potential because ‘SATs mean nothing’ is not ok. Catching up in secondary if you don’t achieve the expected standard in SATs at the end of primary is hard.

Mental health is important but it doesn't "trump everything" there are lots of benefits of working with the school to support your daughter instead of going in all guns blazing.

Support to catch up in an important subject when she's feeling down about not being able to do things seems like exactly what she needs though?
A confidence boost that she can do things with the right support and the support to get closer to her peers level in the regular lessons seems much more beneficial than attending every afternoon class.

I think it can only benefit her to have some more support with her maths now. No, Sats aren’t that important but if she is struggling a bit now she will be struggling big time by GCSEs and that will be important.

Thank yiu for the thoughts.
Am watching her at a sports club now. Will take a step back and talk to her later.

My honest view is that going in and telling them they’re not giving her a broad curriculum etc is overkill. Just say you don’t think it’s benefitting her - they haven’t done anything wrong, for fuck’s sake, intervention space is hard to get and they’re literally trying to support your daughter.

I would want to know who was planning and running the interventions because (whisper it) I’ve had TAs at my school deliver a range of interventions from the useless to the “leaves the class teacher in the dust”.

The interventions might help your daughter feel more confident but honestly it’s your call.

I'm I think YANBU for not wanting her to do it. Ultimately you know her best and have her all round needs in consideration, school is always going to be primarily focussed on the academic side.

I know lots of people who home school so kids never do formal maths, they have managed perfectly fine to live a wonderful life!

Tell school you don't agree and want her in normal lessons. Even if she is behind in maths and has to go into a lower group at senior school, who cares, she will be where she needs to be for her levels. Long as she is happy (obviously isn't right now, but can be) that is the primary thing.

Even GCSEs aren't the be all and end all, of course it makes life easier to begin with if you pass them, but if you don't you can resist, do them later, or do a job where they aren't as required. Not everyone is academic, none of my kids are, despite me actually being quite clever, and I work with kids who have struggled most of their life, they have way more to give than maths, or academia, people have such wide skills it's about time we looked at them more in society!

I think you're being a bit ridiculous OP.

Unbelievable! So angry because the school is trying to teach your daughter! For goodness sake, you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to deny your daughter an education. Shameful.

As a former secondary teacher, I think YABU.

If your daughter needs intervention in a core subject it really is worth trying to deal with this pre-year 7. Secondary's don't have the time to deal with gaps in foundation knowledge that should have been dealt with in primary, they have to crack on and this can cause kids to fall further and further behind.

It sounds like your DD already has some anxiety with regards to her abilities. It would be a real shame to turn down help when she needs it.

If you're going to turn down school interventions, I think it's your responsibility to organise extra-curricular maths tuition, if possible.

Unbelievable! So angry because the school is trying to teach your daughter! For goodness sake, you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to deny your daughter an education. Shameful

My secondary school daughter with severe anxiety was put in an intervention in a subject we didn’t care about. She was in such a state about it, she was being sick in the mornings and refusing to go in. We pulled her out of it.

She got a 7

That is a disgusting thing to say! You clearly have no understanding of mental health.

How can you say this based on so little information? She’s not being denied an education.

@NurseInTraining

Totally agree. The pressure kids are under these days is just appalling.

It's once a week. Get over it. Being literate and numerate matter much more than whatever she's missing, and will do her more good in the long run.

She's still receiving the curriculum, and when she gets good enough at maths, the intervention will stop.

You need to stop reinforcing any message that intervention means she's useless. I'm sure she doesn't think needing to go to school for an education at all makes her thick, but it's true that she'll benefit from the opportunity and she'll be far more knowledgeable at the end than she was at the start!

Has anyone assessed her for dyscalculia? Fairly sure I have it and maths was miserable for me! Was like looking at a bunch of scribbles and trying to turn them into something.

YANBU.

I used to be a primary teacher and part of the reason I left was because far too much was being asked of the children in English and Maths. The entire morning session every day from the time they are 5 years old until they are 11 is overkill. Kids who struggle aren't getting good results even with additional interventions, so what does that say?

Subjects like PE and Art are so important for emotional wellbeing. I would definitely be speaking to the teacher and head teacher if necessary. My child would not be doing any additional Maths during school hours.

Also, SATS are a joke and have no place in a good education system.

I teach in a SEMH school, I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all.

Regardless of SAts if she genuinely needs a little extra support with maths I would take it. It will be far worse in high school when they are moving on quickly if she doesn’t have a form grasp of the basics. Smaller group support may be what she needs to make her secure in what she needs for the next stage of learning.

I would speak to the school and find out what lessons will be missed, they will often schedule them so it’s not the same lesson missed each time.

How on Earth do you know what matters more to this child right now? You don't. Your quote "get over it" is the problem these days. OP is trying to put her child's mental health first as that is the priority right now, child can catch up on a few maths sessions, won't be able to if she follows through on her suicide notes because they couldn't "get over it".

OP secondary pastoral/teacher here - absolutely do what you feel is right for your child. Interventions don't mean your child is useless - my DD had intervention as she bordered on greater depth and they wanted to push this, but DD mental health was fine and she could manage this. Had it not been, and taking away her "release" subjects would have had a detrimental effect, I have enough experience to know what was most important in terms of catching up, what SATS actually are etc vs protecting her mental health. MH seems to be the priority and school should be supporting this.

Have a chat with the teacher and find out more - I'd be shocked if it's a whole afternoon of intervention.
In my last year 6 class we did quick 20 minute maths interventions each morning during tutor time and about 6 children went out of the classroom - different ones each time depending upon the topic being covered. It was really effective and didn't impact on other lessons.
I wouldn't be happy if my child was missing PE, art or music. The timetable already neglects these subjects.