To wonder if I should be concerned

[Covidpositive19]

Just had parents’ evening for DD (year 2).

Her work is great, she is ahead in reading and can write beautifully. Is well liked and has a small group of close friends.

She isn’t great when it comes to concentrating. She leaves her seat a lot without asking, especially when the teacher is giving the whole class a lesson. Will wander off to top up her water bottle, or go to the toilet, or come right up to the front of the class to ask the teacher something. Or chat if she is actually in her seat. As if she has no regards for the teacher speaking and everyone sitting and listening.

It’s always been this way really, since reception. She knows right and wrong, she knows the teacher is in charge. She is apparently apologetic when reprimanded but it keeps happening!

She is still very young, so it may be that she just forgets how she should behave in class. Have you had a chat with her at all at home to build on what the teacher is saying to her at school? It sounds like she’s doing really well generally, which is great.

I would consider inattentive ADHD just because it sounds like me. I wouldn't be hard on her, she's young and it doesn't sound like she's being deliberately disrespectful. She'll get there. Concentrating and remembering the rules all day can be exhausting and forgetting sometimes is better than becoming unhappy and anxious about it.

Yes, since reception really! Certainly since the beginning of Y1. She says she forgets to ask to get up a lot of the time. I have been really trying to stay on top of it but I only get told at parents’ evenings which are 3 times in a school year. I naively assumed she would grow out of it…

Does your DD’s school have a SenCo? If so, I’d have a quick chat with them just to see if they could observe your DD, and if they’d think she’d benefit from any support or assessments.

Is she desperate for the loo so just has to go and get out of there?

You could try role-playing at home? My daughter always wants to play schools at home (she's year 1) so this could be an opportunity for you to role-play it out maybe.

Doesn’t the teacher have any suggestions as to how to handle it or why she’s doing it? I can’t see the point of them not suggesting anything as they are the ones who see your DD in action.

No suggestions. Parents’ evenings are so short, I feel I’m in the dark a lot.

That's a good idea

@CluelessAtClothing I’ve done a bit of that in the past with DD toys, but not for a long while so it’s definitely worth a try. I have also started making sure she asks to get up from the table at home. I’m not sure if that’s a basic piece of parenting that I have missed but I’ve noticed she gets up Willy Nilly without asking. She needs reminding almost all the time, tonight she did remember to ask though!

I wonder if she could have ADD or she just lives in her own head most of the time!

She doesn’t listen first time at home usually, so it’s definitely a theme!