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Original poster

Dd4 getting work wrong at school

138 replies

MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 20:48

Hi,

Just wanted to know if anyone has been in a situation where their child can do the work at home but isn't doing it at school.

My daughter is 4 years old and she's been struggling with her phonics. She's in the higher ability group but the teacher said she isn't keeping up with the pace of the group. She has a spelling test twice a week with two different lots of spellings. She's been getting 1 or 2 or 0. But we haven't been practicing, tbh, as reading and other homework takes up enough time. But the teacher says she's getting simple spellings wrong like black, crab, train, etc. But at home she writes these words in a sentence with me just emphasising the letter that she can't hear, c-r-ab, b-l-ack.... She's writing amazing sentences at home using her phonics knowledge. But at school the teacher says she's not hearing the sounds and I've told them she has glue ear and is under a consultant for this, in the meantime she needs to lip read as well as hear.

What makes a child do the work at home but not in school? They keep saying they can't help her more. They've already put her next to the teacher and she's still getting the words wrong! I've uploaded photos on class dojo of the work she's done at home but they haven't said anything back.

What do I do?!

My dd says she doesn't want to make her teacher sad because her teacher gets sad if she gets her words wrong and she has a panic in the morning saying we didn't practice our words enough. And I have to tell her that it's okay to make mistakes and nobody should be getting sad by you getting your words wrong. We learn through mistakes.

I feel so sad for her. She's a capable girl and I know she has trouble with distinguishing between th and f and if a w word begins with wh or w and she will ask me to repeat again but aside from that I don't see the problems at home that they're mentioning.

OP posts:
Bluevelvetsofa · 22/05/2024 20:50

She’s four years old and having spelling tests twice a week?

I think she’ll be put off school. It sounds very pressured.

EsmeSusanOgg · 22/05/2024 20:51

Do they have sets for 4 year olds!!!

Sorry, slight tangent there. It may be that she is just more distracted at school. Lots to see/ do/ people to interact with? She is still very little and getting used to the set-up.

angelikacpickles · 22/05/2024 20:52

Spelling tests for four year olds??

AGodawfulsmallaffair · 22/05/2024 20:54

Oh my Lord, she’s a baby. My ds couldn’t write his name at 4 .

Domino20 · 22/05/2024 20:54

What do you do? Play more, she's 4yo and the school/sets/tests are absolutely ridiculous.

CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 20:55

She can do it at home because you are saying the sounds for her.

It might be that phonics just isn't going to work for her if she can't hear the sounds. I would recommend trying to encourage her to recognise the whole words but that would be complete HERESY as phonics is the only way now. I learned to read with flash cards in the late 50s and later, as a student teacher, used different methods but that has been out of favour for a while.

Nctodayjan24 · 22/05/2024 20:55

She's 4 and spelling black and crab.
Quite the opposite to a problem she is amazing. I have taught infants (in Ireland) for years and this is work for a good group of 7 year olds.
I am genuinely gobsmacked in spelling tests twice a week

Original poster
MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 20:56

I thought two tests a week was a bit much too but I'm not familiar with EYFS curriculum and what is the norm. Any teachers here?

OP posts:
CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 20:56

I agree with what the others have said about not worrying about it.

PeppermintPorpoise · 22/05/2024 20:57

This is a lot for a child her age. What kind of school is this? Even (most of?) the hot house private pre preps dont do all this in reception. Perhaps you need to dicuss her moving ability groups, whatever that means at 4 🙄

Octavia64 · 22/05/2024 20:58

It's unusual to have spelling tests in reception.

If she has glue ear she may have trouble hearing. The only way you can keep her in the higher phonics group (if you want to) is to practice the spellings.

RitzyMcFee · 22/05/2024 20:59

Two spelling tests a week!

The best thing you can do for her is to learn the sounds yourself.

Original poster
MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 20:59

CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 20:55

She can do it at home because you are saying the sounds for her.

It might be that phonics just isn't going to work for her if she can't hear the sounds. I would recommend trying to encourage her to recognise the whole words but that would be complete HERESY as phonics is the only way now. I learned to read with flash cards in the late 50s and later, as a student teacher, used different methods but that has been out of favour for a while.

I'm just emphasising the l in black and r in crab. Is that wrong? Now with enough practice she can sound it out herself but she wasn't hearing the l and r.

OP posts:
whereisthebloodything · 22/05/2024 20:59

They are not simple spellings. Cvc words - dig, dog, cat - are simple spellings. Your poor daughter. I'm ac teacher in Scotland. We've gone the other way and now have hardly any learning in p1. I don't understand why we can't find a middle ground!

CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 21:00

MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 20:56

I thought two tests a week was a bit much too but I'm not familiar with EYFS curriculum and what is the norm. Any teachers here?

I've been retired for 10 years so there might have been a lot of changes. I wouldn't have done formal 'tests' but had to do a lot of assessments.

I would suggest you talk to the teacher about your child's hearing difficulties and get her to find other ways of helping.

Original poster
MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 21:02

CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 21:00

I've been retired for 10 years so there might have been a lot of changes. I wouldn't have done formal 'tests' but had to do a lot of assessments.

I would suggest you talk to the teacher about your child's hearing difficulties and get her to find other ways of helping.

Show quote history

She says other than putting her next to her she can't do anything else and has referred her for speech and language therapy. They keep saying they're really concerned she can't hear some sounds. The consultant said its because of the glue ear. We are waiting for the referral and I've raised this issue up twice with the teacher and she says I have to wait for the referral and its not in their expertise.

OP posts:
CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 21:02

MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 20:59

I'm just emphasising the l in black and r in crab. Is that wrong? Now with enough practice she can sound it out herself but she wasn't hearing the l and r.

Show quote history

I'm not saying you are doing anything wrong but it will just be easier for her if you are emphasising the sounds.

CaptainMyCaptain · 22/05/2024 21:03

MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 21:02

She says other than putting her next to her she can't do anything else and has referred her for speech and language therapy. They keep saying they're really concerned she can't hear some sounds. The consultant said its because of the glue ear. We are waiting for the referral and I've raised this issue up twice with the teacher and she says I have to wait for the referral and its not in their expertise.

Show quote history

Is she likely to get grommets? I have known these to help a lot.

It's a bit of a cop out to say school can't help. Children who are completely deaf can learn to read.

Original poster
MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 21:05

whereisthebloodything · 22/05/2024 20:59

They are not simple spellings. Cvc words - dig, dog, cat - are simple spellings. Your poor daughter. I'm ac teacher in Scotland. We've gone the other way and now have hardly any learning in p1. I don't understand why we can't find a middle ground!

She was very good with cvc words, it seems the ccvc words are a bit harder for her to pick up the second sound.

And they said she's still confusing th and f. At home she will ask me do yoy mean th as in thank you or f in flower so she understands that they sound similar and she can't distinguish the sounds by hearing but will ask.

OP posts:
dinkybella77 · 22/05/2024 21:05

Reception teacher here, sounds very formal to me for a 4 Yr old.
The reason she gets it right at home- she is less pressured and she gets more 1:1 help.

Sounding out the letters individually (segementing) is the bit that she needs more help with from you at the moment but she will be able to do it on her own in time. Consonant blends such as ' bl' and 'cr' are harder to segment

Tumbletre · 22/05/2024 21:05

Wow this sounds like an awful pushy school, she’s only 4!

Notellinganyone · 22/05/2024 21:06

Bluevelvetsofa · 22/05/2024 20:50

She’s four years old and having spelling tests twice a week?

I think she’ll be put off school. It sounds very pressured.

This. Shocking really. Far too early.

Sdpbody · 22/05/2024 21:08

Is this a private school?

This seems insane for Reception.

Original poster
MelThomas1 · 22/05/2024 21:09

She keeps saying the teacher gets sad if she gets it wrong. That didn't sit right with me and I have a meeting with the HT coming up on Friday to talk about this referral and I'm wondering should I bring this up?

OP posts:
HelenaWaiting · 22/05/2024 21:10

I don't know if this will help at all, but my youngest was frightened of his Reception teacher and would just clam up. She couldn't get any response so wrote him off as not very able. When I pointed out that he could do it at home she made it very clear that she thought I was doing it. Turns out he was very bright indeed.