Helping year 3 child reach greater depth

[MrsMrsMrs12]

My year 3 child is currently ARE in all subjects. I think she is very capable of greater depth but she is in a very hectic classroom with lots of SEN and is, I think quite invisible - she is quiet and gets on.
can anyone recommend any apps or ideas for fun activities that could help her stretch to GDS? I would prefer not to get a tutor but would look into this if needed.
thank you

Writing is the most difficult area to get to GD imo. At y3 age lots of children lack the maturity to put in the effort with it, they don't always see the point of adding layers of meaning, and lots will lack the emotional awareness to pick up inference.

Lots of primary schools focus heavily on flowery descriptive writing which is not the only good quality writing. As a pp said, the best writers are selective. Some of the sample "greater depth" writing out there actually isn't always brilliant, some if it has too many adjectives forced in clumsily.

I'd also agree with a pp that you can't actually really teach it. Reading loads/being exposed to a big range of good writing, is the best thing you can do.

Maths: play lots of board games. Not silly ones, more complex strategic ones where they need to keep track of scores or values. Give your DC loads of opportunity to handle money etc. Ensure times tables are absolute rock solid and fast. Maths some kids do "get" but anyone can build competence with enough practice - works pays off.

Reading: provide a wide range of good quality literature for your DC and encourage it. Discuss what they are reading with them but don't go overboard questioning, it can just put them off and its more important that they love reading and spend time reading.

Hmm. I think you've hit the nail on the head when you admit that SEN does not always mean that a child needs more resources or more time. As I have said, the narrative, and the way SEN kids are spoken of and about, needs to change. The fact that you and a previous poster can't see the issue with how the posts have been phrased is very telling, and, to be honest, part of the problem.

Thanks for the citing of the Code of Practice. I actually have a PhD in this area by the way and my published work is not viewed as 'illogial' by the research community but cheers 👌

I'm sorry you take such an issue with my post. It's a shame MN is so combative; I am genuinely interested in professional discussions and hearing different viewpoints. I was quoting the Code of Practice because so much stuff on MN is just anecdotal and the vast majority of people won't have read it.

I actually said the opposite to what you quoted - that a child on the SEND register will always require more resource in some sense. I honestly don't know how you can provide something 'additional to or different from' without more resources. Can't you give examples? That resource is not always time, as I said. If a child doesn't need anything different or additional, surely they wouldn't be on the SEND register, diagnosis or not? The problem is the lack of funding for ALL children; I'm not sure how that can be disputed. I don't for a second think children with SEND are taking away resources from anyone else, if that is what you thought was being implied.

Well here’s a story…

My DD was working in greater depth in English and Maths (mostly) throughout primary. They didn’t do SATS in year 6 due to covid but had mock sats before lockdown where she got 118 English or reading and 111 in maths. (Average and ‘pass’ is 100) highest score is 120. They told me her reading age is 14.5 when she was year 6.

She passed the grammar test for the nearest grammar school but it was too far way so we decided against it. No private tuition.

She then started secondary and they are
assessed using MidYis (parents have no idea but it basically tests them all and it gives you their potential grades) she scored the highest in her cohort of about 300
kids (again, parents don’t find out their score as a rule - I found out because I was going to perhaps send her to the grammar school after all and they wanted to know her scores. She scored 129 - average is 100.

On the back of the above, she was given target gates of 8’s for every GCSE and was on target for everything mostly. I had high aspirations for my ‘clever’ child but unfortunately it went a bit tits up and in her first mock she got a 3 in English Language, second mock was a 5, though she missed 1/3 of it because she didn’t realise there was another question.

My point is that children peak and fall. I used to ask the same types of questions but the reality is, you can’t really teach a child to get greater depth. You can read with them and make sure they enjoy it and get plenty of practice but at this age, that’s about it. No child in year 3 who is average needs a private tutor. What will be will be.

This is so passive and lacking in ambition. What kind of lunatic parenting is it to leave your 8 year old to decide how hard they want to work?

You’re totally off the mark here and rude AF!

@Melancholyflower is right, no 8 year old who is working within age relate expectations needs intervention.

I’ll tell you what lunacy is, paying a private tutor to see if they can get your child to work above age related expectations at 8!!

Plenty of people don't even agree with homework in primary school, never mind making them do extra to push them ahead.
Don't worry about my parenting, my children went to school before everyone was obsessed with tutoring their children to death, but didn't need it anyway as were greater depth already.

a child on the SEND register will always require more resource in some sense. I honestly don't know how you can provide something 'additional to or different from' without more resources.

Really? So you honestly believe that, for instance, an autistic child (who obviously by definition has SEN) will ALWAYS require more resources than other children?? I find this attitude and sweeping generalisation so utterly troubling.

I agree with you when you say it's a shame that MN can be so 'combative' though. Here we have yet another thread where SEN children are portrayed as a burden and drain on society.

Said child is clearly doing absolutely fine.

Can’t 8 year olds just enjoy being kids? She’s not struggling at school, bloody well leave her be.

Talk about “lunatic parenting” …

What's wrong with a yr 3 dc being average. I agree with letting dc be kids as pp said & school is so pressured now. I don't think

I don't think GD is much of an indicator of how dc will turn out because again as a pp said kids learn at different rates

Go to a Steiner School and do them a favour

Yes if they are on the register, which is by need not diagnosis. Not all autistic children are on the SEND register. I also don't think children requiring resources is in any way a bad thing. I'm sorry you you have taken the thread in this way. I agree it is disgusting to see children with SEND as a drain on society and don't believe my view reflects that at all. I'm reflecting on it though.

Meeting expectations" = average/ mediocre. It's entirely reasonable to aspire to more for your children and to put work into enabling them to excel, so that they have as many opportunities in life as possible. In fact, it's pretty rubbish parenting not to do so. The attitude that academic ability is innate and you can't do anything about it is just an excuse for laziness.

In fact, it's pretty rubbish parenting not to do so.

🙄

The attitude that academic ability is innate and you can't do anything about it is just an excuse for laziness.

So every single dc can be GD if they work harder?

Only about 8% of dc achieve the higher standard at the end of primary. 92% of parents are just lazy?

She’s 8. Calm down.

I think it is unfair to say that meeting age related expectations is average and mediocre. It suggests that every child is starting from the same point, with the same tools, resources and parental support - this couldn't be further from the truth. There are many children who I have had the pleasure of teaching over the years who have worked exceptionally hard to achieve ARE. I would go even further to say many children I have taught who are working below ARE are exceptionally talented and will go on to do amazing things. My heart sinks imagining someone telling those children that they are mediocre or worse.

It said she was YEAR 3. Obviously you have trouble reading

YEAR 3.

Fucking hell. You are saying the children with some level of additional need are making it so your perfect little darling isn’t able to reach greater depth? You work on things at home with her, you don’t need a tutor if you want to help her, but also if she’s not working at greater depth already then that’s just on her, not other children. By the way there are plenty of typically developing children with no ‘additional needs’ disrupting classrooms up and down the fucking country. They’re the ones bullying the children with SEN actually.