to think that children should do a bit more than preparing for sports day for the entire summer term?

[morningpaper]

DD is six. She doesn't seem to have done ANY work except running around a field for the summer term.

The Autumn term, I noticed, she spent preparing for the christmas play.

She only really seems to have done anything for the spring term.

Is this NORMAL? She's had no homework or anything!!

Hmm, not normal. Have you checked with the teacher first though, maybe it seems as if she's spending all day running around a field but is forgetting about everything else????

It is imperative that they practice handing over the baton in the relay though, it is very tricky to get it right.

Odd though, DS1 is in reception and they are carrying on as usual with regards to work/reading whatever. I think they just practice Spors Day races during PE.

urgh they are on a class trip today to some monkey-infested ball pit

Maybe I will mention it tomorrow

They seem to think that they are now winding up the school year so there is no point doing any work for the last month

Gosh- it sounds a bit hot to be preparing for sports day all day every day in this weather. Or are they doing some airconditioned classroom based psychological preparation too? I guess she'll be getting some transferable skills, if so. Is she enjoying herself, happy, healthy and not struggling on the rare occasions when non-sport activities are on the agenda? If so, I wouldn't worry too much,tbh, but I am quite laissez faires on the academia front, especially for 6 y ear olds.

This seems to be a common problem mp. My sil complained to her school because all formal lessons were stopped when they were preparing for the school play, they didn't change reading books, do spellings or anything.

I'm starting to come round to the idea of home educating.

she is v bored

Ahhh I will talk to them later in the week

I do suspect you could home-eduate in about an hour a week and reach a similar standard

I basically see school as free childcare

ds has a sports day next week, they've done nothing, they are not even doing PE as they are rehearsing for a play

If she's v bored on an ongoing basis definitely talk to her teacher. And suggest ways she can plot to subvert the occasion by designing more interesting obstacle races like turn around, touch the ground, pour a bucket of water over your teacher, hop 2 metres, turn a somersault, wallow in a mud bath for a full minute, say the rudest word you know and race to the finish line. For example.

groan

it's really shit

she hasn't even learnt any proper swearwords

the worst she knows is "willy" and it's church school - I expected more

I know what you mean about school being like free childcare. Ds skipped a year last year and has been moved back this year so has done the same year twice. He's a very bright boy so this year has been a complete waste of time. He's going for an assessment morning somewhere else next week. School's really boring for children sometimes.

I share your pain. At our school the head is rather camp and seems rather more keen on getting the children ready for the (admitedly amazing) summer concert by belting out show tunes all day long rather doing any actual work.

You should bring her to ds's current school, he now know's loads. I suppose he has learnt something then What is the meaning of 'you suck your mum?' Is this normal for 10 year olds? He does hear the usual f*k off/nerd/geek/waker etc. Nice school!

Some at our school gates this morning were bemoaning the lack of a sports day. If only they knew...

Ikwym. My son started brilliantly by learning f word from me at 2 (accidentally) and producing it as his trump card when letter of the week at nursery was f. But has only just learned the c word at 10 (not from me- hurrah!) which is on the slow side to say the least.

Ohh, he doesn't know that one yet. Ds has aspergers so will sometimes use words he doesn't know the meaning of, others say swear words to him, he repeats them and he gets into trouble. I have had to sit him down and explain to him what various words mean. Oh joy!

Now you come to mention it we've had no swear words either yet. Though I did hear a spectacular 'ucking hell' from a teeny lovely girl the other day and she doesn't speak much English..

Its DS2 sports day today, I am looking forward to it.

Interestingly, he doesn't seem to realise that the c word is the worst word ever. Doesn't have the cache of f word at all. Sorry, mp. I seem to have wandered off the point rather.

I'll start a thread.

Oh I wasn't telling you off, fluffy! Just thinking that in my effort to help I had myself inadvertently introduced the subject of swearing into the equation when perhaps mp was wanting more on the tribulations of sports day being elongated into a term-long event.

Are you sure she is not doing any normal work? Things like sports day and the Christmas play is what probably sticks in her mind, most children can't tell you what they have actually done in class.

At 6 I think its great she is not having homework, I am against homework at primary level and tell the dc's teachers this all the time.