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Original poster

year 3 (first year juniors to the oldies like me!)

29 replies

cutekids · 14/09/2005 12:35

My 7 yr old daughter's new teacher had a "quiet word" with me the other night to let me know that she was going to be having "catch-up" lessons with a "trained person". This is apparently a "very positive thing they are doing for a few of the kids"-two out of my daughter's class,her being one of them and two out of the opposite class. Thing is, when I asked her teacher how her reading seemed she replied that she couldn't tell me herself as, obviously, she hasn't really got to hear her as yet. She was actually following up something that her previous teacher had written down about her. This was something that - i know i'm her mum but i wouldn't say it if i didn't mean it- we don't agree with as she is actually a very good reader! Her spelling, on the other hand, is not so good but when she brought her homework home the other day she managed all her spellings first time round;she did a wordsearch absolutely spot-on;she corrected a sentence that had deliberatly been written wrong.These were all the things that all the other children in her class were doing so I can't see why they've singled my daughter out. To add insult to injury I actually heard her telling her dad that I did all her homework for her...! I absolutely did not!!! I sat and watched her with no coaxing towards the correct answer at all! But if she tells her teacher this , she's just going to think I'm a liar!!! Thing is, her new teacher doesn't really want to know my opinion. I told her the other night that I think my daughter's problem was a confidence thing, not an ability thing if you see what I mean! She kind of switched off at that point and made out she had something else to be getting on with!What's worrying me is that my daughter's being used as a guinea-pig for a new "thing" they're starting up and I don't think it's fair. (Believe me, I am not one of these Mums who thinks my kids are perfect in every way. I just don't like the idea that she's been singled out simply because they needed to experiment on a chosen few.)Last night, her teacher shouted to me-in a teacher-voice....!-"by the way, she's been brilliant today". When i replied that I was proud of her, she piped up,"Yes, she's a prime candidate for catch-up."!!!!!

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Original poster
cutekids · 14/09/2005 12:38
Sad
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cutekids · 14/09/2005 12:40

and at the same time! I know their health's the most important thing really. I just want them to be able to get on.

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cutekids · 14/09/2005 12:43

!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Fimbo · 14/09/2005 12:45

I can see how you feel about your daughter being singled out as an "experiment". But tbh if my dd (same age, same year) was to be given the opportunity to have one to one with someone I would grab it with both hands, especially as my dd's class has one teacher for 31 children and no classroom assistant!! Your dd may end up being further ahead than the others.

Berries · 14/09/2005 12:50

They do these at our school, except they call them 'booster groups' (sounds much better imo). They tend to be given to the kids who they believe are not quite achieving potential, but with a bit of help they could. Kids frequently join the group for a term, and then never go back in again as whatever the difficulty was it has been sorted.(and some of the problems are confidence, not understanding) All the kids I know have benefitted from it and I think it's a really good idea.

Fimbo · 14/09/2005 12:52

I agree wholeheartedly with Berries - it is a good idea.

Original poster
cutekids · 14/09/2005 12:53

Honestly, Fimbo? Would you
take advantage and see it as a plus? I'm just worried she'll be pushed to "special needs" - not that I think there's anything wrong with special-needs children-.She's such a wise old owl at home and I'm sure she puts on a bit of an act at school-she's only the height of a five year old as she has delayed bone growth-as the kids love to "baby" her.She's actually got a lot of attitude at home.Thing she says I don't remember even knowing about until I was a teenager! This is what I can't get my head around. Yesterday, I sent her in with food-labels and advertisements for a science project they are doing. Just as I was waving my two other children off into infants, she ran out of her classroom and said, "Mum, take this home. Noone else has brought theirs' in!". I told her to take it in anyway and she told me last night that she'd got house points for being one of the only ones to remember!!!!I'm sure she's acting up. Like a sort of image thing. Do you see what I mean?!

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Original poster
cutekids · 14/09/2005 12:55

?

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Fimbo · 14/09/2005 12:57

If she has one to one, the teachers will know if she is acting up or not. TBH I would just let them get on with it and see what happens. My dd's teacher only heard her read twice in the whole of year 2.

LIZS · 14/09/2005 13:03

ds has just started Year 3 and although his reading is ok, writing and maths are likely to be way off the others and his potential achievements as he has been hitherto taught in a different system. This week they are assessing all the children to put into ability grousp for English and Matsh and ds is struggling. So I'm waiting for his teacher to approach me in the same way and I'll be very happy to accept any one-to-one going.

tbh I think you are taking this too negatively as it is an oppportunity to see just how much your child could achieve, without the distractions of a full class environment although very badly termed by the teacher as "catch up".

bee3 · 14/09/2005 13:04

Y3 classes have had additional literacy sessions, or 'catch-up' sessions running for a few years now. The children are usually selected from the SATs results in Y2 (normally children working around 2C), but schools can include children who are potentially working at higher levels, but have confidence problems.

I agree with Fimbo in that it should be seen as a positive thing, as any child would benefit from a bit of focussed attention in smaller groups, although I can also understand that you don't want your dd being 'labeled'. This should be down to how sensitively the school handle it.

Why don't you ask to speak to the teacher about it in a private time, so she can explain the selection criteria and talk through the type of things your dd will be working on, so that you can continue to help her at home, and then see how you feel about it. HTH

serenity · 14/09/2005 13:06

I think they take things more seriously once they move into Yr3. I know it's not the same thing, but at the end of yr2 DS1's teacher told me he needed to work on his handwriting - no stress, no problems. The third day of this term DS's new teacher approached me after school to tell me that his handwriting was 'unacceptable' for yr3 and was letting the rest of his work down. She was very serious about it, and we're now going to do extra work to try and improve it. I think the work now is going to be more demanding.

bigdonna · 14/09/2005 13:12

at my ds school they call it ELS extra learning support.in yr 1 my son was put into this the school said he did not know all the sounds of the alphabet(he did)but this class really brought his reading and spelling on bearing in mind he had just turned 5 i was quite upset at first but he did learn alot .Now he is well ahead in his class .

doglover · 14/09/2005 13:26

Very worthwhile for the pupils who attend at my school. Go for it!

rummum · 14/09/2005 15:40

How did your daughter do in her Sats?...
do you know her marks?

roisin · 14/09/2005 18:51

I've seen loads of children benefit immensely from these sorts of groups: in their literacy/numeracy and also in their confidence.

It's also a fantastic opportunity to have some individual attention. I would certainly jump at the chance if my boys were offered something like this, whatever the attached label might say.

SueW · 14/09/2005 18:55

DD's school takes all the children out at some stage to do work in small groups. They are children of similar ability from any part of the scale - bright, average, struggling - and may be in different groups for English and Maths.

janeybops · 14/09/2005 18:59

bbe3 is right sounds like a programme for y3 and y4 which has been running for a few years yet. It is not aimed at SEN kids but at those who aren't quite achieving their full potential for whatever reason. They usually run for just a couple of months (I think) and are very intensive phonic type activities. Soem kids make tremendous progress so she is very lucky to get chosen!

janeybops · 14/09/2005 18:59

judging by my typos tonight I should go on it too!

sunnydelight · 15/09/2005 14:47

In my experience there is a lot of bad feeling from some parents in schools who feel that "special help" is only given to kids who are really struggling. If the school is doing this for what I would perceive to be "all the right reasons", i.e. helping ALL children to achieve their full potential, then I would view this as an opportunity for your daughter to benefit from some small group teaching which can only be a good thing. You perceive her as doing well, maybe with some help she can do even better (and yes, I know "better" sounds judgemental!). It does sound like the class teacher may not be handling it terribly well, then again as a mum of three I know how easy it is to get over-sensitive about any perceived criticism of your child.

Original poster
cutekids · 21/09/2005 12:17

sotmething's just made me a bit panicky! a couple of mumsnetters have mentioned "sats in yr 2" ....? I didn't know they did them in year 2!!!! Am I completely stupid? None of the other mums have mentioned it either and the teacher never told me about these either...! I'm feeling particularly stupid at the moment. Can anyone shed any light on this? Can't believe I missed something as big as this. I'm in N Wales. Could we be in a different curriculum? Really feeling pretty stupid at the moment!!!

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cutekids · 21/09/2005 12:21

?

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soapbox · 21/09/2005 12:23

SATS in year 2 are no longer mandetory - but a lot of schools still do them.

Cutekids - if there is any chance of your DD getting any additional one to one teaching at school I would take it in a flash!

Even for the most advanced children, one on one will make a huge difference.

Not to take it would be like looking a gift horse in the mouth!

The resources for this kind of additional help are extremely tight and your DDs teacher would not be referring her if she didn;t think it would make a difference. She is probably not the lowest achiever in her class, but the one that is achieving the least against what the teacher sees is her over all potential! If you like there is a mismatch between what the teachers sees as her 'brightness' in class and what she is able to commit to paper!

Don't let the opportunity pass her by

LIZS · 21/09/2005 12:25

ds came home yesterday full of enthusiasm because he is getting extra help with writing , spelling and concentration in a group of 4 boys. He forgot to collect his homework diary as he left so there may or may not be a note explaining this somewhere ! Not sure if they have assessed them for Maths groups yet - we've had no maths homework yet.

cutekids, ds has thus far avoided any Sats as we've been abroad but he has in-house tests at the beginning of November. Not sure if the school (private) even formally takes part in Year2 SATS as I know they can opt out and don't have to publish their results anyway. Think they do the next ones (at 11 ?) though.

Original poster
cutekids · 29/09/2005 10:51

I'm back! Got a note from teacher today saying that she wants to meet us next week to explain what's happening with my daughter. Any ideas what questions I can go prepared with? By the way, does anyone know what happens if children don't meet the curriculum? Are they put down a year or what? I know I'm probably over-panicking but that's me!!!

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