If you have no choice but to send your children to the local state school, even if it is satisfactory or even inadequate - what can you do to help your child?

[conniedescending]

I suppose i mean - how do you compensate and bring your child up to the level they (supposedly) would be in private?

and we cant hire a tutor

Ummmm. Most kids get a perfectly fine state education.

Level in what? If your kid is bright no reason why they shouldn't get '5s' at KS2 regardless of school they go to.

If they're not so bright - they never would have got into a selective, high achieving, private school anyway....

But they should still get '4s' - which would be appropriate.

Or do you mean the level in ballet, football, horse riding, violin?????? - After school clubs is how the other half do it.

My dd is at a satisfactory state primary and she's doing absolutely fine. I try to instill a good work ethic. I think at this age you shouldn't worry too much. If they work hard they'll be fine.

Difficult.

I volunteer in my local state school, and can't see that anything much changes at all.
Low expectations from parents.
Low expectations from the school.

All very very depressing.

well you know I'm not sure.

I know the local primary is not the 'best' school in the world but its not the worst either. The school does have problems with literacy and numeracy across the board though.

My kids are average - bright I suppose. Just wondered if there was anything extra we could do at home that would make up for large classes and unsatisfactory teaching.

Conniedescending - my opinion is that you can improve their chances by doing stuff at home. My kids have been often referred to as very bright, high achievers and even gifted, but tbh I think they stand out as I do a little bit every night with them. (Plus we do do a lot of activities and stimulating stuff on top, so that helps too).

This includes writing, a bit of maths and a bit of reading. I don't manage all of it every night but I try my best to do something every night with them. This has made a huge difference.

They don't spend enough time on the basics in a lot of schools and reinforcing them at home - even just 10 minutes a day - makes a huge difference. You'll find and I might be flamed here that a lot of private schools do give a lot of homework.

Litchick that doesn't sound like our local school at all. Do the teachers/parents at this school know that you have such a low opinion of them ?

Read with and to your child. Surround them with books, let them see you reading and enjoying it. Answer their questions and if you don't know the answer, use the internet or books to find it and let them help you. Do little maths sums with them - just simple ones. Talk to them and listen.

That will help.

thanks,

we do their homework once a week and we usually read their banded books almost every night and they also have spellings most weeks.

All of the above is schools expectations. I was wondering if I should try to do more?

We try to go to interesting places and talk about what we've seen etc but I was wondering if i should ask the teachers for more worksheets or try to find something on the internet to utilise?

Encourage them to read, join your local library, get them doing one or two organised things after school (don't overload them, they need their downtime), take them on interesting day trips, try and get them to watch some worthwhile stuff on TV or DVD at least occasionally, above all talk to them and set them a good example by reading and watching some quality stuff yourself. If there is someone in the family who plays chess, that's great as a way of stretching a bright child outside school.

My children went to a state primary school that many on Mumsnet would not touch with a bargepole. Ofsted reports not glowing, SATS results middle of the list in an inner London borough. My son was offered scholarships to three academically selective independent schools with no tutoring. (He might have been offered a fourth if he hadn't said at the interview that he wanted to go to one of the other schools.)

We went through some papers with him so he was familiar with the format and to check that he had covered everything they were likely to ask about. He had. They used setting for Maths from quite early on in the Juniors. He was in the top set and by his teacher's estimation by the time he left he was working at Level 6. They had a creative writing group for the most able children in his year to give them some extension work, and also as recognition that they didn't need the extensive SATS cramming that the other children were getting. He got Level 5s across the board in his KS2 tests and he wasn't alone by any means. Also it was through the school chess club that he developed an outside interest that really stretched him.

He had no trouble whatsoever coping with the transition to secondary school. The foundation he had from primary school was excellent.

Trust your local schools and your teachers!

Encourage them to read and let them see you reading for pleasure.
If possible let them have music lessons.
Find out if there are any language clubs after school.
If you are able, join the PTA and help with fund raising (our local primary got it's all weather sports field this way).
Trips to museums, concerts and the theater.
Be involved and take an interest in school and homework.
My DDs were both offered scholarships and also passed the Kent 11 plus test after a state primary education.
Have faith in your child and support their school.
Have high expectations for your child and their classmates.

Tangled - that is very fortunate for your and your children, but doesn't help the children in my local school one jot does it?

Frankly, I don't have much respect at all for the parents. They just don't care. Don't read to their children. Don't ensure any homework is done. Don't attend parents evenings.

The teachers I have mixed feelings about. One or two are excellent, but more are treading water.
I understand they are disheartened. I would be.

The reason I do it is because the HT asked me to. And I like the children.

But the OP asked what would make a difference. And I don't think anything much one parents could manage, would do much at all.

I guess a parent could ensure their own child received the academic teaching at home, but the environment would still be dire.

Sorry if this offends. But it is the sad truth.

*Litchick you can't judge all state schools by this one low achieving example. If you were to visit my local primary I think you would be pleasantly surprised.

Well, to be fair unless this is the same school you can't actually know the environment will be dire. Sad that you feel that way.

Agreed.
I was speaking about the school I have experience of on a weekly basis.

I jsut know in my heart of hearts that no matter what any parent did at the school, the experience of an education there would not be a good one.

By this, I'm not saying a child couldn't leave with good academic attainment at home, just that the environment at school would not be conducive.

I think just encourage, support and discipline if necessary. I went to an awful school but got ABBB at A level and an honours degree from a top level Uni.

Yes, I went to a sink school and got straight As.

I know I'm not alone.

But, by God, it was a horrible experience.

Which I suppose matters to me much more than attainment in respect of my own DCs iyswim.

I'm about a million years out of date here, because this is based on the experience of middle-of-the-road state schools that DH and I attended.

But I'd say the best thing you can do is to let your children
know that it is NORMAL to achieve.

Normal, ordinary, not whatever insults they'll get thrown at them for showing an interest in what they are doing. And if your child can do more than the basics, let them. Encourage them. Don't be happy with an ethic of 'well you're good at maths, you can't possibly expect to be good at english/art/history as well, so of course you can't do both...'

(I realise this is very secondary biased, but it is depressing when a school works towards a target of 5 (or 7 or 8) GCSEs are all you need and there is no scope for outside interests when faced with young people who would be pushed far harder, and would enjoy it, in other environments.)

Agree with Nightlark. Its the celebration of achievement that private schools have that was lacking during my education, where it was seen as cool to fail. I would promote this in every way; mostly by showing as much interest as I could in re-inforcing learning done in school at homework time, as someone else said.

The other thing private schools offer is a wide range of opportunities for kids to suceed so I would get them involved in an out of school club so they are achieving in something they enjoy. This will give them confidence and a certain independence too.

emy's right...the ONLY thing I can see that really matters when comparing my DDS prep with her cousins state primary is the amount of homework.

DD has at least two pieces nightly...sometimes 3 and she's only in year 2.

She has reading and maths or englsh every night. Plus an extra topical piece or a "game" based on Maths or literacy.

Otherwise it seems similar in many ways.

Good point clock

DDs school has a prize giving every year...BUT having ssid that, they don't massivly reward things in term time...work is expected...attheir cousins school they are constantly in recepiept of stars and pens and this and that...whereas in DDs school it's nothing but a "well done...that's better than last time" and the like.

I notice th Prep seems to expect more...maybe that's it.

DD and DS1 attend a local school which has a satisfactory from Ofsted.

Bloody ridiculous - is a fantastic school. Incredibly child-oriented and driven. Just not too keen on SATS cramming and hoop-jumping. One of only 2 schools in the borough that declined to participate in KS2 SATS.

Both DD and DS1 are thriving there.

Obviously we do help at home - lots of reading, books, drawing and so on. BUt nothing formal or pushy over and above the (limited and child-friendly) homework that is set.

High expectations are crucial.

I cannot abide all that 'it's not cool to study' malarky.
This is simply not tolerated at DC;s schools, whereas it permeates the very fabric of the school where I volunteer.

It makes me furious

My DD goes to a private primary (she is in Y1), although I am a teacher and great believer in state education (we had to move counties 2 months before she started school and couldnt register for state as we hadn't found a house!) From the first day of reception she has had spellings every week, maths every week, French every weeks, and reading every night. It is all very quick stufgf, but I do think that it starts them with the right ethos. As an educator, I think talking to your children about things, and visiting places (even just the park and using a book to identify the trees/birds/leaves etc)is what makes a difference. As long as they enjoy education and learning I think you are on the right lines!

I think you have to maintain, at home, rigorously, the standards you would like to find at school. You give your child lots of experiences of the quality and standard that matter to you. You monitor everything your child does and you have conversations about everything at the level you would like them to be working at.

Hard though, Bonsoir, if it puts your DC out of step with their peers.