Can you tell a child's intellect as early as reception?

[Cherryblossom200]

Hi everyone,

I have a little girl who has just turned 5, she's doing well and very happy at school. But I'm starting to find it a bit disheartening to find lot of the awards/certificates are always given to the same children. It's natural as a parent to wonder why your child does get one. Plus when I occasionally see some of the art other children her age produce it's seems to be way ahead.

I've been feeling a bit worried about it and thought perhaps I should have a chat with her teacher who is fab. But don't want to come across as a pushy parent either! But I would like to know if my DD is struggling.

I guess I'm wondering if it's too early to tell how well a child will do from as early as reception? If a child is a bit behind will that continue?

Cherry x

She s doing well and very happy.
So chill.
Speak to teacher at parents evening.

I wouldn’t worry about certificates or rewards. There’s either a class list and they all get one or the poorer behaved children get lots.

If you feel she’s behind start counting in the car, talk about time in quarters halves ten to etc
Use longer words and explanations
Read more books
Explore forests
Watch nature programs
There loads you can do to help

DD did well in Primary but not 'top of her class' well.

Now she's in her second year of high school and is very much excelling! Her reports are beyond amazing (yep, I'm as proud as I sound!) and she was the only one in her year to get top marks in a certain test.

Don't worry yet. Primary kids are just starting to learn.

Thanks everyone, I'm still new to this and I'm sure worrying about nothing.

I don't think I have anything to worry about, because people always think she is older than she is due to how well she communicates. She is also emotionally intelligent and doesn't seem to struggling with her reading or writing. It's just the certificate thing and the artwork which threw me a bit!

You've all made me feel so much better thank you 😊

At primary they often give awards to each child in turn but then you get some teachers who award them to their favourites.

My DS was marmite at his first primary and there were a couple of teachers who positively disliked his precocious intellect. At secondary he’s found his role as geek, quizzer and also academic subjects he can really get into.

Too be honest I hate the awards.

My DD's school has the teacher award which she has yet to receive at its published in the weekly newsletter. Can you imagine how parents like myself feel when their child is one of the last to be mentioned. It's awful and personally I don't agree with it. Especially when they are so young.

The only kids who get awards and certificates in DD's reception class are the ones DD say are very naughty! They obviously use it as a behaviour management thing. It's annoying as she becomes disheartened so we reward at home instead

Don't worry about the awards and certificates. The teacher is probably working down a list. If you are concerned though, ask the teacher to tell you how she is getting on. By now reception teachers have gathered at least 2 sets of data, one as a baseline in September and one at the end of last term if not more. She will be able to tell you where your child is in the age and stage bands and also whether she has any concerns around any particular areas.

She was measuring bang on national average at my last parents evening and I've not been told that I have anything to worry about since then.

So I think I'm just overthinking this and was a bit freaked out by some of the budding artists who were very good btw.

Some teachers really use these awards as a behaviour management tool. I work in a primary and sometimes I seriously can't believe that some children have been awarded star of the week!! I don't agree with the idea of SOTW anyway, but it really takes the piss when in certain classes it KEEPS going to badly behaved children at the expense of the others ...

So I think I'm just overthinking this and was a bit freaked out by some of the budding artists who were very good btw.

I think you probably are. Not everyone is good at everything and perhaps art just isn't your DD's strong point. Perhaps the buddings artists are struggling with reading. You said yourself that your DD is bag on national average which means that she's one of the middling ones - half the children in her year group will be behind your DD, but half will be above.

I'm sure she'll get there in her own time.

My DD was very bright from YR, and probably before.
She had the highest score in her Y6 SATS, was offers a Grammar place and a Private Scholarship. She’s y10 now and predicted 8/9s in GCSE’s
She rarely got certificates or awards at Primary school though, at her Primary they seem to be a tool to help children who need extra encouragement. From her first term in R DD said that the “naughty” children got on the Well Done Wall but she never did. At the Y6 Leavers Assembly the boy who got the Y6 Achievement award had faced expulsion a term before- so definitely used as a behaviour manage to tool IMHO.
It was fine by me,, if the rest of the class behaved she didn’t face as much disruption and could get on with her work.

Ladymonica as DDs old Primary (DS currently in Y6) star Of the week is definitely on a rota or similar. The kids worked it out pretty quickly, they were proved right when a boy who had left the term before got it!

Thanks so much everyone, I do agree that sometimes I wonder how some of the kids have got star of the week 😉

But I have to realise at this age it is supposed to be about having fun.

The main thing is my DD is incredibly happy and making some fantastic close friendships already. She loves her teacher and going to school, so I really can't complain.

School is a long game, children make different leaps at different times - you do see some children that will continue to do well throughout but especially at 5, a lot of what is being picked up on is parental involvement

Towards the end of reception year I put together a spreadsheet of the reception class certificates . Some children were on their second and DS hadn't had one. He had figured out that "Jack" got them for improving his behaviour so DS said all he had to do was be naughty (unlike him) then be good again. I shot that idea down sharpish.

DS read fluently before school, played advanced computer games, large jigsaws etc so was fairly sure he was clever. Also asking questions like why grandma has money but doesn't work..

Went on to do well academically.

School awards are often for progress, rather than ability. Which is not a bad thing at all.

Awards can be a tricky way to measure children's abilities. DD2 strives to be the best. She works really hard and her work is very good as a result. She always tried really hard to be the politest, the most helpful or the best behaved (aka a complete suck up/ ass kisser!) Thanks to this she always received awards until she got to a year where the kids who got those same annual awards were those who perhaps didn't try hard. The ones who were generally disruptive or naughty. This actually knocked DDs confidence substantially. She couldn't understand why the boy who regularly gets made to stand outside the class for throwing chairs got the award when she tried so hard and didn't get it. Now a year later she doesn't put half as much effort in. It's a shame. I'd rather she never had 4 years straight of awards in the first place.

DS however is not academic. Nor is he a trier. He's happy to plod along doing okay. Yet despite this he is given house points pretty much daily because he reacts very well to them. Knowing points are on the line he pushes himself to get his work done, or to sit the nicest on the carpet or be the quickest to put his things away.

I know in DC1 school for the big awards they give it to a different child each week. DC1 gets lots of awards for being helpful and kind to others and at age 5 those are the awards that make me most proud. There's plenty of time for them to become more academic.

Aw I do love mumsnet, you have all made me feel so much better - thank you 😊

Your dd is happy health lovesschool and friends.
That is hugely important. Appreciate and enjoy .
Take her to some child or family art classes if that s an area you want to develop. Museums etc often run art classes and workshops. But dont stress. A happy child will sail thru

I've previously been a Reception class teacher. You do get children at the age who appear brighter than others, but I have often seen it level out somewhat in later years, where other children make great progress and those who were seemingly brighter don't make as much progress so they end up more on an even keel. So if your DD is meeting expectations then that's all good!

And definitely agree with pp who've said certificates are often given out either to less well-behaved children or by means of ticking off names on a list (really hated having to choose like this at previous schools!). If there's one teacher's award each week, we've only had about 20 weeks of the school year so only the chance to pick 20 of the possibly 30 children in the class.

I know it's hard to take this on board OP, and also very easy for me to say. Academic achievement isn't everything, if your child is happy at school and doing well (whatever level that means for her) that that should be all we should hope for. If your child is at the top of the class or the bottom, if they're happy, then it's all good. Starting the rat race at four is no good for any of us.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I'm not stressing anymore 😊 x