Help me be constructive and diplomatic tomorrow with Head Teacher when I just feel critical and despairing...

[bloss]

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Oh my goodness!!You really do have a problem. The issues all need to be addressed, you are absolutley right, but I don't think you are going to get very far with the school. Sounds like it should be on special measures rather than middle of the rd.

To speak to the school is brave and right for you and your children and moralistically what I would do. And its your 1st point of call.

But...you may end up taking some flak from the school.

Worse case scenario If a chat with the ht doesn't work contact the LEA.

Ultimatley if you do nothing, nothing will improve.

Whats the PTA / friends association like?

There is usually one v dominant female in the pta or whatever who is good at getting changes happening - You might have some support from that area.

good luck!!

That does sound really grim. I am not sure that you will get much joy from talking to the Head, tbh, as s/he must be a major part of the problem when there are so many things systemically wrong.

But in my experience it is not necessarily at all typical for the state sector - so maybe if paying alternatives are out of the question, you should look into state alternatives? What you describe is light years away from the state schools that my children, and the children of my friends go to (and I am thinking here of a dozen or more schools in several towns and cities - so it's not just that I'm in a bubble of state-school privilege).

Disagree with you about the fantasy animal task though - that seems like a lovely bit of homework to me, very open to being done in different styles and at different levels.

Move them. The alternative doesn't have to be a private school- there may be other state primaries in the area that are much better.

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My DD1s last school was not dissimilar to this - maybe not quite as poor but on the way. Some mixed year groups (but not all), very little homework and the homework that was set was totally unstimulating. She never seemed to receive feedback or marks for homework, spelling tests, times table tests etc. DD1 (by then Y4) lost so much confidence and constantly thought she wasn't good enough, as she was getting no feedback as to whether her work was adequate. She then became so apathetic and actually said 'what's the point of doing it because I don't know if it's right.'

Disruptive children got more attention and were rewarded with golden time for behaving, whereas those children who were always well behaved got none. I don't fully blame the class teacher as she had her work cut out with 28 children and one shared TA but the Head was useless and I got more and more despondent.

I'm sorry I have no answers - we have moved DD1 to private thanks to a hefty allowance from DHs employer but if we hadn't been able to do that I would have seriously considered moving house. Or selling a kidney.

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I have to say I think you might have unrealistic expectations - independent schools are very different in approach to states (or so I gather - have no direct experience), so you cannot necessarily make a like for like comparison.

But there are certainly some issues, and there is no excuse for poor communication. I think if you are stuck with this school, you need to be as proactive as possible. Are there any Parent Governor vacancies? The Governing Body is not responsible for the day to day management of the school but it does have a very real role in the strategic direction of the school, and there is a lot you could usefully contribute. Failing that, is there a PTA you could join?

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In that case, and depending on how your meeting with the Head goes, ask for a meeting with the Chair of Governors, and discuss your worries in a Big Picture sort of way, rather than the specific niggles, some of which you have to drop - e.g. if they sent letters home every time there were nits, there would be no trees.

Ditto After-School clubs - without staff willing to take this on as part of their professional development, there is little the Head can do (although that does raise some issues about staff morale, possibly). So focus on the composite class issues, the inadequate playground supervision and the poor communication, and ask what they do to ensure that brighter children continue to be challenged.

Sounds scarily like the school my DCs are at, yet it's supposed to be a good one.

Between you and me, I just see their primary school as free childcare and a bit of a social occasion for them, and view it as a bonus if they actually learn anything.

I think secondary matters more - in the meantime it's good you're planning to talk to the head, etc, as this is the only way state schools will ever improve IMO.

PS I might tackle the roughness and the nits first, as the school is supposed to have policies on such things and it would be easy for the head to achieve a quick hit and appear to do something positive.

I would move them. There are very good state schools. Have you looked at others in the area?

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Can you get on a waiting list? The school you describe appears to have serious weaknesses and I doubt whether a word with the Head will change anything.

are they on the waiting lists for any other schools?

wouldn't bother with the nits - losing battle if parents won't do anything but pushing academically and also playground roughness well worth mentioning

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The only one I can see a way around is the music, as most areas have a Saturday music school.

But tbh the problems you list sound endemic, the kind which only a new head could sort out. Personally I would avoid any school which mixed its years unless it was a tiny school. And for your dcs to be disillusioned so early with learning is just so sad.

I can promise you that not all state schools are like this. When you said standards were the same locally whatever the school, can I ask what measure you are using?

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Bloss I'm convinced you're talking about our old primary. You're not in Kent are you?
This not a state primary problem though, we've moved to another local state school which is a million trillion times better.
Try talking to the head, but ime when problems are so deep rooted that it influences every area of the school, it's impossible to do anything about it, without a change of head.
Have you approached the alternatives recently? I would try again now. Is the problem the yr 2 entry?
Do you only have primaries or infants and juniors as well?. Have you considered having them in different schools temporarily?

Oh dear- sounds like your feelings are on the grim side! Poor you. I think you might have a better chance of establishing a meaningful dialogue with the school if you could think of some specific and realistic ideas to improve things. Smaller things are more likely to be adopted- perhaps start by asking about what playground supervision is available to prevent dd being poked in the eye, if extra support for ds's social skills and confidence can be accessed and if nit letters can be sent home, for examples. Your current list reads like an explosion of sustained general disatisfaction with almost all aspects of the school though, so i think you have work to do! Are you sure there are no viable alternatives? I would be v surprised if your children aren't picking up on your negative views (and indeed that might well play a part in persuading an on the ball dd that faking illness is not likely to provoke huge surprise/displeasure in mummy... ) so you probably need to try and feel more positive by forging a better relationship with this school or decide to move them elsewhere, I reckon.

I would only use the Ofsted as a guide. Reputations can be hopelessly out of date.
Nothing can beat a visit on a normal, working day.