dd isn't been stimulated at school...

[kistigger]

... should I just let it slide cos she's only in reception, or should I make a deal.

Her nursery did very little with her because they had a lot of staffing issues so very little has been passed over to her school. Two days ago she came home with this terms target: to count objects to 10. She can count to over a hundred! She has, as far as I can see as a parent, completed the entire Foundation curriculum.

I let it all slide with nursery cos of the staff problems and to let her get a proper chance to socialize. But I feel reluctant to carry on in that way because she simply isn't getting enough stimulation. Which with her you can tell easily because her behaviour becomes more difficult/disruptive and I don't want her to labelled the naughty one in class. And it's unfair on her to have nothing to do or simply to do endless proof tasks simply so the school can tick off all the boxes that nursery should have done over a year ago!

So to sum up:
Should I make a fuss?
Is 3 weeks into reception too soon?
Is there anything sensible I can do at home?

it's a bit early IMO.

just play lots, let her lead the way with her interests.

with the counting - do you mean she can count objects? as in, if you put 32 objects in front of her would she count them and tell you there were 32? that's very different from reciting the numbers 1-100 IYSWIM.

I am having a similar dilemma with my DD in yr2. However, I am reassuring myself with the thought that it is still early in the new term and the teacher is probably still getting to know them all and what their abilities are. As I have said recently on another thread I dont think DD is superwhammy at maths but she is way beyond the stuff that has been set so far. Lets both wait another week or so.

She can count reliably any number of objects that I give her as well as recite them. She can take away, work out the difference between two groups, count in two's.

Hi Kistaigger,
I really do sympathise with you, we have experienced this situation last year with DS2. The targets are set very low, with the assumption being that many of the children will not have learnt very much prior to starting.

I wouldn?t rush in to soon, the teacher will need several weeks to assess all of the children and accurately form an opinion of their abilities. Like any professional person, many teachers don?t like to be ?told? It can place barriers and create a them and us situation. I have been on both sides.

Also as someone who teaches maths, in pre-school and kS 1 classes, I know many children can count very reliably with one to one correspondence, take away, basic addition facts upto 20 as young as 3 years old! DS1 was adding/subtracting in treble digits on paper at 2 and ½.
Many children show early skills in maths, many of these children switch off if not challenged, but equally so, many children find their peers eventually catch up with them. Maybe due to the social philosophy within education, maybe not .

I?m not sure that the EYFS profile is that useful, because the children are assessed through their play in reception. Within a few weeks, you may find that many of those boxes have been ticked! And the teacher may speak to you about your daughter. If not, it might be better to wait for parents evening.

Should I make a fuss?

Not yet.

Is 3 weeks into reception too soon?

Yes.

Is there anything sensible I can do at home?

Just keep doing what you have been doing and let your dc take the lead.

It's very early days yet, and the teacher is probably still assessing the children, so I wouldn't expect much differentiated work yet. The great thing about reception is that it is mostly play-based, so the kids can generally find their own level. My dd thrived last year, and the school were fantastic about providing challenges and stimulation, but the first few weeks are just about settling them all in. I think you should wait and see how it goes.