Situation at school

[Pipsqueak16]

Don't know what to do
DS1 is in year 2 but has been spending mornings all this year doing maths/ literacy with the year 3/4 class. He is currently 3a/4c and works with the top of year 3. Afternoons he goes back to the year1/2 class for topic work/art/PE etc.
This term has been a disaster. Everytime year 3/4 are doing something "different" ie play rehearsals, trips, cricket practice etc etc in the morning he has to stay with year 1/2. It seems as though whenever this happens there isn't any plan for him. He does the same work as everyone else with no differentiation. This has happened pretty much every day now for the last 3 weeks This week maths was doubling/ halving all week- which is what DS2 who is in year 1 was also doing. Year 1/2 don't have silent reading time as year 3/4 do. The list goes on.
At home I've seen a significant deterioration in his behaviour over the last few weeks and he is absolutely manic when he comes out of school. Wired literally to the extent that he is not settling off to sleep and as a result is very tired. His mind simply won't switch off the last few weeks at night. Year 1/2 have been set homework every weekend but DS1 has had nothing from either class.
I understand that school is winding down towards the end of term but it's like he's forgotten. I know it's hard to provide differentiation but would it be really difficult to have him quadrupling or octupling (is that a word) numbers that others were doubling? To cap it all DS1 does not cope with sudden unexpected changes of plan very well.
I know I'm going to have to have a word... again... but I feel like I'm constantly 'that' parent. Perhaps I should just leave it as it's close to the end of term now.WWYD??

It is one term out of his schooling so far. Socially it should have helped but can understand that he may have needed more differentiation. I suspect they are in a no-win situation though. You could just have easily been complaining that he had been left to read quietly while others were bring taught.

I found children's audio books were a great help in getting dd settled at night. Do not be afraid to get ones which seem a bit younger as children often find the familiar comforting.

WRT school, could you set work or get something like the Letts Mythical Maths or Enchanted English series which he could work through by himself? Or do the school have a computer he could sit quietly with to do Khan Academy or a learning website the school subscribe to?

My ds used to go to year4 , but stopped when yr2 Sats week started.
He actually enjoyed being back with his class, but also enjoyed Khan academy at home as well.
It's end of year and lot's of stuff going on, I think he can chill out a bit.

Thanks for comments. I know it's the end of the year. I don't expect every second of the school year to have academic educational value. I wouldn't mind so much but he is unhappy and frustrated and doesn't understand why he is being given the work he is being asked to do at the moment. It's work for the sake of work with zero benefit to him. If he was running around outside having fun, exploring and building mud pies or playing with Lego that would be better because he would be stimulated... But doubling numbers up to 20?
I can do things with him at home of course, which we do from time to time eg DS2 is grumpy that DS1 isn't being given homework so when DS2 did his homework I gave him some handwriting and some maths (fractions) to look at. The ironic thing is that DS1 was actually pleased I had found him something to do! I don't want to take up too much of his down time with educational stuff though. After school is supposed to be when he's charging around the close on his bike or working on his den in the garden.
And as I said if it wasn't adversely affecting him I wouldn't be worrying. I'd be happy to send something in but worry it's a bit presumptuous.

At my ds school, he was given a workbook and websites to go to.
When ds said the website was a bit boring, I made the list of his favourites and asked him to give it to the teacher. Teacher didn't seem to mind, he is allowed to do what he wants to do now.

This is exactly what happened to DD in Year 2, and why we found that this kind of differentiation didn't work. She ended up feeling as if she were neither fish nor fowl, and it was really disorientating for her.

And I completely get the frustration at being bored. I think supplementing is the only way forward for now - we found that just one or two sessions a week made her much less furious.

Having said that, you're almost at the end of it, and our experience was that Yr2 was the worst by far. Once you get into the topic work of Yr3, it's much easier for them to work at their own level.

I'm surprised that the school can only differentiate by sending your child to be educated in the class above. My y3 DD is now assessed at level 5 (in old levels) in maths, as are two other children in the year, and they have always been given differentiated work in the class. I agree that appropriate differentiation should be provided and I would be suggesting that simply sending your DC to the year above is not differentiation.