Differentiating

[CardyMow]

Last year and the year before (Y1 & Y2) My 7yo DS was given VERY different work from his classmates, he was doing Y3 english work and Y4 maths work. They were sending home different homework for him as well. Now that he's gone into Y3, I would have expected the school to do the same, and give him extension work like the previous 2 yrs, but they're not. They are sending him home with the maths sheets for Y3 that he completed (without a problem) in Y1, He's meant to take 20 mins to complete the sheets, he's doing them in 3-4 mins, then moaning at me as 'they're too easy AND I've already done them'. Given the problems I'm having with the school (posted in bullying), what do I do? Do I ask his class teacher for some more appropriate work, or do I just get some work books for him to do at home? I was told at the end of Y2 that he was working on level 4 maths work? Doesn't mean that much to me, I just know the work he's doing is too easy, and for the first time, he's been 'playing up' in class, pulling faces at people, wandering around etc. Reading's not a problem, he's working his way through the Harry Potter series of books ATM, his step-gran is passing them on to him one at a time, as the school don't seem to have anything at the right level, that he's interested in, all the higher level books seem to be 'girly and pants' as he puts it...

Definietely speka to his new teacher.

If the teacher hasn't picked it up by now then there's already a problem.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of incompetent teachers, particularly when it comes to catering for the more able pupils ...and to be fair they have a SATs incentive to spend more time with those who are lagging behind at the expense of those who are already at the top.

The odd teacher (Y1 & 2 in your case) may do the right thing. But that's not good enough. Your DS needs to be catered for properly in every year.

Have a word with the teacher but you may need to book an appointment to meet with the head. Ask for the G&T coordinator to be present at the meeting. Read up about the programme before you go in and then you can ask specific questions as to when he was identified, when he was put on the register etc. If they've done it then ask for evidence that they've catered for his ability. You can go complain to the LEA but, at this stage and particularly considering that the school did the right thing in Y1 & 2, I'd suggest working with the school first to sort it out.

The Head IS the G&T co-ordinator, but I'm in dispute with him over how he handled a very severe bullying incident involving my 7yo DS ATM, I'm very much persona non gratis as far as the Head is concerned right now, it's taken me nearly 3 WEEKS to get an appointment to see him about my son being attacked in the playground and suffering a severe concussion (see bullying..). And My LEA at the moment only either deals with SN pupils, or you have to have gone through both the Head and then 2 weeks later, the Board of Governors before the LA will even look to see if the school has a case to answer, on ANY issue. He was put on G&T register in term 2 of reception, he'd already read All the infants books by then. In this school, it is very dependent on the individual teachers (I have an older DD who left the school in July, she had this same teacher in Y3, and she was just as innefectual then...)

AND MEH to my own spelling!! 'ineffectual', as she corrects herself....

And I did notice the SATS thing at the end of last year. Both with my SEN DD who was in yr 6 AND my 7 yo DS1 when he was in yr2

I wouldn't approach the LEA via the normal route. Ask for the dept that deals with G&T. Request a copy of the LEAs policy on G&T and the related LAQS (Quality Standards). Read up on them (and the school's policy). Then speak with the person who's in charge of G&T implementation at the LEA. Explain in what way the school is failing in its implementation of G&T. You'll need to resist the temptation to talk about bullying or any matter that's not directly a G&T issue.

In the meanwhile

1. keep comms with the head in writing and keep a record of the exchanges
2. give DS work at home that's at his level, date each piece and file it (and keep a record of the HW he's getting)
3. use a Subject Access Request under the FOI Act to get info and records from the school.