Tutor for Year 1?

[Sammiez]

Hi,

I am contemplating getting a tutor for my Yr 1 dd who has been in the UK for a year now. Her level of understanding of English bothers me and this affects her comprehension sometimes;maths,etc. I am worried that now she has gone into Yr1 it might be an issue. I have become so worried about this and now find it so hard to help her at home. I snap,cry,get frustrated. I have put her off reading already now. She will read but won't get into the book and enjoy it. To be honest,she hates reading:(

Plus the areas they are expected to cover is,to me, mind boggling! Geography,science and tech,etc... I,personally think this is too much for 5-7year olds. I sometimes have no clue what is expected of me. But this is where we live now so have to adapt.

I don't know what to do. I thought not to bother anymore and just let her manage with school which is what kids this age in my country do but the scope here scares me and makes me feel one has to be on ones toes. Is this so or am I paranoid now out of fear? Or do I get a tutor and see how it goes?

That sounds like a lot of money - and also like a scam

Don't do it. Your darling daughter will be absolutely fine without a tutor in year 1. If the school have concerns they will provide her with extra support.

I think the tutor is saying exactly what you want to hear so that they can make money from you.

Please, please, please talk to your teacher about you concerns and not us. And don't panic. Only children who have SEN would need a tutor in year 1 - and your dd doesn't have SEN

In another year at she will be absolutely fine whatever you do - but if you employ a tutor you can't afford it will be a miserable year.

Thank you IndigoBell. I am not employing the tutors. I am more relaxed about it all now. It is just that I started to wonder if I was able to communicate my concerns properly with the schoool. I say something,the response I get has little correlation with my concerns and then the school raises my initial issue as if I never mentioned it. I am beginning to doubt my ability to convey my thoughts appropriately.

I feel better about dd's reading. Not fluent but she reads at least. I have almost totally stopped asking her to read but try to read to her. If her school book seems too difficult,I give her an easier one or read school book to her.

It is her 'english' that still bothers me a bit but want to give it time because it has definitely improved since our being here for a year now so think it should keep getting better.

Teacher said she doesn't ask for help when unsure and gets frustrated when stuck or makes mistakes. Don't want her to be 'lost' because of language.

Thanks a lot!

Sammiez. I think the price that you got quoted for tutoring is extremely expensive. I charge £30 per hour if I travel to the student and £26 per hour if the the student comes to me. I agree that it is very early days to be thinking about tutoring and that your daughter will probably be fine.

I would say this however:
The Local Authority should have someone who can provide support to teachers who are teaching students where English is not their first language. They should be able to tell the teacher how to help your daughter to improve her English.
If the school mention again that your daughter does not have the appropriate vocabulary then you can ask them
"Well how will you help her to gain better English vocabulary?"
"What additional support can you give her?" "What support is available from the Local Authority to help my daughter?
"Does she need to be on "School Action" for improving her English? - This is where children who need extra help for any reason are identified by the school and the school gives them extra help?" (To be honest if the school think your daughter is really behind in any way the SHOULD put her on the school action programme without you having to ask!!)

I agree with your decision to relax and see how much your daughter's English improves without tutoring, but if her English is an issue that the school are raising then THEY should be doing something about it. I'd relax and just do what you have been with games and stories for your DD until Christmas. Try and have fun with her - do things like going to the park, cooking, drawing and painting, playing with dolls, whatever she enjoys and don't worry! Then if you have still got concerns about your daughter's English in the New Year, go back into school and ask the teacher what she thinks and ask the questions above. If they think she doesn't need extra support/help that's OK; if they do then they should be supplying it. They have a duty to provide an appropriate education for every child!

I am really sorry that your daughter has been experiencing some bullying that is possibly race related. (This includes calling her names, being rude about her food, influencing other children so that hey do not play with her.) If this continues, this is what I would do: I would just keep a note every time something happens with the date. Ask your daughter to tell you every time something bad occurs. Then go into school with your list and show the teacher and ask her to address it. If something very bad occurs though ( like physical violence or racist name calling,) I would go in straight away. With a list the teacher can see that things are part of a pattern not just one off incidents.

I'm wondering too what you can do to get some more support in real life. Could you go to the library and ask for information about groups that are available that you could join. Local colleges often do free or low cost courses on things like art, crafts and computing and this might give you a chance to chat and get to know people. Is there a local group for African women? What about groups at your local church or mosque? Do you have other younger children - what about a local playgroup or toddler group where you could go and chat to other Mums while the children play.
I'm glad you have made at least one friend here but others IRL would be able to advise you more specifically than we can do here. ( It is fine to keep asking for advice here too though!)

One last thing. Don't underestimate the effect of culture shock. Some of what you describe sounds rather like culture shock to me, where you are confused about the way things are done here vs your own country and what you really think about it. Giving yourself more time to adjust and finding others IRL to talk it through with (particularly others who have experienced something similar)would probably help!