Slow work - keeping in at playtime - any advice?

[Takver]

Sorry, this is going to be a bit long. My dd is in yr 4 (age 8). She is (and always has been) very slow at doing her school work. Its been a problem for her throughout her time at school - and more generally she does pretty much everything very slowly at home & at school. Even at her sports club which she loves she is the one trailing so far behind the others that they've started the next activity before she finishes the previous one.

Its come up in conversation that she is getting kept in again quite a lot at playtime to finish work. She's very reluctant to say how much, but it seems like at least twice a week and I suspect more.

She is very short sighted (as in technically very, as opposed to moderately - minus 6 diopters and getting worse at each 3 monthly eye test). There are very few things that have been suggested that might help slow down the deterioration, but one of them is spending as much time as possible out of doors in daylight. Hence I am really keen for her to get her outdoor playtimes, particularly in winter when there is little daylight outside school hours.

I'm due to see her teacher next week for the regular parent-teacher meeting anyway, and am wondering how to bring this up. To be frank, I very much doubt that keeping her in will make the least difference - it may have changed, but every time slow work has come up before, it isn't that she is talking or messing around, just working v e r y s l o w l y, and I've had no evidence in the last 8 years that anything will speed up the way she does things beyond waiting for her to get better/faster at what ever it is.

I had thought of asking that she takes home the left over work (so she could do it when it is dark outside), but dd says that they are generally working from a textbook, and they share them, so its not likely to be practical.

I do want to support the teacher, but equally, her eyesight is a real problem, and I'm not sure what to do!

I think you need to go in and tell the teacher exactly what you have said here.

There is a medical reason for her to spend as much time as possible outside, so you should definitely push fro this.

My DS2 has similar problems with getting things finished (also in Year 4). Last year he was diagnosed as having 'slow processing' skills - it means he literally takes longer than other kids to 'make sense' of information/tasks/questions etc.
He was also being asked to stay and finish things and was getting very upset at a) being singled out b) missing playing with his friends.
I agreed with his teacher than we prioritise the really important stuff and that he bring it home to finish. Some less important stuff (colouring, FFS!) was left unfinished.

I think you sound perfectly reasonable to ask forthis to be reviewed, perhaps she could borrow a text book and bring it back the next day. If she finishes the work at some point be it at home or at school, then that is the main thing. suggest it to the teacher and explain about her needing to be outside for her eyesight and Im sure they will be fair about it.

I'm glad that so far people don't think I'm being unreasonable.

Sandythumb, that's really interesting about your DS - I have often wondered if dd has something like that. I know that last year, she told her teacher about the maths 'either I can do it fast, or I can get the answers right - and which do you want?', and I think for her that is literally true, she just can't do it a bit faster but a bit less accurately, IYSWIM

Its generally maths where she gets kept in, I think (despite the fact that last year she was often working with the children in the year above). I have suggested to her that she tries the option of doing the work fast, and getting it done, even if it means that all the answers are wrong - it is what I would do in that situation, but she is much more concienscious than than me about such things!

AS a teacher, I would say that it was totally reasonable for you to ask if your DD could bring work home to finish rather than spending playtimes doing it!

Not unreasonable at all for you to bring this up. She is not being wilfully naughty and refusing to do her work, it just takes her a long time.

Tbh I would be cross that the school aren't looking to support her to learn what she needs to in a less time-consuming way, rather than just taking the easy option of keeping her indoors at breaktimes to catch up.

She needs her fresh air and exercise as much as she needs to learn maths - even more so because of her eyesight.

Its a difficult one, alibaba - partly, I find it hard to understand how she can simultaneously be in their 'top group' for everything (don't know if she is now, but I was told by the teacher that she was last year, and I know she still sits with a friend who is the class 'golden boy' so I suspect it is still the case) - and yet be working 'too slowly'.

BUT having said that, I can see that it is hard if they are asking a group of children to do a piece of work, and one only answers half the questions, for example. And I guess that in RL as an adult she will have to do things at a reasonable speed at work, for example . . .

My DD, like your DD, is pretty slow at doing everything. She is often kept in to finish her work, sometimes she wants to stay in either way I am happy with it. However if I were in your situation I would be wanting her to be outside as much as possible and for me it would not be acceptable that she is kept in. I am sure there is a compromise to be reached if the school are that worried i.e. she could finish the work at home? I do not find it hard to understand how she can be in the 'top group' because it is about quality and not quantity, ability (i.e she can do it easily just takes a bit of time) and of course potential. Good luck.

If she is genuinely working in lesson time and not staring out the window then it seems harsh to keep her in reguarly. I agree with others, she can bring important stuff home but most of it can be left.

Maybe you need to ask the school for the policies that back up this matter , i have a similar problem with my son who has claimed that if they do not get the home learning done by a certain day they will miss out on their playtime to do the work.
Most of the home learning he brings home is work that he has not done , has poor instructions of what is needed and usually badly photocopied.
I will be bringing this up at parents evening tomorrow as i am sure that the policy does not cover this treatment of the pupils and i feel that is a form of bullying by the teacher.