clever girl yr2

[mitz]

I don't want to sound all big headed but one of my children happens to be seriously clever. I don't take any credit for it, same as I don't take any blame for the others. But I know that at school she is doing work way below what she can do, she can't be bothered with the homework and says at school she helps the other children out or goes and reads a book when she's finished her work.

I've got parents evening in two weeks. What can I say to get the teacher to give her more/different work or should I just shut up and be glad of her 'problem'?

How have you identified this?

Yes mitz....what areas are you concerned about?

That's she's clever?

6 years old, reads everything. Photographic memory for spellings. Does times tables... backwards.

Do school agree with you?

can you encourage other aspects of her development - music, dance, art, sport, storytelling ? - outside of the school environment

she may not be demonstrating exceptional learning at school hence why teacher is not differentiating lessons for her

see what happens at parents evening

I think so - last teacher said I should send her to a private school (!!!)

But they don't give her any different work. I want to know if there's a way to approach teachers without getting their backs up. What questions to ask?

Or should I just leave it?

RandomMusings - outside she's fine, she just plays and stuff. It's the 6 hours a day at school I worry about.

I think they do know she's clever. One other thing they tried a Sat test on her when she was 5 and she got a 2A. I think that's good (it's good compared to my other two!)

You need to talk to her teacher. Not sure I understand why she can't be bothered to do her homework.

We have to write in the homework diary how long homework takes (ds is in yr 2 too). From that the teacher can work out if it is taking them too long (ie too difficult) or not long enough (too easy).

MollieO she can't be bothered with her homework because it's too easy for her - it's find two numbers which add up to a hundred. And she will do it, but it's ridiculously easy for her. It just makes me worried if this is what's happening every day in school.

I think her teachers have just thought - right we don't need to worry about her, she just gets on with it and she'll get top marks in Sats or whatever.

So what do I say? How do I say it? Or is it pointless to say anything?

There isn't any ceiling on the Y2 teacher assessment - she could achieve full marks on the test papers used to support teacher assessment, but the teacher assessment can go beyond that.

I would ask what she can do, and what she needs to work on next to progress. If it's something you know she can do easily already, then say so.

Feenie - I like that, that sounds positive.

I think you need to ask if they have noticed her becoming disengaged from the learning process, as she has expressed dissatisfaction with school at home

and mention the ease and speed at which she does her homework

it might be that teacher is still assessing, only having been her teacher for a few weeks

I'd be upfront, but polite natch, and ask what the teacher is doing to challenge your child in class.

RandomMusings Fair point, I don't know why they have parents evening so soon.

I just don't want to come across as peed off or 'my daughter's sooo bright why don't you stretch her more?'. (whoops I'm both of these things)

Did the teacher give a reason for suggesting you send her to boarding school? It seems an odd comment...

Pointy dog 'challenge' is a good work. I think there's a language I don't know.

I learnt a good one for one of my other children ... 'access the curriculum'.

There should be a phrase book of education jargon to make you sound like you're one of them and not attacking.

mrz - not boarding school. Just a very academic private school near to where I live.

Nevertheless, yes, it was a very odd comment!

oh yes, 'challenge' is the word. Teh teacher will be en garde!

But it's a fair enough question if asked with genuine interest.

Don't they have any Gifted & Talented strategy? At our school bright children get taken out of class for extra lessons to stretch them, and extra homework (optional, though).

Maybe you should look into moving her after Y2 if that's not something your current school does.

It would be a shame if she disengaged from learning because she's bored.

You should mention about the homework first of all because often homeowkr is just meant to be straightforward revision of what's been done in class and maybe part of teh classwork is more challenging.

TheNextMrsDepp.

I thought, just our luck, that Gifted and Talented was scrapped last year?

I considered, briefly, moving her up (I don't know if the school does it) but I couldn't - emotionally she's 6.

It's my worry that she'll just coast and not care.

Pointydog
Oh heck, if the homework she's getting is a revision of what she's been doing in class, she must be really bored!

The homework is the only hard evidence I have that the work's not appropriate for her. ... 'I'm concerned the homework isn't challenging her enough'

Thanks for your help, I shall go with these on the back of my hand..

I'm concerned the homework isn't challenging her enough it only takes her a few minutes to do

What does she need to work on next to progress?

Thanks again

I would expect a 6 year old's homework to take only a few minutes

Ds's maths homework takes about 3 minutes (on the odd occasion when he will actually do it), reading 10 minutes (two books) and spelling depends on how many he has to learn.

Personally I'd be happier if he had no homework at all. I didn't at primary school and it hasn't had a detrimental effect on my career!