How much info do you get from your child's school? Do teachers give suggestions on how to help at home?

[jaded]

Just wondering if I am expecting too much here. We received a curriculum letter at the beginning of term outlining the topics covered but not very specific. We get a yellow book home with a new book once a week and we write comments about reading. The teacher has written two comments so far. No other homework yet. We had a ten mins parents' evening and I was told DD was doing very well. When I asked how I could help at home, the teacher's response was "Don't worry, we teach them to read". It's a shame that the school have this attitude as I'd like to be more involved and part of my daughter's education. We also have no idea which sounds are being taught, how addition is taught (although I don't feel very comfortable teaching any level of Maths!)and there was no mention of the other subjects on the curriculum. It would have been nice to see some of my DD's work at the parents' evening too.
What are your experiences? Do you feel you are well informed?

It's vital to know what's going on or what is meant to be going on so you can be on top of it immediately when it doesn't happen.
Great example my DD's old school were meant to be offering French, one of the reasons we chose it over others. Turns out they meant one term of French in year 1.
As for the Maths, my children felt a complete failure with the new methods, were falling behind, did not get it at all.
We've moved them to a school which teaches it the old way and it's all clicked into place. The senior schools don't mind how they learn as long as they do so the only losers by sticking with the new methods despite them clearly not working for 50% of the class was going to be the children themselves. Good job we stuck our noses in where they aren't wanted otherwise the damage to the girls confidence might have been too great.

I would like to know what is being discussed and done in the classroom..

What is strange to me about this topic (and I know this is just based on my experiences), I know a couple of teachers who live abroad, and are staggered by the lack of interest and lack of engagement shown by the parents of children who have come from the UK ....

I don't really think that homework as such is necessary in infants but I am a bit surprised that a teacher would say that the school teach a child to read and the parents have no part in it. The school may teach the techniques and phonics but surely it is up to the parents to put the practice in? There simply isn't the time for teachers to listen to every child often enough. She should have been telling you to listen to your child to read as much as possilbe (5 times a week at DS2's school) not telling you not to bother!

We have curriculum evenings at the beginning of the year letting us know what the children will be learning that year and what we can do to help. Not formal but more about making learning opportunities like adding up shopping, looking out for things that are relevant and the reading. Then we also have subject evenings for maths and literacy to find out about the techniques used. Not vital in the infants when there is little homework but v. useful in the juniors when there is more done at home.

Comments are written in the reading log every time DS reads to an adult (twice a week).

We have weekly newletters to let us know about visitors like artists, music or drama groups, anything out of the norm so we know what the children are up to.

I have to agree OP, it isn't about taking over the teaching or hothousing the child but knowing what is happening so you can be aware where there are things that are relevant to school and can reinforce learning.

Parental help is vital. If i wasn't aware of my ds's reading problems, he wouldn't be able to read.

Ours sends home a list of which topics are being taught that term, and also the frequency/expectations for homework and reading.

There may also be a meeting for parents of children in specific year groups. The Yr6 parents will be told about SATs and the work their children will be doing. The Reception parents will be told how their children will be learning and about practising phonics at home, listening to reading etc.

At parents evenings there is usually an opportunity to look at work and the teachers will also talk about areas each child will be working on next.

There is an emphasis on the school and parents working together. I have two children who tell me very little about what they do at school and one who tells me everything. The school's approach works for all three of them.

Some very interesting posts here. My DD is in year one, not reception so I just assumed there would be more feedback at this stage.
My DD does not talk about school that much pixieonaleaf which is probably why I want the school to tell me more. Nieicie - yes, it is important to know what they are doing so I can reinforce the learning at home. With a class of 30, there isn't that much time given to each child. Also, my DD is very quiet and tends to get overlooked (although this is improving). I am not a pushy parent, I just like to know what she's up to and how I can be involved in this exciting part of her life! I don't see school as a a creche or as free childcare and I'd like to work more with the school so she can fulfill her potential. Curriculum evenings would be brilliant as I was taught very differently at school and methods have changed. Mamamtoomany - glad your kids are getting the maths. And also I think it's important for kids to get the maths techniques right at this stage or times tables etc are very difficult to grasp. If it were up to me, formal education wouldn't start until 6 or 7 but this is the system and I just want to keep up with it!

I agree that not all children tell you what is going on at home. DS1(yr 6) never tells me - once school is over he forgets about it unless I manage to find the right question which is hit and miss if I have no idea what he is doing at school. DS2(Yr 2) tells me oads. However, even if children do tell you what they are doing at school they tend to tell you what is interesting to them, not necessarily what it would be useful to know. I get a blow by blow account of the hattrick he scored playing football at lunchtime, the fact that he got 10/10 in spelling and who said what to whom, but nothing about what he is doing in maths or whether he has started doing joined up handwriting or whatever. That is why communication with the school is vital.

My DS is in Yr1 and there is a webpage where the school's topics for the term are located and games - sometimes its not 100% updated which can be a bit frustrated. But good to get an idea usually. They also have curriculum meetings where they discuss phonics or maths or the ICT learning platform and give out leaflets about how best to help your child. The maths one in particular was all new as they do teach maths in a way that isn't intuitive to me, guess its just not the way I was taught. They send around a paper report and have parents evening's every term. Only 10mins though. And the home learning books/homework every week. It is still quite hard to know what's going on as my DS just wants to switch off and not talk about school when he comes out - most I get is 'OK' unless its something he wants to talk about. I would still like more feedback really - a 10min slot in parents evening just doesn't seem long enough. Altho' the the school does encourage you to book a session with the teacher if you have any concerns as and when.