About to go (politely) nuclear on the school: reasonable?

[Devexity]

I've posted about DS's school before, but imagine the internets don't hang on my every word, so to recap: The school runs a grouped-by-ability-not-age daily phonics system which DS completed part way through Y1. He and his group trod water for the rest of the year, they left to go to the junior school, and this school year the head decided to have DS teach other groups rather than provide him with any instruction. We expressed concern, and they magicked up an independent topic work plan to begin in November.

So here we are.

The independent topic work started well (ish). The head gave him a topic, some library books and a notepad, then stuck him in a corridor to make notes. After three weeks, he stopped getting topics and library books. Or adult input. The day he told me that he did research by closing his eyes and remembering everything he knew about angler fish, I sent books in with him.

We picked his topics together. We chose the books. He wrote reports at the weekend. No-one read them. Last week he went to do his research and found that his chair and table were gone, so wandered around the school with a handful of books about the French Revolution until he ended up in the office where they found a space for him on the floor.

It seems to me that they are failing to supervise him, let alone educate him. And though he doesn't mind, I mind quite desperately that he's spending enormous amounts of time researching and typing up painstaking reports that no-one bothers to look at.

Apologies for length and thank you if you've made it this far. Any suggestions?

Talkinpeace I spend hundreds of pounds (of my own cash) making sure I have the resources to meet the needs of all children as do many, many teachers

No problem, Spanieleyes. I didn't mean to imply that Devexity's DS shouldn't be stretched and educated at an appropriate level, more that, given that the school is clearly failing to stretch him in terms of phonics, it might be better to look at other ways he can meaningfully spend his time.

That said, if it were my DD I wouldn't be too concerned about losing a couple of hours of linear curriculum education a week if she were doing something which met other, broader educational goals. That may be, though, because I have spent many years in countries where children spend much, much less time in school (start older, have shorter working weeks and longer holidays). Maybe, if I?m honest, I?m also less concerned about my kids being intellectually stretched than I am about them being ?engaged? at primary school (and stretching them is only one way of achieving that) since if I want I can always get them to do really tricky intellectual stuff at home . I can see other people might have other priorities though (and, obviously, schools and the educational system as a whole certainly should).

mrz
I utterly and totally agree with you
and I said on another thread - unlike many of the daily mail brigade - I could not do your job for the world
BUT
under every child matters, you have to provide the most possible to the most.
Every good teacher I know is well out of pocket. Goodness knows how many hours MRZ is out of pocket for posting on here as against the new graduate consultant twonks who set the damn policies.
However
DH visits hundreds of schools per year (he's not OFSTED btw) and has never yet seen one cope with the "very exceptionally able". Low level SEN = think toddler but SNA's are not geared up for the next Feynman. So the very best any school can do is stretch them sideways (like the face of Bo) so that they hit year 7 like sponge. THAT is success.

My experience is very very different in that my son had completed the Y7 and some of the Y8 maths and science curriculum in his small (3 classes ) primary school. When he started his good secondary school in the top set he immediately went back down to the end of Y4 coverage

apologies to OP

mrz
Naughty of the primary to run that far ahead.
As a G&T governor I'd have hauled the head and the attached inspector over the coals for that.

Simple reason - the aim is not to produce Ruth Lawrences.
The school should have dragged your son sideways - as DD's school did with her.
Both she and DS were at level 6 at the end of year 5. So we have done music, languages, sports, you name it, rather than impinge on what will be covered at secondary.

^Talkinpeace Sun 12-Dec-10 19:10:37 mrz
Naughty of the primary to run that far ahead.^ Thankfully G&T and G&T governors didn't exist then. He isn't either gifted or talented actually just ASD

So a child has to tread water until they get to secondary? rubbish!

talkinpeace - how could your children have been a level 6 if they weren't doing Y7 / 8 work???????

But my bright children WANT to learn algebra and trigonometry-they had great fun proving the equation for calculating the area of a circle last week. I agree that children should be stretched sideways but they can also be stretched vertically too, especially if they are "gifted" in just one or two areas, you couldn't get one of my boys to enjoy sports if you paid him, give him an algebraic equation however and he is in his element!

I'm sorry for returning to the thread but the more I think about the more angry I feel about Talkinpeace's response

What a ridiculous post, Talkinpeace. Level 6 is the average level of a 14 year old - how does a child get there unless they cover Y7 or Y8 work?

As a G and T governor, you seem woefully ignorant, both of the National Curriculum and the way it works, and your role and authority as a governor.

Children are taught according to what they need to learn next for their attainment level, not according to their year group. And as a governor acting alone, you would have absolutely no authority to haul anyone over the coals, never mind heads or 'attached inspectors' - you appear to suffer terribly from delusions of grandeur here.

All I know is that my Yr 5 DD is doing Yr 7/8 work, expected to get a 5b at the end od this year so looking at sixes by the end of year 6. Do I want her stopped or going sideways? Hell, no! Good schools should be able to cater for everyone - children who need support and children who run ahead. If a child is ready to move on, they should be allowed to do so and Talkinpeace is needs to be renamed TalkingNonsense.

Op
I'm not getting involved in the wider debate onthis thread, but fwiw at ds1's state school (45 intake per year) there is a group of about 8 year 2s who have 'finished' the year 2 phonics and are working on year3 spellings.

Sorry. Posted too early. My point was just that they seem to take for granted the need to arrange their phonics sessions around the current levels of all the kids irrespective of age. I am pretty easy going on stuff like this but I'd go ballistic in your situation. And you should expect the school to come up with a constructive plan not the other way around.