Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

Original poster

How do you find out what they're doing at school?

24 replies

yellowsubmarine41 · 20/09/2011 22:57

PFB started reception last week, still on half days. Comes out very happy and relaxed - generally settling very well.

I don't know much about what she does. I know it's different from nursery and there are 29 other kids etc etc, but how will I ever know?

She's bringing a (self-chosen) book home each day.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Doodlez · 20/09/2011 23:20

First parent evening is quite often in mid-October...that gives the teacher a reasonable amount of time to suss his/her class out. At that meeting, he/she should give you an overview of the rest of the year and a quick udate on what's happened so far.

An0therName · 21/09/2011 13:22

my DS didn't really say much at all especially the first term - often the teacher does a newletter which will cover the kind of topics the will be doing, and I am sure they will be doing some phonics every day = many schools have a meeting to explain phonics - plus I think some number and other literacy, plus hopefully lots of playing! I used to talk to the other parents and we would piece things together ..
but it is different from nursery and take a bit of getting used to

Oggy · 21/09/2011 13:35

As others have said, you should get a parents evening in October (I think most schools do) but if your teachers are anything like ours they will have no problem with you popping over to them at home time and just asking is she settling well / behaving / whatever it is you want a bit of reassurance on.

In my sons reception year he would never play with the other children in the playground before the bell in the morning and I was concerned he wasn't making friends so I spoke to her at pick up time just to check he was making friends etc - she was fine about it.

Oggy · 21/09/2011 13:36

Sorry, misread your post, you're asking what she's doing not how she's doing.

Our school has a curriculum evening where all parents cone in and the teacher goes through what they'll be doing throughout the year. Does your school maybe have something similar, you could ask.

SamsungAndDelilah · 21/09/2011 13:46

My DS2 tells me loads about school every day. Minute details.

Today he went into space on a big blue bus and ate chocolate and strawberries until the teacher told him to run around the field. Then he drove a tractor until carpet time. Then he sat on the carpet with his finger on his lips for three hours until it was home time. :o

DeWe · 21/09/2011 13:58

Samsung
Ds is like that too! Can't get anything useful out of him.
Dd1 used to give me down to the minute information of everything she and every other child had done in yR. Now in y6 she just tells me that school was "boring".

Oggy · 21/09/2011 14:00

I think its a boy thing. I never (and still don't) ever get anything out of my son. My daughter gives so much detail that it makes me want to cry with boredom.

AurraSing · 21/09/2011 14:01

Neither of mine will willingly tell me what they do at school. I do get snippets (sp?) of information but it's on a need to know basis. I think they are training to be spies.

AurraSing · 21/09/2011 14:04

I think you're right oggy, being told might be far worse

purpleturtletoise · 21/09/2011 14:11

I caught DS2 offguard at bed time one night last week (he's Y1) and he let slip that he had been told off. Only once. For fighting. Well, playfighting. He and 5, no 6, others were being princes and they had to fight because the king had drowned, and they made weapons out of things in the construction area.

I do hope that when he finally learns to write he'll still be as imaginative in his story-telling.

RedBlanket · 21/09/2011 14:17

I find bedtime is a good time to get info out of them. Also ask specific questions like 'who did you sit next to at lunch'. 'did you play x at playtime'. Seems to get a bit more out of them than 'what did you do
Today'

sittinginthesun · 21/09/2011 14:21

Samsung:) My DS2 is similar. First day of school, he came running out, talking non stop. He'd dug for worms, found magic worms and space worms, and some magic crystals, had roast chicken for lunch and then dressed up as a donkey!!!

piprabbit · 21/09/2011 14:27

DD is Y3 - I could count the number of times she has volunteered useful information about school on the fingers of one hand.

But I do get blow by blow accounts of the latest imaginary animal games she and her friends have invented at playtime. And all the details of what so and so said to so and so and how she cried so they all went to the teacher....

AngryFeet · 21/09/2011 14:34

Neither will tell me what they do during the day so I rarely bother asking them now! From Y1 our school does an evening where they outline what will be learnt in the year ahead and what we can do at home to help. That along with parents evenings is all I need to know :)

DH is going to the Y2 meeting tonight as I have to take the kids to swimming lessons. Will be astounded if he doesn't sleep during it or spend the whole time on his iphone .

DownyEmerald · 21/09/2011 20:19

No one method works every time!

A tip I picked up from a friend - I ask dd if she got any house points - she is always happy to answer that one!

I did try "what was the best bit" and "what was the worst bit" but she has got wise to those so I'll lay off them for a while.

Playing school with them can be informative (or can be extremely repetitive and only illuminate you about things they find fascinating - like the lunch choices, I did get fed up of having to be everyone in the class choosing my lunch!).

Sitting down and doing something with dd, like colouring or something can be a good way of chatting about stuff.

The other ways is when dd is really tired she will have a meltdown about something she has obviously been stewing about for days.

And when she was too knackered/wound up to sleep in the early days I would stay up with her and do my sudokos (?sp) and she would tell me stuff. That hasn't happened yet tho' this year (Yr 1) so I think her stamina has improved.

Helping with reading - that one is the best really - about how the school works rather than specifically what dd does.

Sorry long.

treas · 22/09/2011 10:53

I always find that dd and ds tend to tell me more about their day just as they are getting into bed and having a story - guess they are at their most relaxed and more open to a grilling discussion about the school day.

BabyGiraffes · 22/09/2011 13:28

dd has only just started reception but I find she is most chatty when we walk to and from school. I try to allow extra time in the mornings when we walk because if she has something important to tell me she will stop walking to get my full attention

munstersmum · 22/09/2011 14:10

You may find school soon puts on a couple of short sessions for parents on phonics & the current ways of teaching maths. Both primary schools DS has gone to do this.

We've had curriculum summaries each term (1 side of A4) in every school year - state primary.

BabyGiraffes · 22/09/2011 14:18

The 'important' information dd has to give me is usually how she and a friend tried to find a treasure at break time (the muddy state of her dress gave me a clue...) etc. We also get curriculum letters etc from the school but I find her news more interesting

Bramshott · 22/09/2011 14:43

We got a curriculum sheet from DD's school which had topics and themes etc on one side, and a weekly class timetable on the other.

Original poster

yellowsubmarine41 · 22/09/2011 21:13

Thanks all. Just found out that there will be weekly after school sessions to show parents what they're doing in reception very soon and first reading book came home today.

From what she said about firework claps, it sounds like they've started Jolly Phonics too.

OP posts:

mrz · 22/09/2011 21:21

Firework claps aren't part of Jolly Phonics not sure on that one

Original poster

yellowsubmarine41 · 23/09/2011 06:37

Is there a 'well done' thing in JP? I thought I remembered seeing a firework type clap on that 'Last Chance Kids' programme a few years ago.

Maybe that was a different phonics scheme.

OP posts:

CliniqueMum · 23/09/2011 06:45

Our school did a parents information evening to go through the topics for the year, has a weekly timetable and then puts the detailed lesson plans of the teacher on one of the classroom windows so you can have a look when you pick up/drop off. This has been useful to initiate conversation as my Reception son will happily tell me he sat in a corner all day and they gave him no lunch.

Flip