I cannot believe I'm writing this post. This is my third child and I've always been happy with the school. Dd started in January. The school has always offered January entry but this year the council encouraged all schools in our city to offer one entry in September. The head at dd's school still offered entry at any point in the year and I took up January as dd isn't 5 till April and I preferred her to start later. Tha majority of parents took September. However dd was previously attending full time nursery and a number of children from her nursery have gone to the same school so socially starting ater seems to be going fine.
What's not going so well is the staff's attitude to dd. I can't believe I'm writing this - I am not at all 'precious' about my dcs - but I don't think they like her very much.
The first thing was that the class teacher felt the need to tell me (three days in) that it's very hard when 23 kids know the routine and 3 don't. Seeing as Reception is all about learning school routines I don't really get the problem?
The second thing was that she described dd as 'very stubborn'. Well yes she is. That's not a personality trait exclusive to her. They're working with four year olds. Most of them know their own minds and aren't that keen on negotiation. I guess I was just surprised that was the rait she would choose to comment on - not she asks lots of questions or she's very interested in other children or anything really that wasn't basically running her down.
Now today they've 'done' guided reading and I'm jus stunned by what the classroom assistant wrote in her record book. It's all been positive so far but today it's written that they looked at three pages (these are not big books) and it says 'Ok when on task but often preferred looking at the pictures instead of reading the book'
The previous week it's recorded that they (another memeber of staff) looked at the pictures with her for 'clues' to the text! I went in to speak to the TA because the book isn't in her bag - apparently they don't send the guided reading book home 
. She was very dismissive and negative and I said that yes she can be a bit hard to capture her interest but she enjoys the reading that we do at home and gets very keen (which is the absolute truth!) She said 'oh but she's just the same in phonics, she's in my group for that too and she won't concentrate'
At this point I thought I'd better go as we obviously weren't getting anywhere.
I don't know what to do. I actually feel a bit panic-stricken. Dd is an able and lively child. You do have to work to capture her focus sometimes but she's 4 after all. She's been at school 3 weeks. It just feels like they aren't putting any effort to do that. They won't do guided reading again till next week. The phonics - she's been doing this at nursery for years. I have pages and pages of her nursery observations showing that she could follow instructions and focus. The nursery staff were always so enthusiastic about her learning. I just don't know how to deal with this negativity.
I have a horror of being a pushy parent but I'm not putting up with negative and unhelpful comments in her reading record book for heavens sake.
What should I do? Or am I being unreasonable and the current trend in Recption is to be negative about the children you have?
I've namechanged btw because if I know you in RL I will be talking to you about this and you don't need to know my MN name!
Sorry it's so long.