DS's Y2 Maths - Again!! Shall I just give up?

[gabid]

I have moaned about this on a previous thread some weeks ago. DS's maths was quite weak, I worked with him and it improved quite a lot since last summer. Just after last 1/2 term I noticed that he is with mainly Y1s and work is much too easy - DS likes easy though.

After speaking to his teacher several times and the DH, giving them examples of what he can do, I was constantly told that he is in the right place and I wouln't want him to struggle. Finally, in January I thought I was heard and DS's maths was assessed. His teacher told me he did as well as the best children in her Y2 class and that he will be moved to the Y2s. Also, she told me what they will cover in the next weeks so that I can practice with DS - most of it seemed easy for him, and it was.

Yesterday at parents evening his teacher told me with a smile that DS can do the Y2 work and that he is one group up from the bottom. I thought he was one of the best? She advised me to practice counting in 2s, 5s, 10s and adding numbers in the teens . DS does that in his sleep and quite routinely adds any numbers adding up to 100 and slightly beyond, also he is confident with his 2 and 5 timestables.

I feel frustrated, my DS was behind last summer but has made huge progress. The school does not seem to want to know or recognise that? Do I go again and ask questions, tell her again that DS can do what she asked me to practice with him? Or do I just keep teaching him maths myself, which is tiring for DS after 6 hours at school?

I asked DS himself and he tells me that maths is easy and that he likes it that way. He was happy within the Y1 class, because it was easy and he seems just as happy now because it is easy. It seems to me that my DS will happily do what ever is asked of him as long as it is easy.

gabid:

If you're really frustrated but don't feel you can get teachers/ schools to change much (and let's face it a lot of the time schools don't bother with high achieving Y2 students, because of KS1 SATs they focus on those who aren't performing at NC Level 2).

So if you would like your son to be stretched maybe you should consider doing something to supplement maths at home?

If you can afford it, I've heard many on MN praise mathletics: www.mathletics.co.uk/. We've been very happy with Mathsfactor themathsfactor.com/ - but we opted for this because of remedial needs (i.e. DD1 in Y2 couldn't subtract 1 from 10).

Also can access a lot of KS2 maths materials through BBC Learning [BETA] website: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/keystage_2/topics/maths_ks2.shtml

The new OFSTED rules do require that every child is accurately assessed for ability and is being stretched - so you can use this to your advantage with the school. However, you may find that the school are so vile about doing more with your child, that it is simply easier to do more at home and treat school as cheap 'day care'.

Please can you post a link to these new ofsted rules - sounds interesting.

PastSellByDate - thanks for the links.

In Y1 my DS was behind in maths, so since the summer I worked with him daily (I used to teach secondary, not maths though) at first it was hard going but after a month or so it started to fall in place for him, and now I would expect him to reach level 2a by the end of the year easily - probably 3c if he was taught maths at school.

I can understand that it hasn't been noticed that DS can do more because he doesn't always listen in class, and he just sits there and does what he has to.

But I can't understand that if a parent comes and tells the school that they have supported their child and that he has improved a lot and should now be able to work at Y2 level, the school doesn't seem interested. There are SATs exams at the end of this year too I thaught, isn't it in the school's interest that children do well?

It is in the schools interest that a child achieves the national average at ks1 sats but if they achieve higher than that then it pits pressure on the school to ensure the child achieves higher than the national average in ks2 sats to keep their value added score high.

I would also recommend Mathletics.

He goes to an infant school and leaves at the end of Y2.

It was my aim to get him up to national average, but when the school wouldn't tell me his level and just told me that he was slightly behind I googled the app grid and some 'I can' statements and noticed that he has gone beyond national average - and the school was telling me he is behind - at that point last term!

When I speak to DS's teacher I always go in asking questions and waiting for them to suggest what I want them to do. I want to keep a good relationship with the school, DS's teacher always seems very approachable, but she doesn't seem to be hearing what I tell her.

Probably best to carry on doing what I have done since the summer, its just hard for DS to do maths each day on top of the other stuff.

Rant over!

Hi mostboringchatnickname

Right - I got the information on the new OFSTED inspection framework from their video on how they will now assess quality of teaching here: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/how-ofsted-will-reach-judgement-quality-of-teaching

At about 1 minute 18 seconds - Frank Norris discusses that the inspectors will be examining how well teachers assess individual pupils abilities and cater for that.

Our school was inspected under this new framework. In the run-up to the inspection our school improved their website, suddenly communicated well with parents and raised the standard of homework noticeably. The week of the inspection it was like a completely different school. Many of us were startled to see the Head and Deputy Head out on the school yard before school striking up conversations with parents - let's just say they haven't been bothered to do that for the new intake in Class R for 5 years. It was quite a floor show - all intended to get the sacred 'outstanding' which the Head was boasting the school was bound to get. Suffice it to say - OFSTED were more than aware the changes were all less than 1 year old and weren't that impressed with the floor show. We were rated 'good', which I think most parents feel is fair. We were also very pleased that one particularly weak subject area has been given 18 months to show 'sustained' improvement across all years.

GO OFSTED! I'm you're biggest fan!

Hi gabid:

Absolutely agree it's hard to keep maths up every day - we aim for 5 out of 7 days and no more than 30 minutes on it.

However - my girls love video games and frequently ask to just do a bit more of a game they like whilst I'm cooking or something. So one way around it is to have them practice on video games.

Since you're DS is in Y2 - you may want to try the KS1 BBC BITESIZE games - they're fairly easy to set up and you can just leave them to play: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/ - The different skills practiced are explained under the titles - and there's quite a bit to do and in most cases you can select skill level.

Also - don't miss an opportunity with car journeys. Very useful for mental maths - simple addition/ subtraction problems. We used to do +1 games one week, then +2, then +5, then +10, then +4 (so +2 and then +2 again), then +3 (+1 then +2 or +2 and then +1), then go on to +6, then +8 and then +7 (I tried +5 then +2). When maths are better you can play how many miles have we travelled. So tell them it's a 60 mile journey and when you see a sign with 25 miles until the destination - ask them to work out how many miles you all have travelled.

Anything like baked beans, grapes, raisins, smarties can be used for counting fun. How many would you have if you ate 5? How many would you have if I gave you 9 more?

Mine used to love Mathletics - it's an online maths game. In their case, the school enrolled them all but you can buy a year's subscription for £39.

I think what you need to do is inspire your son to want to work and show what he can do at school.

You could be talking about my ds!! He was behind in reception and yr 1, but always works so confidentally with maths at home. he is happy with easy work and likes having a TA to help him and I have tried very hard to convince the school that he is more able than they realise. I thought we had cracked it when he requested , and finished correctly without any help, the extension grp homework, but no, the next week we were back with the lower grp homework ( which he finishes in about 2 seconds flat). As i am a teacher I have held back from storming in, but we have parents meetings next week and if I get the same story, I will be moaning- a lot. They are due ofsted this year and , as my school has just had a visit, I know how focused they are on teacher assessment, so am hopeful this will mark a change!!

Good luck with your ds, I know I have offered no advice, but it was nice to hear a simialr story!!

One of the problems may be that your son seems to like easy work, lacks self motivation and therefore isn't working to an acceptable level independently in class.
One thing working at home in perfect conditions with your own tutor, another thing to stay on task and focus in a classroom of 30+ students.
Have you worked out why he's not showing what he is capable of in class?
What are his books like? Is he completing the easy work correctly without extra input?
What could the school do to motivate him?

PastSellByDate - I am doing a similar amount of time, I just do 10-15 in the morning + reading and again in the evening + spellings. However, when I introduce something new we sometimes go over the 15 min and I think he is working to capacity.

I do all sorts of computer stuff, many ideas from MN, DS likes silly games, e.g. chase him and he has to do 2 or 3 times table exercises when I catch him.

Right, communication with parents that's what our school is not doing well, I feel they pretend and like it when you tell them all is wonderful, but problems and criticism is not really welcome.

I just can't believe his teacher tells me to practice counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s - I have told her twice before (via examples) that he does that in his sleep!

I am a teacher of 14 years and so this is what I think you should do: go to the teacher again, raise your concerns but this time say that if nothing is done you will have to see the head. There may be some schools who focus on getting the children to age related but most want children to be working at their best and all challenged. Also infant schools are judged on the progress of children against their foundation stage results. Be careful with App grids they aren't as straight forward as they look, he needs to be showing some of the level3 to be a secure level 2. Also there is weighting for number and using and applying. Hths!

nmason - thanks, however, I am reluctant to go to the HT as I have heard from a number of parents that she is not very approachable and gets stroppy with parents. Also, I like to keep talking, but I do feel I may have to get a bit more assertive, if and when I talk to her again.

I think for the moment I will leave it, at least DS is working with the Y2 class now and he has been in this class for just about 3 weeks now, also its a very big class.

I will keep asking DS what he did and ask him to show his teacher how clever he is, rather than dreaming and enjoying the easy stuff. I asked him earlier and he said they did 5+5 and 10+10 and counting in 10s, they did pre-school maths, he said. I can't always rely on a 6 yo's reports either though.

Oh, thinking about it, it is possible that the whole class is being taught to count in 5s, 10s and 2s. Shouldn't the better ones not be able to do that by now? Maybe its not a very good class, but why would DS be one group up from the bottom?

Oh, I should stop worrying about it and just keep doing what I have done since last summer - in September he will be in a new school.

Have you looked at the year two maths curriculum (google it as it now on national archives), they are meant to know their 2, 5, & 10 times tables by the end of year 2. Hths

Ah, thanks I hadn't seen that, so they could be learning the 2, 5 and 10 timestables now.

I looked at the app grid and for level 2 there is only the 2x table listed. So for the expected 2b they wouldn't necessarily have to know it.

It isn't an issue for us though as DS is quite secure on those timestables.

Thanks Pastsellby. When was your inspection roughly?

Hi mostboringchatnickname:

I've messaged you directly on this one - would prefer to be anonymous, as I have complained about things at school quite a bit here (although I have also praised some good stuff - although not as much).