Am I expecting to much in yr R

[ChocolateTeacup]

Hi,

I have been concerned about the school for a little while but I don't know if I am having too high expectations about school work in Yr R, I am concerned with:

DS1 Has a home learning book and occasionally gets homework, this takes on average 3 weeks to get looked at after completion

DS1 Reads in school and is recorded as reading the books easily, despite this he gets the books home in order and whizzes through them without any effort. He then has the books for a week

He has a number bonds card he got this after last half term, he has been tested once and got gold stars up to 4, this was 3 weeks ago, since then at home he has learnt up to 7. But he has still not done them again in school.

The thing is I don't know if I expect to much from school, should I just relax and stop encouraging him so much at home, I only do it when he wants to and I try and keep it relaxed and fun, but I don't see the point of this continuous lack of progress, this mixed with the amount of DVD's he claims they watch makes me wonder what the school actually teaches as it seems I am doing most of it at home.

But he is my pfb and of course I think he is bright and should be encouraged and pushed so please tell me to chill if I should be :)

Teach him yourself and let him go to school to play with his friends.

That's what I feel like I am doing, but tbh I am not a teacher and don't know what he should be learning about

Have a look on the campaign for real education website.
That's where I go when I'm having a wobble!

Well - re the books - I can't see what is wrong with asking for harder ones
re maths - there are loads of website recommended on here why not use them

Well with DS in yr 4 and DD in yr1, I'm of the opinion that I've taught both of them the majority of what they know. School is valuable, especially for DS who is a little eccentric as it helps him make friends and integrate with other children, left to himself he'd do neither. And DD loves socialising. But learning to read, write, science and maths? At school? That seems to be beyond rural Hampshire schools! Mind you, it seems fairly easy to impart enough knowledge and skills to keep up with his cousins (go to private school in London) who are actually made to do work at school (English lessons involve reading, comprehensions, writing stories and punctuation, in rural Hampshire comprehension and writing get left out and punctuation, alThough taught all the time, is not practised by writing sentences or stories.). DS is also quite sporty and school is great for this too, another big plus.

Do a little most days at home, it really helps and is a good habit to form. We do 20-30 minutes every evening at 6pm.

Learning in Reception is mainly through play.
You are very hung up on the homework - is he making progress in school?

If the books are very easy it is worth flagging this to his teacher.

My DD is in reception at a very academic state school. She doesn't get homework which I'm surprised but happy about. She gets reading books home for a week at a time but races through them. No maths or writing homework. I think it's fine. They have enough going on at this stage without rote learning and homework and I say that as a dyed in the wool school traditionalist who has ridiculously high expectations

For reading, you shouldn't be allowing him to 'whizz through' the books. At the end of the book, or every page if he wil tolerate the interruption, check his comprehension. Check he actually understands the meaning of the words.

At the end of the school day, he'll probably need quiet down time, where he can quietly play by himself. 30 mins of TV can help relax.

At the weekends, encourage an interest in the wider world by getting out and about as a family. Chat about what you see, but in a fun way. Spring is an endless source of fascination for my reception DS. Walking to and from school is a great way to spend time together.

Reception is a fun year, he should learn everything he needs at school. Don't get too hung up on pushing him; it's inevitable with a PFB (been there!) but almost always inappropriate.

Year 1 however, can be a drag as Inthink it can be used as a 'catch up' year. If your DS has scored highly at the end of the EYFS, it might be worth a visit to his teacher at October half term to find out what extension work they offer (can be non-existant).

Don't forget your DS's continental peers won't even start school for a couple of years, and that the UK early start seems to make no odds in the long run.

If there are books at home he will read them. He will read cereal packets, this page your on now etc etc. Reading books by themselves are really not the be all & end all.

As well as comprehension, start to work on expression - how might x say that (surprised voice, loud voice scared voice etc)

My experience echoes that of margoandjerry for my 5 year old DS in Reception at an excellent v academic state school.

My children didn't get any homework in KS1 (apart from reading) and are also at an academic state primary, where a large number of children ends up at selective indies. Not sure that helps!!

Chocolateteacup:

First off: this is what in an ideal world should be covered in Class R (ages 4/5) according to the Campaign for Real Education: www.cre.org.uk/primary_contents.html. Just select the area of curriculum and read the first few pages.

Now I should put a word of caution in here - the campaign for real education is frequently asking for standards to be higher than presently exist - so there is a liklihood that your DS's school is not working to as high a standard. However, this does give you an idea of what the 'gold standard' would be and gives you something real and understandable to work with.

Second: keep in mind that in most countries 4/5 year olds are still in nursery school and that even here in England this is treated as an extension of nursery with the focus being on adjusting to the school setting (educationally, emotionally and socially). This can be quite difficult for many children.

Third: you need to ask him why he is crying. What is upsetting him. Tell him that crying says to you he's upset or frightened. Ask him outright if something is troubling him at school. One thing that comes to mind is that at this point Year R pupils often are incorporated into general recess with older children. This can be a great thing, but sometimes doesn't work as well as hoped. Find out what has changed since Christmas. At this age, getting sense out of a child can be very difficult - but perhaps the TAs have changed and the current TA isn't as friendly/ supportive. Anyway keep talking - it will come out eventually.

Finally bear in mind that it's almost Easter - you're nearly 2/3rds the way through the school year. Summer will be here before you know it.

Well, I wouldn't be expecting a Reception year child to do a lot of hard graft when it comes to reading/writing/'rithmetic, but I do hope that in school they could do things that they can't always get at home - group activities where they interact with other children, eg ball games where they learn to pass the ball to other children, and play with their classmates, rather than just trying to snatch the ball for themselves all the time. Singing and skipping/dancing together to music. Doing crafts together and seeing how different other children's ideas are from their own or from their parents. If you are lucky enough to be in a place with greenery, taking walks and seeing conkers/acorns/ squirrels and jumping on leaves with other kids. I would be a little curious about the exact kind of DVD watching that goes on - might it be that they are just watching something for 5 minutes that helps teach a song or phonics?

I don't think that the evidence shows that making children cover a lot of academic work at an earlier age makes them achieve more later. It might be more relevant to get the reading and writing aspects at a young age started if the children come from immigrant/foreign backgrounds where English is not a first language at home, so they might need more support for their reading and writing at school. Just my two pennies' worth as a parent with a child in primary school too!

Sorry folks - was dashing that last post off - just seen that I didn't make an active link.

Campaign for real educaiton curriculum descriptions here: www.cre.org.uk/primary_contents.html. Select topic and then read for appropriate age/ year group.

HTH

Aren't there just too many variables involved to say whether or not being academic at a young age helped children to achieve more? Things like access to and the cost of higher education, for example. Presumably it's reasonable to assume that education from a young age doesn't do their prospects any harm.

Thank you all very very much, I have had a good look at the CRE Website and at least I know what to try and encourage.

PastSellByDate - He isn't crying or upset at all and is mostly happy to go to school.

His class is taught by a Deputy Head, and it niggles me that she has to spend at least two days away planning.

Thanks