10 things you probably would not expect about primary schools

[meredeux]

Come and help me make a list for all those parents out there who are about to send their children to school for the first time. What did know one tell you but you learned through experience?

Here is my first one:
YOU (the parent) will teach your child to read. The school will provide reading books and someone (probably not the teacher) will listen to your child for a few minutes at a time in the first couple of years maybe once a week but your child will learn to read because you will teach them that (using the school's reading books which the teacher will issue).

Since I am teaching from 8.45 until 3.15, I prefer to see parents outside this time, unless they want to join in with the lesson
Half our teachers are on duty on the playground before and after school ( we take each day turn by turn) so you can get us then for a quick chat, we are in the classroom the other days turn on turn if you want to discuss something more privately. You only need to speak to the receptionist if you need to actually make an appointment during the day!

mrz - can i ask you how much - time and quality - intervention that you would provide in your setting for dyspraxia?

I used to take a group of children before school but now I have to stand in the playground in case parents want to talk to me

Well, not among the children of mumsnetters, obviously, snowball3!

We are not allowed past the school gates, the only way you can get in is through reception or on your knees pretending to be a child!!

Our lessons dont start until 8.55 and finish at 2.55pm - precisely!!

Yep, I kind of guessed it would be then.
I think its a common misconception that less able children are taking 'average' children's time from the teacher. All the interventions that my DS has are out of school working hours - either in breaks of before school

I'm fortunate that I can refer children directly to a private OT (and county pick up the bill). They do a free assessment and provide a programme for us (and free staff training). The child accesses a minimum of 10 weekly sessions with an OT and school runs the programme daily in school (usually 30 mins per day) and incorporates as many as possible into normal class routines as they are beneficial to all children.

Wow mrz OT in our LA is like hen's teeth and of course ASD means you don't qualify as they are unable to deliver and sensory integration therapy as a matter of course. Ds though has weekly sessions with OT and daily individual therapy at his specialist school. Of course we won't mention that it took a solicitor, a barrister and a Tribunal to force the LA to pick up the £50,000pa tab.

I can also make direct referrals for sensory integration therapy

May need to think about moving then, it would probably be cheaper than going through the whole process again for dd ia a few years time (not moving util ds has finished school though)

I'd love to hear why people don't think that schools with a lot of children who also see private tutors, tend to have good SATS results (my original point 3)?

Don't know but my local school regularly achieves 100% level 4 or above in all tests and not a single child has a private tutor

Wow! What about the level 5s?

We're not saying they don't, what we are saying is that there are MANY, MANY schools, where the children aren't tutored, that also have good SATs results.

I never said there wasn't snowball3. What i was trying to say was that parents should not assume that the schools at the top of the league tables always get these results alone. An individual school may, but there is also a good chance that there are a lot of private tutors, especially if the school is in an affluent area.

So all the whingeing about middle class parents getting the better schools, isn't quite as simple as the people who complain about it imply.

The government only publishes results as level 4 or above and I no longer have any contact with the school so don't have the data but they have a history of lots of level 5s and 6s.

That's really impressive, mrz. its a shame you don't have contact with the school because it would be interesting to hear your opinion about what they are doing different to do so well.

My own bog standard school in a deprived area achieves levels in the 90%

you will find your named stuff that dcs have lost in lost property

Don't know anybody at my children's school who has a private tutor for SATs.

They do well, typical value add [important as a measure of the quality of the school, rather than of the intake] in the top few for our [large] town.

statistic taken this afternoon from www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables:-
In 2011, 73% of children got at least a level 4 in both maths and English i.e. the remaining 27% either got a 3 or lower in either English or maths or in both.

For some of those children a level 3 will be a huge achievement and for some of the 73% a level 4 will be just as big a failure

but surely the proportion of children for whom a level 3 would be a huge achievement isn't as high as 1 in 4? Or is it and i am being naive??

you are being naive