How can ensure DD is challenged in Reception without being Pushy Parent?

[noseynoonoo]

DD is in Reception. When she joined Reception she could already read - self-taught it seems. She has been on Level 9 reading band for some time. Her writing is pretty good too and she spends a lot of time writing short stories.

Back in Febraury, her teacher said that DD would spend a few sessions a week up in Yr 1 because, in her words, if she continued with certain activities in Reception she would be held back. We have got to May now and it seems DD is not going to do Yr1 activities because they are not doing the activities that DD was going to join in with.

I am a bit concerned. Her class mates, in seperately timed groups will go off to do their learning e.g. guided reading, and DD won't be learning anything extra. I'm not sure where the value-added is for my daughter.

Would it be very pushy of me to clarify again what the benefit was supposed to be of doing Yr 1 activities and then asking how DD will get those benefits in her current setting.

Furthermore, Teacher mentioned that DD will struggle next year because in Yr 1 they have 3 streams and DD is above the top stream so she will find the work too easy. I thought it was supposed to be individual learning. How do I approach this going forward?

Many thanks for any thoughts you can share. I don't want the teacher to think I'm a Pushy Parent and also want what's best for my DD.

dont they just play in reception?

couldn't you 'challenge' her at home and let her have fun at school?

Furthermore, Teacher mentioned that DD will struggle next year because in Yr 1 they have 3 streams and DD is above the top stream so she will find the work too easy

What? Is the teacher new to teaching ?

IamBoo - I don't see playing and learning as mutually exclusive
mrz - yes she is quite new. I was quite surprised by the comment to be honest.

what is it you want them to do with her if it isn't learning through play? what year one play activities is she not being allowed to do and what reception play activities are holding her back?

Just give her stuff to do at home for now. Forget about the rest of this year at school and then broach it early on with the Year 1 teacher if you need to. Or if you are keen for this year make an appointment with the teacher and discuss specifically what extra work your daughter is being given and how she is being catered for at the level she is at. Does she need to be stretched at school all the time at this age? If she's happy I would be inclined to chill out and just do stuff at home, but of course everyone's different. DS is ahead of a lot of his peers in reading but still does the phonic sounds and exercises with a friend that they all do. He seems to enjoy this and learns/practises all the social skills that this is good for- turn taking. That he could do the exercises in his sleep doesn't seem to bother him.

IamBoo - I'm sorry I seem to have annoyed so much with my question. The teacher specifically didn't want DD to join in with guided reading because they will be working on books that she read in Nursery. It was the teacher that used the term 'holding back'.

I don't have a plan of what I want them to do with her (I'm not a teacher) but I would like to think their is an element of 'value-added' in the same way that the other children will be receiving 'value-added' with guided reading.

My question is whether it would be ok to clarify again what the benefit was supposed to be of doing Yr 1 activities e.g. guided reading, and then asking how DD will get those benefits in her current setting.

I'm shocked by the comment learning should be targeted to each child's needs and hopefully the Y1 teacher is a bit more clued up

I understand completely where you are coming from. FWIW, I don't think it's much "fun" when you are not being challenged in any way. Not all children want to spend their time playing - I know I didn't when I started school and my children have been similar. My ds, although not as advanced as your dd by the sound of things has nevertheless been bored stiff for most of the past year (Y1). His teacher has explained that they want all children to work at the same level, so they don't want anyone to get too far ahead... DS has already passed his Y2 targets and his teachers seem to think it is fine if he makes no progress at all in the next year or so.

We are moving ds to a new school in September.
I think you need to speak to the teacher again and the head if necessary. Nothing wrong with being a pushy parent in my opinion - as long as you don't get too extreme about things. Who wouldn't want their child to do as well as possible at school and achieve as much as they are capable of? Achievement and happiness are by no means mutually exclusive - indeed, I would argue the opposite is true.

'annoyed' where are you getting that from? i'm asking genuine questions. no annoyance here. honestly.

tbh i'd be very surprised at the school having a policy of bringing reception children up to the level of reading as a y1 class. and even more surprised taht they would have an individually tailored programme for each child to have a 'value added' element specific to their own 'level'.

Bradbourne, we had the same thing with ds2 in year 2, he had exceeded his year 3 targets in year 2 and so halfway through year 3 had made no progress at all. The teacher said it was ok he hadn't moved up a single sub level in any subject because he was above the expected level.

It actually WASN'T ok to me, but the teacher was adamant that she wasn't going to do anything, I had to go to the head and speak to her about it.

Op, theres nothing wrong in wanting your dd to be motivated and excel at school, obviously that may mean she does need additional work in year 1.
There are people who will label you a "pushy parent" for this, IMHO there's nothing wrong with speaking up and doing the best for your child-if that makes you pushy....well, so be it.

The 'value added' is through socialising with other children, and coping with he longer days and routine of the school I think.

bradbourne I can't believe a head would say that

IAmBooyhoo of course schools tailor learning to children's individual needs I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ensure children progress.

sorry, what i meant by tailoring it to individual needs was that in reception year i am surprised that each child would be working at an individual level. (as in moving up a year for reading) for yr1 and upwards i totally get it but for reception i am surprised.

Extend her at home. If you can afford it, send her to piano or language lessons. And supply her with lots of books at whatever her reading age is and above. Primary school is mostly there to teach social skills.

So did I only I find it strange that a teacher is unable to accommodate an individual child who is working at a higher level than their peers within the class rather than needing to resort to sending them to another teacher

Primary school is mostly there to teach social skills.

It is? Goodness me.
I've been doing literacy and numeracy all this time!

DS, in Reception, was reading at the level of Y2+ (became a free reader because the school KS1 reading scheme didn't go higher than NC 3b).

Recpeption coped fine with him ... better than Year 1, actually, because providing individually for a child within a reception environment with lots of child-centred, child-selected learning was easy, whereas providing for it in a more structured 'teacher led' environment turned out to be harder.

Sorry DonInKillerHeels but that's rubbish

For particularly gifted children, yes it is Sunscorch. There are children who are already reading at secondary level when they arrive at Reception and can handle algebra. I was one of those children. Intellectually I could have done without going to primary school, but I was nerdy, geeky and really rather arrogant and twattish, and I had to learn social skills the hard way by being bullied

You probably think I am still arrogant and twattish. But I really didn't need to go to primary school.

Really? I was a particularly gifted child too. I thoroughly enjoyed primary school, and found it stimulating. Maybe I had good teachers, and you missed out. I'm sorry for that.

Either way, saying that Primary school is just for learning social skills is objectively incorrect and misleading.

Children entering reception at Secondary level are extremely rare (like hen's teeth) so it's a huge jump to say primary school is mostly there to teach social skills

I think I feel slightly annoyed at the suggestion that a bright child must be lacking in social skills. DD is really popular and many parents comment on how lovely and thoughtful she is. In the same way I was slightly annoyed that the head of EYFS said that good readers are not imaginative.
It feels like trying to take bright children down a peg or two.

Teacherwith2kids - I think your comment about Reception being able to cope better than Yr1 at individual learning was what the teacher was getting at.

IamBoo - sorry if I misinterpretted your tone. Reading back in a less defensive way I can see what you were saying now.

I'm on a role now - if DD's class mates are busy learning numeracy and Literacy and DD is learning social skills, isn't she then going to stick out like a sore thumb on a social level?