School 'winding down' before hols and half terms

[MrsTruper]

My daughter's school seems to do a lot of winding down prior to every holiday and half term i.e. one week before each hol or h/t. In this time they do lots of colouring/"activity village" sheets etc and none of the usual numeracy/literacy classes. This is in addition to the usual mufti/sports/celebrate this and that days, which again are, as my daughter says 'just playing'. My dd says she wants to do more learning.

She has just completed year 2 at (state) school.

Are all schools like this? Is it just the state sector? Does it get less as they get to older primary.

Please do not tell me that "children learn from everything that they do blah blah" as I know that. She does lots of puzzzles, colouring etc at home - I expect her to be TAUGHT at school.

I'm not a teacher, and I'm joining this discussion late on, but don't you honestly think that history, art, music etc etc are as important as reading? Really? If you don't engage the passion and interest in these subjects, then what is the point of reading? To write shopping lists?

You must think art/history/healthy/ eating /project work etc are more important than reading.

You seem to think that organising reading in the way the vast majority of schools do nowadays = "reading is not important." I have no idea where your 'statistic' of reading standards being "much, much, much, much higher" come from, but flexybex quotes her 40% L3s and I could (if I had the time to dig them out) quote you similar results from my own school. There is not a teacher in the land who does not feel that reading is important, yet you seem to be missing the point that we also have many many other important demands on our time.

"don't you honestly think that history, art, music etc etc are as important as reading?"

no

prioritising reading doesn't mean you can't do the other things with passion
it just means the priority is reading

clam -- yes I do think it means one to one reading is not considered important

Based on ORT, I would say Level 10 at the end of Y1. Scuse if this is what's being achieved in your schools.

'reading standards are higher where there is regular progressive one to one reading

This is my view - is it not your view? '

Accuracy - the kind of statement 'reading standards are higher....' cannot be a 'view'! You need to find evidence to back it up.

Reading is an intrinsic part of all other areas of the curriculum. Phonics and guided reading are effectively 'reading lessons'. All other areas of the curriculum utilise the learning that has taken place in these lessons, when pupils need to use their reading skills.

For instance: If I were doing a lesson about healthy eating, I'd expect the children to read the names of foods. If I were doing a project on the Vikings, I might take the children to play a game on the computer, and I would expect them to read the instructions.

I think what we're missing her is that Accuracy was once a child. She went to school. She has children who went to school. She was on PTA ffs!! She knows EVERYTHING.

We have teaching degrees and teaching experience, knowledge of how children develop and learn. Between us we have used many government initiatives to improve reading.

What Accuracy is saying is, if you had an extra TA/parent who is good with reading/other volunteer who for some reason wants to spend 2 hours a day reading and is equally good with the children and understands reading development then every child could be heard to read every day. This my friends is FUCKING GROUNDBREAKING. More staff means more 1 on 1?! This is GOOD for children?!

We should be eternally grateful for her opinions on education.

Well - it's my experience. Is it not your experience?

Wellthen - it's not just a case of deciding something would be good and no shit sherlock. Teachers are questioning the value of it.

Can you show me that reading standards are lower where there is one to one reading? Are you suggesting there is evidence for this? You must know this. Maybe Abigail will know with her library of qualifications that reading standards are lower when children are heard one - to - one regularly.

Actually I withdraw my reply to wellthen because she said ffs and really bad language. How ridiculous is that. Go on holiday. Go and lie down.

Flexy I must say I still disagree with you but you are making good points which are making me think harder.

I honestly think I must be missing the point sometimes. I actually do not send my children to school to learn to read. What I hope is that they will learn to have a passion for learning.

I would therefore far rather they were a class situation, learning about history, art, sport etc, than having one to one reading sessions with a teacher.

Fair enough, if a child needs extra support, than one to one may be right for that child, but not as a blanket rule.

And, back to the start of this thread, my year 3 son made the final of his school talent show. A far bigger achievement for him than another spellings test.

Could we have the statistics that are mentioned but never linked?

Accuracyrequired, I find your arrogance mind boggling. As you've said yourself, you are not a teacher. You are not trained, you are not qualified and you are not experienced in all the things you are talking about.

You have a very limited experience of school, from through the gates, and you are making rash and unsupported statements.

I used to dislike guided reading, but this year I've found it has really worked in my class. We had 50% of year 3 getting level 4s in the QCA papers, and I do think this is due to guided reading.

There is more to reading than saying words aloud, and most parent helpers don't really understand the depth of reading we teach, so they don't get into the nitty gritty understanding of the text which we get through our guided reading sessions.

Teaching is like acting, and it is exhausting. I honestly don't think I'd have the stamina to do more than 7 weeks at a time- I always get ill in the last week of term, and then spend half term in bed.

You are teacher bashing, and you really have no understanding of current educational research, pedagogy or the expectations of teachers. You sound massively patronising, and I find your lack of respect towards the profession, and towards change, worrying.

Accuracy, I'm going to say this very simply and clearly: all teachers value highly the ability to read. We know it is vital as the key to other learning. Therefore, we employ the best techniques known to us in order to embed the skill and to foster a love of books. Whilst practising aloud one-to-one has its benefits (and is actively encouraged as an additional thing to do at home with an adult), it is not the most effective use of time in school. In fact, as many have pointed out, the 5 minutes spent on one child can preclude useful teaching to the other 29.

With the greatest respect, I would say that the profession has a better idea of what works than you, despite you having been on the PTA and having had children go through the system.

"I honestly think I must be missing the point sometimes. I actually do not send my children to school to learn to read."

That's really nice for you. Bit middle class and ivory tower though Unfortunately there are millions of children for whom going to school to learn to read is the start of the path out of their underprivileged circumstances. Widen your outlook a little.

People seem to be contradicting themselves. One (loudmouth) seems to think of course, it's a no brainer that more one on one reading will help. Others seem to think it doesn't. Do you think it helps or not?

I don't really care if people think I'm arrogant. Teachers are often wrong. They were wrong for the seven years my first child learned primary maths and they sat and admitted it in a parent meeting. For those seven years they'd sworn blind they were doing it right. Teachers can be wrong, hold the front page.

Doesn't mean they're lazy or inattentive or not full of care. Of course they are! And that doesn't mean they're right about everything.

I'm a teacher and I prefer 1-1 reading but in a class of 30 even spending 5 mins per child would take up half my teaching day. In an ideal world I would hear every child read every day so I try to hear every child read as often as possible

Of course it helps! It helps the child you are reading with but it doesn't do much for the other 29 who are waiting to be taught! I don't think anyone is saying it doesn't help, just that in the vast majority of classrooms, given the resources we have and the constraints we are dealing with, it is impossible to do for everyone on a regular basis. So we read one to one with those children who need it the most and teach reading through guided reading, phonics sessions, literacy lessons, cross curricular activities etc so that in one way or another every child reads every day!

I would still like to see the statistics mentioned earlier.

Exotic - briefly I'll respond to this one post -

People like you and wellthen who are sneery, shouty and oppositional for the sake of it, I don't really want to engage, I'm not into that sort of thing

I'm glad teachers believe that it helps, and I didn't realise understand the denial of how important it is. I don't like the downgrading and lack of trust for parents who want to help, I and appreciate what mrz said.

I think it's so valuable that what to do with the other 29 should be a problem to solve rather than a reason not to do it. It should be the number one priority of all class rooms, all schools and all teachers. Children should coem out of any lesson except maths to do it with a TA or a parent.

So there we are, I don't know how much point there is in saying much more, as I know many teachers will disagree with me and we'll just disagree for ever.

But TA's and parents are not able to TEACH reading but to practice, and there is a huge difference between the two! Children need to be TAUGHT to read, not just heard reading, and therein lies the problem!

I'm afraid I don't have a TA or parent helpers in my class.

Yes -- reading needs to be practised in school. Practising is not just rehearsing, it's also a learning process. Downgrading practising reading is one of the problems.

mrz I've lurked for a long time and I know that you are an exceptional teacher

Tbh lots of teachers don't mind sitting children in front of DVDs, I assume they're not the same ones saying "what do we do iwth the other 29". I'm not suggesting they're put in front of a DVD, I'm saying where does all the time come from for DVD watching man hours are so short.