help eldest just finished year 1 and have worries

[mam29]

Its a been a shakey year year 1. My daughters made some progress.

I was worried in reception that daughter was not enjoying learning, hated homework and was struggling with reading.

Last years parents evening lovley girl middle of class.
was scoring better at numeracy than reading last years report.

This year I can see her readings really improved

In all fairness to the school they identified the ones who needed extra help and split them into 3streams of small groups for more one to one learning.
But at parents evening learnt she was struggling with numeracy yet was fine at it last year.

we looked into explore learning maybe extra tuition or thinking maybe should get books from whsmith and try do more with her.
But her school report baffles me.

if shes stronger at reading why shes scored same with numercy?
shes scored 1b literacy, 1b numercy and 1b science.
spoke to few other parents and they seem to have varied results for each.

I think 1bs average and she passed her phonics test 36/40.
So I guess should be pleased but have had no guidance on what extra we could do with her. I do get impressions shes treading water so to speak.

Shes going into year 2 in september-happy with teacher she has.
its pure year 2 class as 45intake means 30 in one class and split class which last year was 15oldest in the year combined with 15youngest in year above.

This is going to sound petty but the 15youngest in her year group that were in r1 class have had smaller class sizes, more one to one time the the year 1 class which is full class of 30 1 teacher, 1 assistant, even daughters year 1 teacher admitted that at parents evening that she felt at disadvantage. basically in year 1 the classroom assistant would take younger kids which allowed the teacher just to teach the 13 youngest kids in year 1.

in reception year the oldest 15 in r1 class seems ahead of reception class.

Im on the pta and spoke to a year 2-3teacher and she she said its hard class to teach as you combining infants and juniors so teaching key stage 1 and 2.

Like i say 1st reception year the 15 in split class were oldest in year.
then in year 1 the split class was 15youngest.
But going into year 2 they mixed it about it doesnt seem to be just age its done on ability.

cue some very over competative unhappy parents in playground.
some of them drive me mad even close freind whos daughers a july baby and supposedly a genuis is acheiving higher level and scoring higher

In fact most of them seem convinced their kids are gifted.

on top of the academic stuff other stuff borrowing me

the primary olympics excluded my daughter and large amount her year group.shes very sporty done gymnastics since she was 3 so surprised she wasent picked as she tall for her age too . it involved several different activities.

bad ofsted was good now satisfactory

2kids removed from school during summer term.

lack of communication or confused communication from school

not so good sats-year 6 I think

my 2nd choice primary has far more after school clubs ours currently has none and not very sporty.

Am i just going through a bad patch?

daughter seems happy. she has lots of freinds.
at age 6 i would say shes more practical than academic.
shes very sporty.

A lot of parents being very negative right now.
horrible atmosphere in playground and chinese whispers going round.
sports day was cancelled due to weather.
daughter seems tired and burnt out.
her year 1 teacher looks stressed and exhausted.
I thourght eldest be happy with class but now shes saying she wishes she was in split 2/3class.

I dont want to be a pushy neurotic parent.
I want her to be well cared for and happy.

but if shes good at something ie sport -gymnastics- i expect that to recognised.

if she needs extra help and need clear instuction on how best to do that.

worried as shes middle of pack she wont be pushed and might slip downwards.

Im not totally unhappy just uneasy.
do feel needs to be level playing feild and some choices they make should be more transparent.

Felt the parents evening and report has not enlightened me much at all.

what year do they do sats?

worried they not engaging or pushing her enough.
stressing i made the wrong choice of school.

now considering different options for my younger 2.:(

1b is the expected level for end of Y1 so there doesn't sound like there is a problem with her progress?!

SATs are Y2 and 6. I would maybe look at the schools results for these and see if there are achieving ok overall.

Your post is long and a bit confusing so I am not sure I am fully understanding what you are saying. If they are teaching a mixed Y2/3 class I may not be very happy if my child was an average achiever as like the teacher said this is mixing KS1 and 2. A very high achiever would be fine.

It is probably better to mix on ability so the teachers can ensure children are learning at the correct level however I would be keen to know whether the children are being stretched to their full potential.

My dd is leaving primary tomorrow and if there's one thing I have learned OP it is not to give competitive mothers the time of day. They are beyond sad.
Yes, be proud of your kids but please know when to reign it in! I've kept to myself more and more over the last couple of years as it seems to get worse the older they get!

Just be satisfied that your child is healthy and happy and don't buy into the playground mafia. It will do your head in.

Well said Manicstreetpreacher! I agree 100%

Sorry not explained myself very well.

daughers just finished year 1 shes 7 in feb not 5.

I get confused by gradings and reports.

Like i said in reception she was fine for numeracy yet struggled and wasent interested in reading.

so was shocked in year 1parents evening to find her numeracy is weak and her reading was no surprise as we both worked on improving that.

There was no explanation on report what the numbers and levels meant.

I had to ask and was told average.
I would have expected her to acheive different levels in numeracy and literacy as one is noticibly better than the other but she has 1b in both.

To summerise daughter wants to be split class due to freind ships im happy shes in year 2class.

But worried about 2things

she may slip a level like shes done with numeracy as that wasent an issue last year.I have no ben given any specific advice on how to help her with this.

As shes middle of pack she may not get the extra groups and one to one time shes had in past and not progress as much as she done this year.

3rd its bugged me that the younger 13kids in her year group got better teaching this year, like i say year 1 teachers admitted that at parents evening.

I dont currently think shes a high achiever like i said before just want her to be happy and not behind im not a overly pushy parents.

myself and daugher was dissapointed she wasent picked for primary olympics as feel it would have been one of the few opportunities she may of had chance to shine. not sure what the criteria for picking them was just dident feel very inclusive and few parents felt same. I dident amke huge deal of it as hate to be seen as pushy complaining parent.

I guess I need to monitor it and maybe do more at home.

I worry as at same age i went to rubbish primary , we moved and went to new junior where i was behind.
I then all of juniors and most secondry trying to catch up.

I guess im bit apprehensive about the sats as feel its lot of pressure, we never had them in wales. just sometimes feels education is tickbox exercise or grouping kids into letter/number bands and not really exiting or engaging the kids.

Knowing shes going into year 2 , she has sats in year 2 and struggling with numeracy and room for improvement with science and literacy worries me a little.

I heard year 6sats not good need to find out results for year 2 combined with poor communication and drop in ofsted to satisfactory has decreased my confidence in the school a little.

I have freinds who go other schools and understand no schools perfect.

sorry its seems like coherent ramblings just feel bit uneasy not totally unhappy and worry a lot as parent did I make the right decsion, what more could I do.

I'm not surprised the kids and teachers are looking tired and stressed. It's the end of the year and everyone is ready for a break. Added to this has been the awful weather which has made planning anything during this summer term a nightmare.

Encourage your daughter to do the things she enjoys over the summer.
My just turned 6 year old will be
playing some educational games on the iPad,
playing scrabble,
reading and researching subjects she enjoys using library books and the internet
writing fact files and stories about the subjects she's researched
going on nature walks
riding her bike and practicing swimming/rugby ready for the new sessions in september.
None of this will seem like a chore to her because we encourage but don't push, it all helps her develop educational skills ready for the new school year though.

I also agree with Manicstreetpreacher, ignore the competitive mums. They'll be the ones with kids who are unable to do anything for themselves at 18 because mummy has always done it for them.

SATs are not the be all, no-one going for a job will be judged on what level they got at the end of Yr 2.

Get your daughter excited to learn about things and it will follow through into school.

OP, I know you are worried, but remember your DD is still very young - and her results are at the expected level - she's not behind. Plenty of children mature in Y2 and make great leaps and strides forward.

Her numeracy level will have a ceiling as she won't have been taught everything she needs. If you want to support her during the holidays play board games, count things, do activities like baking that involve weighing and measures. Practise number bonds and telling the time.

I'd draw a line under your concerns about teaching this year - next year she has a new teacher and it sounds like you're happy with her.

Your other gripes all sound like fairly "normal" school things. If you're not happy with e.g. things like the younger children being less involved in sports day, feed them back in a constructive way.

Ofsted assessments have changed so many schools have been "downgraded" - it doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Focus on the fact that your daughter is happy, school have given her extra support when she needed it and no reason to assume they won't in the future.

thanks manic street preacher agree.

just feel this term playground mafia been worse than ever.

All every ones talking about last few weeks is ofsted, sats and now bragging over school reports, comparing and whinging.

even one of my close freinds hows daughters youngest in year so was in split smaller class is a genuis and achieving higher made me slightly paranoid perhaps.

when they play together or mostly argue i cant see vast intellectual difference myself. she may be ok academically but as a person shes stroppy whiney and enjoys creating trouble.

I also get the ahh 3kids must be hard to give eldest the one to one time comments like every things under scrutiny.

I do however feel eldest not exited or enthused about school as much as I thourght she would be.
The school has given lots homework since term 1 of reception, does seem more than other local schools.

in year 1 she had 2-3books to read
spelling test
numeracy exercise once a week.

just without sounding like aging hippy its all working towards targets, cramming so much in kids seem tired and feel like some of the funs been lost. I dont know if I value national curriculum much i guess.

The school is quite academic yet not acheiving highest results.
also faith school so religion key part which I actually like.

I been there long enough to try and avoid the annoying parents.
got bit upset friday when one pushy mum said she wanted the head gone as hes a lovley man.I must admit I didnet realise until ofsted came out that they had so many temporary teaching staff and new deputy heads started and ruffled few people.

It's only natural that you are going to want the best for your little girl. You obviously love her to bits. But relax, take a breath - hell, have a glass of wine or something! Don't get yourself into a tizzy over it, you're no good to your kids if you make yourself ill!

You have a six week breather coming up, sounds to me like you need it. You can spend quality time with your kids, do some learning thru play stuff etc. Just don't take the whole world and its monkey upon your shoulders. In my experience it really isn't worth it.

I don't know how good your headmaster is but you could always request a private appointment with him at the beginning of the new term and talk your worries through with him if you are still feeling like this come September.

shes on the whole happy little girl has few freinds as most moved over from attached preschool. being girls theres few petty rows to deal with.

I was concerned towards end of reception that school had turned her off reading.

But like I say this thankfully improved this year

extra curricular she loves

she does rainbows
gymnastics and cheerleading

seeing the sense of achievement she gets from earning the badges.

But I can see through school work shes lacking confidence in some areas and not enjoying it or learning very much.

Shes also aware other people are better than her. including freinds daughter whos younger.

I like my freind on whole but latly shes become worse constantly bragging how advanced her daughter is infront of the kids. Her childs only child and she worships the ground she walks on. one morning we walked to school and they were doing some sort of sum game and she finds maths fun and mine got answer wrong and her dad says not everyone can be as good as mine at numbers and saw look on eldests face,

The other night she rang me up whinging about school report as her daughter got 1a, is the most delightful child in class and even acjeived 2c whatever that means guessing shes hitting a year higher.

now they in year 2 they now same class plus few overcomepative mums in eldest year group to contend with.

will try and do few fun and educational things over summer.
was thinking maybe doing some languages or musical stuff a break from the usual core.

she loves rs, history so might do few museums.
shes very creative so will do some crafts.

At this stage all you need to be concerned with is if she's happy and achieving what she should be for her age/and or making progress.

Forget what other mums are saying about their little genius'! I know it's hard but you really have to block it out and not compare... At this age IMO it means nothing...

Keep her interest in reading over the hols and playing shops with some play money... Or in the car.. How can we count up in 2's and 5's etc.

I found this site helpful in understanding it all www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/07/06/decoding-your-childs-school-report-national-curriculum-school-levels-assessments/
Level 1b is average for the end of year 1 and means she is "secure" in that level. They are supposed to improve by one whole level a year in KS1 so good progress would be that she gets a 2b in each subject at the end of next year.
If you feel she has come on well with her reading but is struggling a bit with numeracy then find some games or activities to practise that without it being a chore over the summer, and make an appointment to talk to her class teacher about it once she's had chance to settle into year 2 to ensure that she isn't "lost in the middle".
Don't listen to other parents - to hear my friend talk you would think her 5 yr old has just published her first novel - it's all nonsense. All that matters is that your child is enjoying learning and making progress without feeling unduly pressured. Have a nice summer away from all the playgroudn gossip!

Thanks so much guys for quiet reassurance and helpful advice.

eldest is polite, thourghtful, helpful and tries her best cant ask for more than that. shes lovley personality and has better social life than me!

Im normally very balanced and when questioned on levels and stuff i must seem very laid back and blase.

when freind asks what colour book/level eldests on and what they mean.
apparently corridor books and free reading mean hers is genuis.
but eldest says shes on corridor books.
also the colour and what table they sit at what group they in im clueless and get impression teachers try and keep that between themselves that they dont activly stream infants into ability sets.

I think the academic hysteria at school latly as got to me a little.

despite satisfactory ofsted i like ethos /size of school.
heads lovley
lovley grounds.
im on pta so raising funds for new ict suite and libary.
will speak to governers maybe next term about lack of afterschool clubs and sports within the school.

The current year 1 teacher been lovley, down to earth, hates overcompetative parents but think shes overstretched and stressed.

it annoyed me to think the youngest in year got better teaching as less in a class.

I guess this last terms made me feel bit sad as they try cram too much in and so much emphasis on testing now with phonics tests, grading them and sats. Think i prefered reception learning through play.

worry year 2 be even more academic and more pressure.
has made me questions the system as media questions secondry all time saying gcses/a levels dont prepare for jobs/uni ect.

My step son left primary barly able to read.
hes still struggling now although a lots been behaviour issues with him.

does seem like postcode lottory.
even schools within few miles very different ways.
our 3rd choice is in special measures but seemed lovley on open day.

im 95%i picked right school just worry primary education could be better.
more exiting and practical than it currently allows.

Literacy has three parts - writing, reading and speaking & listening.

So her reading might have been 1a, her writing 1b and her speaking and listening 1c, which would explain why her average is 1b, but she is stronger at reading.

Not going to get into row everyone else has been helpful.

yes I made an informed decision when looking at schools where i sent my child.

I have 1 school age child so yes i did look at oftsed, sata dn had tour of school to get a feel for it.

also considered commuting distance and think I picked the right school there are many elements im happy with.

I dont think I been overbearing and pushy mum.

I joined the pta when daughter was in reception as wanted to support and raise funds for school , headmasters says budgets been cut, our la is lowly funded compared to neigbouring la so they really apprceiate all the pta do.

outside of parents evening im not one of mums queing to speak to childs teacher most weeks.

the ofsted latest-came in book bag and everyone in playground was surprised and discussed.

the reports came out last week and i dident openly discuss what daughter got just said it was fairl;y good and i was pleased as quite frankly its no one elses business but mine and her school.
I did watch quite a few others discuss, question other mums and compare.

I think what dident help is most mums were baffled by the nc levels as no accompanying letter explaining and reasuring.

so I did speak to classroom assistant and teacher as they wanted feedback and questions about report-they invited that and I had queries as said absence was high and had completly different address.

I only know what happens in other class as my freinds daughters in other class and shes very into what levels shes on and pushy.

All i remembered was last parents evening my daughters class teacher saying she dident get as much one to one time as she would like as has 30.

they did do some small special smaller groups for weak areas but they couldent do that longterm as they dont have the time or the resources.

if being informs a crime-im truly guilty.
The classroom assistant says 1 b fine is level expected.
That i should look at website as they added levels on there as few parents were worried and confused as at end of day we just want to know they happy and doing ok.

I did look at website which states 1b was below expectations.

despite the contracdictory info im not worried.

we will do extra fun reading/ maths games in hols and build her confidence

im not the one pushing or grading her the school are.

im all for learning through play but cant exactly challange the national curriculum can I.

I do everything schools asks as she has quite a lot of set homework in comparision with other local schools sometimes feel its too much.

Im most definatly not jealous. There will be a broad spectrum

i dont necessarily want a brainbox but want her to achieve her potential and not fall behind. dont see anything wrong with that.

dont confuse informed and involved with overcompetative and pushy.

Can i just reassure you as a parent with older children (up to 6th form). What they are doing at this age is completely irrelevant to future performance.when my first was that age we all worried and analysed and fretted and compared.It's normal.But looking back,what a waste of time and energy it was!!

thanks boney josey was never like this when i was young we never had sats.

feels sad how much grading, testing and pressure there is these days with infant kiddies.

I have 3kiddies so guess worry never stops.
they all individuals with their own talents.

I would rather have not known what others in her year got yet some parents felt need to brag.

i was just perplexed by teacher saying 1 expected yet school website said 1a and thourght from parents evening she would have scored better for reading that numercacy as can see some progress.

I want her to enjoy school and not feel worried or stressed.

we did do simple reading test online probably not super accurate and her reading age came above her actual age.

I'm with bonesyjonesy. Those "ahead" or "behind" now are not necessarily the same ones in years to come. Also how can you be sure that those who brag are not in fact exaggerating the truth a little it could be that she simply didn't get whatever concept in numeracy was covered itn hat particular time period , but they will revisit each topic again and she may get it easier next time around. Different children simply click with different subjects at different times.