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Upset by nursery school report

10 replies

rosyposyandc · 20/07/2012 21:16

My ds is at a nursery attached to the school and they tend to treat them like school kids so they received a formal report just like my older kids. My ds is young for the year and his report wasn't great, not terrible, but not that good. It has upset me even though I keep telling myself he has just turned 4 and who the heck cares at this age. But I am still worrying. Can anyone reassure me?

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slovenlydotcom · 20/07/2012 21:20

It's a bit hard without knowing what it said - I assume it is too late now to discuss with the school now.

He is very young, try not to let it eat you up- speak to the school when you can.

rosyposyandc · 20/07/2012 21:42

Basically they have a list of areas including literacy and numeracy subsections and they have a grading system next to each section from 1 to 4. 1 being the highest and he got mainly 3s.

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idril · 20/07/2012 21:50

Are you sure that 1 was the highest? It sounds like the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile scores which go from 1 to 9 but points 1-3 cover nursery age (4-9 cover reception).

If it was the EYFS profile, and he got 3s then he is doing well.

Google the areas and see what you come up with.

rosyposyandc · 20/07/2012 22:07

No I am sure the EYFS was different and we did not get given that for his year. It wasn't actually numbers, I just didn't want anyone to recognise the school by showing their system. But it is actually graded by: excellent, consistently; usually; and occasionally and he got mainly occasionally which I think is the bottom grading.

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rosabud · 23/07/2012 01:21

Please please don't let it worry you - you have such a very long way to go in the system!!!! He is just 4 years old!!!!! Do you remember being 4??? Barely, right?? So all the things he is going through every single day right now will one day be the odd hazy vauge memory that most of us have at 4. If you, the most important person on the planet as far as he is concerned, died tomorrow, in 30 years time he will have the odd vague recollection of you. Does that put it in perspective?? He is 4. He is probably enjoying life very much, learning tonnes of new things, making new memories every single day....so he can't spell, or hop, or hold a pencil or remember his name?? So what? He will next year! Both of you just enjoy his lovely early years while you can!

moreyear · 23/07/2012 02:06

Agree with Rosabud. In all probability this will have no bearing whatsoever on his development. He is your darling, precious 4 year old - I just think it is awful you have been made to have these concerns.Give him a big hug and think of all those wonderful qualities he has that you treasure.

Fairenuff · 23/07/2012 12:36

School levels are all about the child making progress. Therefore if he is currently achieving certain things 'occasionally' his next report should show 'usually' and then 'consistently'. It is only a concern when the child does not progress within the range expected of his age.

So, I agree, don't worry about it.

PastSellByDate · 29/07/2012 05:55

Hi rosyposyandc

First the report has said that some of the time 'he gets it' - whatever it is they're recording (writing his name, tying his shoes, writing numbers the correct way, etc...).

He won't be alone. A lot of children will start Year R without any formal education at all.

I just want to warn you that Class R is a kind of weird (but wonderful) experience. There will be DCs who come already able to read and it will feel like they're reading 'War and Peace' while you're son is struggling with 'See Spot'.

My advice is focus on where he's at and remember that he's an individual and has his own strengths, which he and his teachers will discover. It's very important that you're positive and show him you have confidence in him. It's a silly thing, but if Mum's in your corner as a kid you really can conquer the universe.

For Class R the 'big things' seem to be counting (to 10, then 20, and then 100) and reading (moving from being read to by someone to gradually decoding words for yourself). This isn't an instant process. It's gradual, sometimes with what appears to be instant leaps. And it can be a real struggle - you just have to keep plugging away at it (presuming there are no learning disabilities of course).

What you can do are play simple counting games (snakes and ladders, counting candies, counting food on your plate, etc...) and read, read, read to him. Make a real point with reading of showing him where you're at on the page.

I'm not sure where your DS is at with writing - but try not to worry too much about him knowing letter names (a, b, c,) since these days the schools really focus on letter sounds as part of teaching reading phonetically. If he likes writing (letters or numbers) invest in some chalk and let him decorate your patio or the pavement in front of your house.

Finally remember this is a marathon not a sprint. There will be good steady patches of progress and there will be points where it's all struggle. Keep a routine, try and go to workshops/ reading mornings/ maths games days/ etc... at the school, when you can - but most of all keep good lines of communication with his teachers and keep asking for advice on what you can do at home to support learning.

For age 4 - I'd recommend a few things:

alphablocks: www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/alphablocks/

jolly phonics books help with the sounds letters make in English - workbooks available a most good newsagents/ book shops.

Numtums - early years counting games: www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/numtums/

BBC schools early learning page has a lot more: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/eyfs/

Learning is an exciting process for your DS and to be honest for you as well - you'll be so thrilled when he 'gets it' - it really is 'taking first step' big when they can read their first word, their first sentence, etc...

I've been surprised at how much support I've had to provide (much more than when I was at school back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) but I've loved the time with my children and really enjoyed helping their learning along.

HTH

NK493efc93X1277dd3d6d4 · 02/08/2012 23:02

This sounds perfectly normal for most boys as they tend to lag behind the girls a little. My son is one of the youngest and things suddenly fell into place about half way through year 1. In many countries they wouldn't be at school at all before this point and as for potty training etc, it's much easier to do once the child is ready. I wouldn't worry aand just concentrate on helping him to enjoy what he's doing at the level he's comfortable with.

simpson · 03/08/2012 00:23

According to my DD's nursery report a 3 is bang on where they are supposed to be.

I would also recommend the Oxford owl website for reading etc. there are books on there that have no words to talk through what is happening in the story etc which is great for helping their speech/comprehension.

I would also second others in boys maybe being behind at this stage ( not that your DS is iyswim). My DS is Aug born and was behind until mid reception and then things clicked and he flew ahead.

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