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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reception teachers: - Home visits - are they essential?

29 replies

StarlightMcKenzie · 13/05/2013 11:00

Just that really.

What are they FOR?

DD had a home visit for nursery which seemed fairly pointless though kind of nice to meet the teachers (but I would have met them the following week anyway - surely)

It's just that if dd isn't going to start school for a whole other week, I'd quite like to go away instead of wait at home the whole week for a 5 minute visit iyswim.

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christinarossetti · 13/05/2013 11:04

They're quite useful if your child is shy, nervous about starting school or you want to impart something essential yet quite private eg she won't ask to go to the toilet.

Don't put off going away fgs, they're not essential.

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 13/05/2013 11:06

These home visits are not done in my area and I was really surprised that they exist! Is it just England?

FreddieMisaGREATshag · 13/05/2013 11:07

oh what a charter for a nosy parker.

I'm glad mine are past that.

ilovepowerhoop · 13/05/2013 11:08

they dont do them in my area of Scotland, do they do them in Scotland at all I wonder?

MaryPoppinsBag · 13/05/2013 11:12

No they aren't essential. My son's FS1 teacher and TA came to see him before he started nursery.

They brought a book to read to him and he wasn't interested. He wouldn't speak to them at all

Not sure it was any use TBH.

I would imagine its useful for the school to have a nosey at your home and see what kind of background they come from.

pooka · 13/05/2013 11:17

We don't have home visits - though I do know of a couple of other schools nearby that do them.

They also tend to start c. 2 weeks after the rest of the school and spend half a term doing mornings or afternoons, in order to fit in the home visits!

At our school reception starters begin on the day after the rest of the school and have a week of mornings, increasing to mornings and lunch by the end of the week (though of course parents can negotiate more delayed start if they want).

pooka · 13/05/2013 11:18

Am in England BTW

BackforGood · 13/05/2013 11:19

All 3 of mine managed to start school without them. 'tis just the latest fad in education. If her start date isn't until the week after term starts, then I'd certainly go away and take advantage of places being quieter / cheaper.

tiggytape · 13/05/2013 14:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

StarlightMcKenzie · 13/05/2013 15:06

Will the school hate me if I don't do one?

It's just that dd will be in her 5th placement (4 preschools) and she is quite used to new schools.

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GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 13/05/2013 16:05

Our school is very oversubscribed and I thought the main purpose of them was to check your child genuinely lives where you've said they live. I am an old cynic though...

I had a similar idea to you about grabbing the last week as a holiday before being stuck into the school holidays. You never know school might waive the visit or do it the week before or after.

Original poster

StarlightMcKenzie · 13/05/2013 16:17

DD's is oversubscribed. And that reminds me actually as we've just moved. Need to update school etc.

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roadkillbunny · 13/05/2013 16:19

Our school don't do home visits but as most children come through the village pre school the reception class teacher does go over and spend a moring there then each set of parents are invited to a short private meeting with the teacher held in school to go through anything parents want to ask or tell about their child and then there are two morning induction visits for the children to come spend the moring at school late in the summer term. Come September the new reception children start full time from day one with the rest of the school. (If a parent wants a slower start that can be arranged although have never known anybody choose to do this.)
Seems to work very well for us but can see that in a school in a town or city that takes children from a wide range of pre school settings (or children who haven't done any pre school) home visits take on a bit more logic as it is nice for the teacher to have the opertunity to meet the children in an inviroment they are comfortable with so the staff can get a measure of the child and their needs. It isn't worth for fitting a holiday for though, if you want to I am sure school would be happy to meet with you some time in July for you to give any important information about your child.

Cloverer · 13/05/2013 16:20

They're not essential.

It probably is the only opportunity you have for 10 minutes of the teacher's undivided attention. A good opportunity to talk about your child and get to know the teacher, for your child to become familiar with them.

They aren't compulsory though, and if you're not bothered and don't think your child particularly needs it, just cancel. The teacher won't care.

HumphreyCobbler · 13/05/2013 16:21

I would go away if you want to - a home visit has never been considered necessary in any of the schools I worked at. We also didn't do that inconvenient staggered start thing either, just straight in there with a full day. All the children coped fine, or if they were particularly tired then the parents were free to collect early.

roadkillbunny · 13/05/2013 16:25

Also I really doubt that it is because they want to check your address (a family can move home between allocation and September and it is quite within the rules, also investigation into admissions fraud, admissions full stop, has nothing to do with the teaching staff!
It is also not so the school can have a nosey at the child's home, they really don't care, it's not their job. You also wouldn't need to go into the family home to know quickly if a child is supported in their education at home!

Original poster

StarlightMcKenzie · 13/05/2013 16:26

I know HC At the risk of totally falling out with the school I'm tempted to just wait for the first full day and have her start then.

She's an early Sept birthday so probably a big difference between her ability to cope with it all than a younger child, plus she's been in school already for seemingly forever.

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Elibean · 13/05/2013 18:59

I don't think they are essential. But both my dds really enjoyed them (one before nursery, the other before Reception - as she had been at the school nursery already) and gained confidence from having met their teacher and TA in a home environment.

It also meant the teacher could easily refer to familiar objects/situations for dd, as she had seen her bedroom, met her favourite teddy, etc etc.

Not essential. But nice. And I think teachers have no time or inclination to be nosy anything, on the whole - at least, the ones I've met haven't!

StinkyElfCheese · 14/05/2013 16:30

when nursery came to do the home check on the twins they spent the entire time playing 'doctors' with the lovley TA and admiring her enormous boobies :) ignored the teacher :)

slightley pointless vist but the TA was met with a huge hug when the boys did go to nursery and is still one of their favorites

mrz · 14/05/2013 16:42

The purpose of the home visit is to provide the opportunity for parent and child to meet the staff in the home rather than in a busy school environment (where not all parents feel comfortable) often there are information forms about your child to complete - allergies- likes - dislikes - given name and the chance to ask any questions you may not feel confident in asking in the formal induction meeting with other parents listening.

mrz · 14/05/2013 16:43

It's quite common for the TA to take along a bag of goodies to engage the child so the teacher can chat to mum.

Original poster

StarlightMcKenzie · 14/05/2013 17:00

When the teacher and ta came round last time for the nursery visit, I told them that a psychologist had assessed her had recommended that she wasn't put in a social skills group or deliberately sat next to children with social communication difficulties.

Absolutely no point in relaying that to the teacher because less than a term in she was put next to the boy with social communication difficulties and 'chosen' for the special social skills group.

So not really sure that the 'information' does anything but fall on deaf ears anyway. Or did the teacher just do it on purpose because i had asked for her not to!?

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Original poster

StarlightMcKenzie · 14/05/2013 17:01

sorry, I mean 'a' boy, not 'the' boy.

damn my grammar.

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littleducks · 14/05/2013 17:05

Seems like a waste of time to me. DS and I had a meeting with his teacher at school, he made a picture with the TA and wrote his name on it. I answered endless boring questions (no I don't have a social worker etc) and provided some useful info (you pronounce his name like this). so the one to one calm environment was there and ds was familiar with his classroom (there was another 30 min/1hr session with the whole class there).

turkeyboots · 14/05/2013 17:15

I liked our visit with DDs teacher. She is quite shy, but at home she came out of her shell faster so the TA could chat to her. In contrast she spent an hour at a whole class teddy bears picnic before classs restarted after summer, but said nothing to anyone.

And this year 2 children lost their reception places after home visits, as they had lied about their address.

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