How can I help settle my daughter into her In Year Admission new school?

[12345Floris]

After a year on the waiting list my daughter was finally made an exception and added to a class of limited 30 in Year 2.

She's coping fine socially as already knows a girl in her class from Rainbows and children shout hello to her now as we walk around our local area to the shops, etc which is lovely for her.

I'm concerned though that her new teacher can only go off what is contained in her previous school report which wasn't great, there was a lot of absence due to travel problems (her school was in a different town and I had to bus in)and although I read with her every night at home and also go to the twice weekly parent /child reading sessions at school, because her new teacher won't know her personally yet, she may be well behind her peers in this important year before she starts Juniors.

Should I try to find a private tutor meanwhile (I haven't the faintest how much they charge!) or can you advise anything Ishould be doing to help her settle in academically? Or do you think she will just catch up and form a relationship with her teacher over the next several months anyway?

Thankyou :)

How long ago did she move? Do you know when her class's parents' evening meetings are?

I'd ask at the parents evening how she's doing, where she sits in the class (as in is she above average, about average or a bit below).

Then you can ask how you can help her at home and what she needs to work on.

We have a parents evening at October half term. Do you know if you do?

The teacher will be getting to know all the dc in his/her class and it takes a little while. Ours used to test them all to group them by ability. Then move the groups around if someone was struggling or was finding the work too easy. So I wouldn't worry too much about her report from the previous school.

It's great that she's settling socially.

Hi -

Retired male TA here. I worked over twenty years in primary schools, mostly as a TA, but also as a voluntary helper.

There is so much more to school than just literacy and numeracy, and if she is happy and seems to be coping with all the other activities, then I don't think you need have any worries.

It shouldn't take a competent teacher very long to assess her abilities.

These twice weekly 'parent/child' reading sessions: are these voluntary, or did school suggest you went to them? I have known similar sessions, but they were 'family learning', where the parent, as well as the child, needed support to improve reading and writing. Judging from your 'post' you certainly aren't in that category! Or did school think it might help you BOTH to settle in by attending these groups?

Do you have a general 'feel' for how she copes with: numeracy; writing; confidence, speaking and listening; PE & games; arts & crafts, music, drama, dance etc. Some of these things are more a product of a child's home life and previous experiences, rather than what they have been formally 'taught'.

I will try to come back tomorrow with copies of resources for literacy and numeracy, that I often pass on to MN parents. In the meantime, if you can answer some of the questions I have posed, it will give me some idea of her interests and abilities, and we will see where we go from there!

I assume there aren't any major behaviour problems, as you haven't mentioned anything like that; but sometimes a lot of 'moving around' or travel stress can unsettle a child.