Reception children - how much feedback from teachers?

[Mittensonkittens]

We get basically nothing. I'm not expecting as much as in preschool and I am a teacher myself so I know that teachers are pushed for time!

We might if lucky get one comment a week in the homeschool diary. This term's targets haven't been written in.

We had a short parents' meeting three weeks in to the term so it was just a 'your child isn't crying every day' meeting. My friends with reception children seem to have much more idea of how their children are getting on. I basically have no idea! And since I don't teach reception I'm not sure if this is usual or not.
The school is in special measures so I know the teachers must be even more stressed and pushed for time than usual. But one of the things they highlighted was poor communication between parents and school.

So is it usual to not get much (any) feedback?

I'm a Reception teacher. We have quite a good communication system I think.

The head sends out a general newsletter every Monday and I send out a weekly newsletter on a Thursday detailing what we've been doing in class that week and suggestions of how parents can support/continue/help with a particular focus. I also include a bit of 'homework' to extend this if parents/kids want.

We also send out texts relating to various things, reminders about trips, non-uniform days.

My door is always open if parents want to ask a question and I encourage the children to bring parents in to look at displays or something the kids have done!

We don't get a lot but we have had

• a full morning plus lunch settling session
• a phonics workshop
• a session explaining the eyfs curriculum
• a handwriting workshop
• a description of activities and themes for each half term with ideas on how to support your child.
• one comment in the reading journal which.comes home 3 times per week.

we haven't had a parents' evening yet so i am hoping it will be quite informative.

we haven't had much personalised information on academic stuff but were told when ds was being
naughty.

Our school are similar to yours OP
Nada. I have friends with children in next nearest 6 schools (NCT In London) whose teachers communicate very effectively along the lines of the positive comments on here.

It boils down to weak management I think.

We get absolutely nothing either except 2 ten minute parents evenings a year and a print out each term of whats going to be covered on the curriculum.

We dont ever see the teacher because the TA fetches the Dc in the morning from the playground once they are lined up and then brings them back down at the end of the day

Is hit and miss Tiggy.
Allegedly we get a weekly newsletter.
We have had three since September.

We get a print out of the curriculum to be covered for the term.
Each week a print out of what they have covered that week in phonics and numeracy, and any little extras e.g. made biscuits for the school fair. If there was anything specific for your child also an extra note.

Reading diary has regular comments in from teacher, but also has a list of child's specific reading targets set in the front that child marks off when achieved.

We don't get much communication from our school other than parents' evening. To be honest I think you need to adjust your expectations. In pre school the staff ratios were more generous than a reception class and there is only so many hours in a day.

Our school has been rated as inadequate and the new head controls everything. The reception teacher is not allowed to send any communication to parents without permission. We do get a school wide newsletter.

Yesterday I borrowed dd's learning journey and I found that is a good way of seeing how your child is progressing without increasing the teacher's workload.

Last year we had a termly letter with topics and two parents eves a year. There were odd notes in the home school link for the first two weeks then nothing...and the learning journey when we got it was also unhelpful...hardly anything in it,,,,and as she was only heard read on her own three times in the year nothing in the reading record either......

We get lots of general communications - newsletters and the like with information on topics, what letters they are covering,etc. We don't get personalised updates on a regular basis. Parents evening and if you happen to ask a question if you drop off/pick up plus notes in the reading diary about moving up a level on book, etc.

Drop children in the unit every morning so there is the chance to see what they are up to. Information on a white board about topics to be covered that week.

Newsletters two or three times a term. Can catch teachers for a quick chat AM or make an appointment for longer.

Individually a brief note in the reading diary each time she's heard read - once or twice a week? Parents evening in the form of a 'stay and play' session in a week or two : they do four parents at a time and you get to stay for the morning and speak to the teacher about your child.

They also have lovely Learning Journeys which are available for you to see any time and which you are encouraged to add to: photos, notes of observations, pieces of work etc which form the evidence for their assessment of the children's learning.

I started out thinking I didn't know a lot about what Dd was up to, and now realise I do! It's all quite subtle but it adds up.

We used to have messages about this week's phonics and various other things stuck up in the cloakroom window. In older yeargroups this disappeared.

We have had parents evening - which I have to say was very detailed and informative - and a meet the teacher morning so far this term (y1).
We also have the odd newsletter. And the school has an 'open door' policy plus the teacher is available for a chat with parents after school on one set day a week. You're supposed to mention it in advance though if you have an issue that will take more than a couple of mins to discuss.

Forgot to add, in reception it was even better as the teacher would often speak to parents after school about what the children/particular children had been doing, it was great and very individual. This is because the assistants would help with handovers though - I can see this year that wouldn't e so easy as there's usually only one person (teacher or ta) doing the handovers.

My dgs gets comments in the reading diary which seems to be checked regularly [several times a week].He also gets little 'notes home' which say when he has done well in a particular area.He has had one parents' evening , there is a weekly news letter and the teacher is available at the end of the day and will come and say if there is a problem.I do twice weekly pickups so am very aware of this.

We get:

• a letter at the start of each half term with that half terms time table so we know what they are covering each lesson
• letters every time the teacher wants something (costumes, toilet roll tubes, money etc.)
• A note in the reading diary every day,
• parents evening once a term
• if the teacher has any concerns or DD has done really well in something she will grab when i'm dropping off/collecting DD.
• a white board in the cloakroom with notices in
• a lot of parentmail emails (although i suspect the amount is because there's lots of Christmas stuff going on so hopefully there will be less next term)
• stickers and certificates whenever DDs done well

Oh and every time they finish a topic we get all the work sent home so we can see what they've done