Year R- communication with teacher

[Ruzzerd]

I was wondering what everyone's experience is with reception class and in particular what sort of communication they get with their school. My son started school in September 2013 and I have been really unimpressed with the school to date. I get very little feed back about his progress. The school seems very disorganised giving very little notice of upcoming events etc.
He comes home with a word book but we are given no explanation as to what we are expected to do with it. He has a free choice book which they are supposed to be able to change each day - but he hasn't been prompted to change this for well over two months. His reading log book ( the one for us to comment in) has been missing for about 3 months and hasn't been replaced. In fact the teacher didn't even notice which makes me think they don't even check them anyway.
The teacher sends pupils to the head if they misbehave. Seems a bit extreme for year R doesn't it ?? I asked her about this and she said she does it when they aren't taking any notice of her which doesn't install much confidence in me and her abilities control the class.

What's everyone's else's experience with their school ? How do you communicate with your teachers ? Am I being over sensitive and expecting too much ??
I am really worried. I don't think my son has got as much out of his first year as I expected him to. The school was given 'requires improvement ' during it's last ofsted and has made no efforts to improve in any areas.
Can anyone help and just let me know what they get so I have some comparisons to make !! Thanks

well I can only tell you what our experience has been but

reading records are checked 3 times a week and book changes at these times if appropriate. the child is listened to read by TA twice a week. the TAs check the bags in the mornings to take out notes, money for trips, reply slips, letters and so on. letters to bring home get put in bags by TAs.

whether letters giving enough info are sent is a different matter. I think our school is lacking in warning for a lot of things.

children who misbehave are put on a naughty marker on the wall, 3 different grades of this so mildly naughty, then more naughty then very naughty and if very naughty they automatically get sent to speak to the head.

When in Reception we got

• half termly newsletter describing general topics etc to be covered
• events on school newsletter, varying amounts of notice
• a "how to help your child with reading" session early on the in school year.

That was basically it.

I suspect that the things you dont' know come into the category of things that the school doesn't think to tell you because they think they are obvious (I would befriend a parent with an older child).

TBH re the word book - why not just grab the teacher at the end of the day and say "I'm not sure what to do with this?"

Ditto the reading books - your child has probably been told he is meant to now change it himself and has forgotten this - just ask the teacher about changing books.

Our reading logs were never checked by staff I don't think (they recorded school reading and progress elsewhere). HAve you mentioned that it is missing - teacher may just think you are keeping it at home?

Most schools have a "send children to HT" sanction, but it generally comes at the end of all others - IIRC there was a 4 or 5 stage system at the DC's school which started with a warning about bad behaviour, progressing to child moved on behaviour chart, asked to take time out etc. As well as asking the teacher you may find that the school has a behaviour policy on their website.

None of the things in your OP would make me worry about the school tbh (unless you have been constantly going on about the issues and they've done nothing, but you don't mention that). How has your son settled? Is he happy? Has he made progress?

our reading records are where the school records reading too hence them being checked 3 times a week when they change books or listen to the children read.

Ruzzerd:

Your situation is, unfortunately, quite similar to mine with DD1.

As YR is nearly finished - I think I would make a point of going to the final parent/ teacher meeting (if your school has one after end of year reports are sent out) and ask the teacher how she thinks your child is doing against EYFS targets. If there is no meeting - go in person or send in a note asking for this information if it isn't present in your end of year report.

Now what I will say is that one of the great things about the internet is that it is being populated with brilliant resources. At this young age I think your first port of call should be OXFORD OWL: www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home - if you sign up for the home version (which is free) you will have access to e-books/ worksheets/ resources to support early learning of reading/ maths (which right now is key).

In Year 1 - make a point of attending any curriculum evenings/ Year 1 information events/ supporting maths or reading events/ etc.... But ask questions. If you don't understand how your child is doing against national expectations for their age - then ask.

You are totally entitled to understand whether your child is performing at/ below/ above expected levels of progress for YR/ Y1/ etc....

...and schools need to understand that this is the main area of grievance between parents/ schools. You are not helping yourselves by excluding parents from an honest conversation about their child's abilities - be they strengths or areas in need of improvement.

In terms of pupil progress: MN has info on their education pages: www.mumsnet.com/learning/assessment/introduction - you can find information on assessing progress in YR and then KS1 (Y1/ Y2) and KS2 (Y3 - Y6).

This also may be of help: www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/07/06/decoding-your-childs-school-report-national-curriculum-school-levels-assessments/

Ruzzard my DD sounds like she is in a school like your DCs. I have friends with children in a school like nonickname's.

I have a meeting with DD's teacher tomorrow, which came about because I was unhappy with their lack of communication/interaction with parents. Our reading logs have no space to write comments for parents.

I know of other schools where reading books can be changed daily, where reading logs are checked once a week by the teacher/TA and reviewed termly by the headteacher; where the parents get told off if they don't write in the log. Parents are invited into school very frequently and there is an open communication between parents and teachers. Basically, where the 'partnership' actually takes place.

Personally, I don't care that it is just reception, I want the school to actively engage with me as a parent. There are lots of places where people talk about parents being in a partnership with the school regarding their children's education. It frustrates me enormously that my DD's school seem to want to keep parents very much at arms length.

Rant over. Sorry!

our children move up a chart if they have had their reading record signed by someone at home at least 3 times a week. Encourages the children to ask the parents to listen to them read regularly and write in or at least sign their book.

our school has other faults I have to admit but they are what I would say is somewhere in the middle, not wonderful but certainly better than quite a few and I think they have been trying to improve things. I think in R and Yr1 we have had pretty good communication but I think that is down to the individual teachers we have had who are great, I am not sure it is the case in other classes but hope to be proved wrong on that.

Hoolies:

I think you're right to rant.

As a bit of an old timer (DD1 now Y6 and DD2 Y4 and in a new primary school as we've moved) - I can sincerely say that I've found the inability for a school to communicate how your child is doing/ what they're doing is worryingly proportional to how well they're doing educating your child.

NO information/ keeping you at arms length : odds are they're struggling to do well with your child/ the cohort and aren't comfortable with you observing that.

Lots of information/ lots of opportunities to come into school : odds are they may be struggling to raise achievement, but they're working hard and proud enough of it to let you see it warts and all.

PastSellByDate thanks, the encouragement is appreciated . My OH and I have different perspectives on what the school can and should do. He is so much more 'they know best/they have so little time/I'm sure it's all fine'. I think that the school are experts on teaching, but they know less about my child than I do. I think they don't have enough time, but that since other schools have enough time to engage with parents, my school should. And I think if they have parents working WITH them, it can make their lives easier (or at least not harder hopefully). The TA/Teacher hear my child read less than once a week - honestly I think it is quite rarely. I hear her ever day. And yet, they don't want me to tell them what she is reading above and beyond the two books we get (which are finished by Saturday - we get them on Friday). How can that information not be useful to them, as a bare minimum??

I am both hopeful that the meeting will help, but I am concerned that it is the attitude of the school overall that needs to change. We are considering other schools, but to get into any we will have to move.

I hope that it is your new school which is providing you with lots of information and not the old one.

The thing I hate is that it is hard not to feel like a dreaded 'tiger' mum. I want is to work with my school to help my child flourish (and by work, I'm assuming I let them do their jobs, but they tell me what she might need to work on, and I can tell them what she has been doing at home).

Hi Hoolies:

Sorry should have been clearer - new school for DD2 (Y4) is going great - much happier and much more relaxed Momma these days. Can't believe it really.

Having battled our school - I should warn you it is a lonely & difficult path.

Personally I've found it very rewarding getting heavily involved with helping my DDs learn numeracy skills. To me it is essential they leave primary able to add/ subtract/ multiply/ divide. I've really enjoyed seeing DD1 (NCL1 KS1 (Y2) SATs) go on to 'get maths' and then do well. She's so proud of herself and totally gets that working at it, practicing is the key.

It's been a slog and there have been frustrations along the way. But DD1 sat L6 in Maths this pass May and regardless of the outcome I'm just so incredibly proud she was asked to sit an exam at that level.

DS3 is in reception. I work full time so never see the school staff. When I used to drop DS1 off to the school, when he was small, staff were always happy to chat at the end of the day/sought parents out if they needed to as well. There certainly used to be a blackboard by the nursery/reception door giving out information too - reminders that sports day is coming up, info on what they were going to do that day etc.

We get a book sent home every week with a little print out of what they have been doing that week e.g. "We have been in our phonics groups and learnt five new sounds. We have learnt how to do co-ordinates in maths. We had fun practising for sports day." If DS has done something particularly noteworthy that would be handwritten on the end. We then write about what they did at the weekend and send the book back to school.

Their reading diaries have a personal (regularly updated) target stuck in. Every time we read at home and note it in the diary they get a 'star' on a chart, when they have read a certain number of times they get a certificate in assembly. They get notes on how they are getting on with their reading target when they read in school. Their reading diaries are checked/written in twice a week by the school.

Homework books have instructions on what to do and parents are told about what to expect at the initial reception meeting - your DC will be sent home with a sound a day that they have learnt in school. Practice reading that sound with your DC, find/draw pictures that start with that sound, write that sound if your DC wants to. Shouldn't take more than 5minutes.

We get a half termly print out showing how they are going to cover their topic that half term in every subject.

There are still complaints from parents that they want more info, it is an area we are definitely still having to work on.

My DD was at a school like that and tbh I felt that no news was good news and I didn't really worry too much. When I finally started getting reports of progress etc she was doing fine (well!) and looking back I kind of appreciate those days where I didn't really have to be involved.

Of course I did reading etc with her at home but I felt that just enhanced what she was getting. The teacher didn't need to know the exact level of her achievements at home, they were skilled enough to work that out for themselves.

DS is in a very different school (due to relocation) and there is a lot of communication, but I don't think it has any particular bearing on their progress!

I have DC at 2 different schools.

DD(reception) gets a note in her reading log and books changed daily, spelling and maths test results weekly, every half term we get a detailed letter saying what they will be covering and a timetable for each week (so i know PE tomorrow is parachute games for example), a meeting with the teacher every term and emails about anything coming up/to tell us any news, the teacher or TA will grab me at drop off or pick up if they have any concerns or call those parents who don't do school runs and they seem to get stickers for everything, there are also notes on the board in the cloakroom as and when needed. Costumes however are asked for at short notice (I was told yesterday DD needed a costume for Friday) They are also quite good at writing something vague like Music Friday - details to follow on the half-termly letter but not sending out actual details til that Monday. We also get opportunities each half term to come in and look at their work and bags of class work sent home each term

DS is year 5 now but in reception he had a note in his reading log and books changed twice a week, weekly news letters, a note in his home/school contact book every friday to let me know how he was getting on plus an extra one if there was a concern or he'd done well at something during the week, instructions for any homework written in the home/school book, we got a list of topics and a meeting with the teacher each term and loads of notice for any events/dressing up things. class work comes home at the end of the year, apart from stuff that's been on the wall or junk modelling which is sent home once they've finished that topic.

Neither school has ever sent my DC to the headmistress' office for being naughty otherwise DD would spend half her time there DS has been sent a couple of times to show the head good work. DD's school do send them to sit in the reading corner though (its in the class room but cut off by bookshelves, low enough for an adult to see over but too high for a child) and DS's class had little round rugs called naughty spots.

DD's school imo go over the top with information, DS's is about what I'd expect/want, both schools are rated 'outstanding'.

Thank you everyone for your replies. It's really helped me. Having read through everyone's experiences I certainly think there are many areas that the school need to improve in. We are looking around another school tomorrow and I can no go armed with questions!
Thank you so much