Am I being unreasonable or is this a lot of extra work for a 6 year old?

[lifebook14]

Not really sure what to make of this so thought I would ask the wise people on here.

Teacher asked for a word today and said DS had been selected as a small group of children who needed some extra support with phonics/writing. Yes I agree he does and am happy for him to have some extra support.

However this support will be 3 extra 30 min lessons on Mon, Tue and Wed morning. So instead of starting school at 8.50 he will now have to get there at 8.10.

It just feels like a lot of extra work. He gets tired easily from school and an extra 30 mins on the day for 3 days a week seems an awful lot. Even if he did kumon or had a tutor it would only be for 1hour once a week. Also it's going to be really hard getting up earlier in the morning as he is not a morning person and likes to sleep in as long as possible. I'm dreading the thought of getting him up early for phonics on a cold, dark winters morn.

Apparently the lessons will go on until they feel the child doesn't need them anymore so potentially could be a term or all year!!

Don't get me wrong I am grateful for the help (although it feels a bit cynical that this is in the run up to SATS) but it just seems like such an extra burden on a young child.

Or is this normal and I'm just being PFB!?

Really failing to see to how 30mins reading & phonics practice three times a week could impact on a healthy 6 year olds well being?

As others have said not taking up the help and letting the child struggle on would seem far more detrimental.

Does the child have other health issues we are not aware of?

Mme

Really failing to see to how 30mins reading & phonics practice three times a week could impact on a healthy 6 year olds well being?

Use some imagination then...do some reading about concentration issues. Not that these issues cannot be overcome. Children develop differently and at different rates in different areas.

It's half an hour reading help that he clearly needs. Why don't you do some reading about illiteracy and it's impact on education?

Once children progress beyond the basic cvc word /one letter one sound stage spelling naturally lags behind reading.

It seems very likely, from what the OP has posted, that her son failed the phonic screening check (at the end of the summer term of Y1) and this is why he has been selected for additional phonic/writing support. In which case it isn't about being behind or SATs or children developing at different rates, it's about the early identification of a difficulty and putting appropriate support in place quickly .

The OP has to decide what is best for her child.

Mme I have. However I also appreciate there are other issues which can deeply impact on learning.

mrz I agree in that the OP does have to decide what is best for her child.

And at this stage, I would query what the 'difficulty' is, or even if the lower attainment is due to a 'difficulty', if a fair proportion of children are attending the extra class.

If the support is in response to the Phonics Screening Check it isn't anything to do with attainment ... all Y1 children are screened for phonics the check identifies areas of difficulty early so that schools can plan appropriate interventions. It seems the OPs child attends a school that is proactive rather than waiting until a child is failing.

mrz I was using the term attainment, in the general sense, that is in a way which includes the results attained from the phonic screening...

mrz nothing wrong with being proactive, however I would be wary of making decisions in haste. The whole child's learning style, for want of a better term, should be considered IMO when considering if and what interventions are appropriate. Tiredness and concentration levels should be considered as a factor when deciding whether classes before school are the best course of action.

mrz, I don't think I said dc should miss important lessons in order to receive extra help. The extra group work usually takes place during assembly. My own dc attended a few sessions last year and I was more than happy for him to miss assembly in favour of extra reading help.
Saying that if going in an hour early suits the child and the rest of the family then fine but it shouldn't be the only option. Can't imagine it would suit working parents who drop their dc's at the cm's at 7 am for example or those with older dc.

However you are using the term attainment it isn't appropriate when linked to a screening check ... Just as it wouldn't be appropriate linking it to high cholesterol or diabetes.

mrz I might. I like being creative with language! Language is living and usage evolves. A favourite past time of mine is coining new phrases to see if they spread and catch on....

The decision won't have been made in haste it will have taken into account all available information and knowledge of the children concerned and based on decades of experience using similar screening materials

Creative or inaccurate?

I might use it that is, when talking of medical screening, that is...

Definitely creative.

But blackwings in this situation there is no major barrier for the DS getting into school 40 mins earlier than normal 3 days a week, other than the OP's concern, which may or may not turn out to be an issue, that her DS would find it difficult to cope with the earlier start.

This extra support is being provided for pupils benefit so they do not fall behind. If there was a genuine reason that the DC could not attend then I'd hope that the school would work with the parent to find an alternative, but I'm not sure why they would here. It's a free service and one which not all schools offer. Even in DS's private school where they offered additional support classes for those children in P1 & P2 these were before school with no option to have a different time. The parents that I knew who were in that situation coped despite having siblings and working - they did it because it was in the best interest of the child.

I understand that people and children have different sleep patterns I genuinely do. Left to my own devices I wouldn't be up until 8.30 most mornings, sadly having a job and school run that isn't possible. However if a 6 yr old child struggles to get in to school for 8.10, 3 mornings a week to the point where it leads to tantrums for the rest of the day, then I'd wonder if that child was getting enough sleep or if there were some underlying health reason causing the issue.

Creatively inaccurate and completely incorrect??

If there is an underlying issue ( sleep, tantrums or other) it might not have been diagnosed yet. It is enough that the OP is concerned, for the school to listen to her concerns. When deciding whether this particular intervention is suitable, tiredness is an important factor. If tiredness leads to tantrums, for this child, I can easily see how this could impact on this child's learning later on in the school day...

mrz you understood what I meant though, albeit after clarification. My flawed expression, does not deter from the validity of the actual point I was making.

There might be an underlying issue over the DCs tiredness capsium - you're absolutely right.

But in this case as the parent I would try what the school has recommended for a period of time and see what impact it has, whilst making the school aware of the concerns.

I appreciate that the OP has chosen to be a SAHM and that young DCs do find school tiring, but the majority of DCs I know are generally go to school or breakfast club pretty early then have after school activities some days a week or after school. They seem to cope with it fine. If I were the teacher, I'd rather feel that the parent was working with me, then I'd monitor the situation carefully and call out if I felt that the earlier start was causing issues later in the day, rather than have the parent either say no or dictate how often the child was going to attend these session.

mrz And I think it debatable, whether the Phonics Screening Check should even called screening. This medicalisation of learning, achievement and attainment, sits uncomfortably with me.

rookie at 9.54 I said this,

I am not saying the OP should not trial these sessions, I am saying I sympathise with her concern.

It's the same screen method used by educational psychologists and dyslexia experts

rookie At 8.56 I said this,

OP I would voice your concerns. Keep dialogue open. However you will probably have to try the classes with your son, as this type of 'initiative' seems to be a trend, going on what other posters have said...

mrzbut not the only method used. There is can be underlying physiological aspects to dyslexia, eyesight issues for example, such as eye convergence, scanning, skimming, figure ground discrimination issues, as well as issues with working memory. There can be separate diagnostic tests employed to determine these.