compensating for an unsatisfactory primary education

[maria2028]

My ds is at an okay primary school. The pastoral care is reasonably good, the results are middling to mediocre and every child is praised to the rooftops for sitting nicely and tidying the book corner but tangible achievements like music grades and swimming certificates are hushed up as I guess not everyone has them.

I'm not going to move ds as we don't have workable local options. If I leave things be he'll get his level 4 in y6 along with the rest of the kids. We live in an 11+ area and I want ds to have a fair shot at it, but I don't have to ask the teachers what they think as I know it will be frowned on. I don't think the school will do the challenging stuff in maths and English ds could cope with and that he'll need for 11+.

I have looked into maths factor and mathletics and I'd like some recommendations for a diy route to L5/L6 in maths and English whether through these or something similar. I wasn't sure maths factor got past ks2 stuff so it may not be sufficient. I can't really afford tutoring but I'm educated myself - I just don't know how to teach or what to teach. With English I feel more confident as I can encourage ds to enjoy reading and a lot of the work is done.

Any tips appreciated from others whp have been in a similar situation

It's sad that the children in th ops school don't make the progress they should, I wonder why that is?

Because its a crap school and the teachers have the attitude as displayed in post maria2028 Tue 21-Oct-14 21:28:12

Perhaps my op was misleading. I'm not trying to do 11+ prep in y3. I just want to make sure my child can follow a similar trajectory to kids of similar ability at other schools. I can compare his school with others and see that on average kids from his school don't make as much progressin ks2 as others. It's not fair. I want to give him the same chances.

No it wasn't misleading in the slightest. Its perfectly easy to understand.

Sorry I think it is.

You can't write off a child at a lacklustre school based on his Sats results.

Right, I see, I'm afraid I did misunderstand.

If this is the case, OP, and you really cannot move him, it sounds like you are going to have to teach him yourself just to stop him going bonkers with boredom!

Good luck

Op you have to bear in mind some children are being prepped, from baby hood. By that I mean children who can count to 30 aged 2, know alphabet and yet there is no intellect present to learn that except from parent drumming it in every day, children who can write name early and so on. The dc may never be aimed for 11+ or any private or selective schooling but you could say - should they be entered for the 11+ they have been tutored from baby hood because they have had intense parent input anyway.

Some of these types of parents will say " we never used a tutor" well no....you didnt too!

Some are teachers, they too will boast they never tutored but again op, they will have been able to apply teaching skills to their child.

Then the ones in private preps that do have eye on goal and will be looking for 11+ potential.

Do all you can to support. No one cares about your childs education like you do and never ever let anyone make you feel stupid for caring and asking questions.

Er, I would never write a child off simply because they haven't passed the eleven plus. My own child wouldn't have done. You might want to examine your own attitude to failure before criticising mine.

Predicting a child will fail an exam because of tests he sat at 7 in a lacklustre school is writing him off as a candidate for passing.

Bt not as a person, which is what is implied.

By you not me.

Thanks for helpful suggestion from several posters.

In hindsight I realise I shouldn't have mentioned my ds's school not being good, his y2 levels and certainty not 11+ as it seemed to be chaff for people to tell me my ds's school was fine, he's not really grammar school material and I'm casting judgment on people who don't go to selective schools.

I thought the responses might say "mathletics is overpriced" or "have you tried creative writing at home" sort of thing instead of "how very dare you think your offspring might be able to achieve more at school".

Sometimes this site is plain weird. I will shuffle back to the topics I usually hang out in, and try the eleven plus forum as some helpful folk have suggested.

11 plus is a bit of a touchy subject, as this year's results have come out.

Honestly, read, read, read, talk about words, do crosswords together, suduko, be interested in the world, play chess, make up stories and poems, visit art galleries, theatre, museums, libraries. That's what engages a 7 year old.

Bond papers for maths, if he's not set other homework.