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Y1 Extension work suggestions please....

2 replies

tricot39 · 16/01/2015 21:24

DS is whipping through his school work to get computer game time in class. It seems to be happening each day which adds up to a lot more screen time than I am happy with. I would probably be happier if the games were a bit more educational but at the moment they are not. Can anyone suggest some computer activities which I could chat to the teacher about? She is an NQT and doing a great job but is having to deal with a very mixed group. DS is probably a bit of headache for her as she reported he was managing parts of the curriculum which are taught at the end of the year, while others are still stuck on YR curriculum. Any good ways of helping out both pupil and teacher in this situation? TIA

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PastSellByDate · 17/01/2015 06:31

tricot:

this is tricky terrain. If you come in with suggestions for alternatives to computer time you may come across as complaining/ pushy.

I think the first thing is to be absolutely certain the games he is playing are not educational.

If he's playing minecraft for more than 1 hour a day - do not pass go, just complain. That's outrageous.

If, however, he's playing an addition game, a spelling game, etc... whilst others finish their work and he's learning more things - well it may not be ideal, but it probably won't cause much harm.

Pedagogically, however, there should be work to keep him engaged so some suggestions:

Maths: could the teacher give him an age appropriate/ ability appropriate nrich maths puzzle to solve from lower primary section?: nrich.maths.org/frontpage - these can be printed out in advance and worked on away from a computer screen.

Reading: could the teacher allow him to read from his own book - or go to the library to get another book if finished with his current book/ and done with reading work in class?

Writing: could the teacher ask him to write more or do another task?

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Every school is different but our present primary (DD2 moved schools in Y4) and a friend's school both handle this by letting more able pupils access more challenging work.

Friends school actually has blocks of time for maths/ literacy - and more able pupils can join an upper school year if they are working securely at the next year's general ability level.

Our school handles it by providing work at 3 ability levels: everyone should be able to do this/ a bit tricky/ will melt your brain. Children also have colour cards so if they're struggling they hold them up. If you're finished with your sheet & have done well - you move up to the next sheet. The 'will melt your brain' puzzles (often from nrich) will keep them entertained for quite a while - so there never seems to be an issue of someone finished with nothing to do.

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I wouldn't blame the NQT for this policy - it is unlikely that this reflects their teaching style - it probably is a school wide approach. Many schools give the impression they resent upper ability pupils and the demands it places on staff to prepare work in a wide range. To be fair to teachers if you're coping with everything from NC L3 - NC L6 (as DD1's poor Year 6 teacher was) it is a lot of work to make resources for those upper ability kids - many of whom are doing more at home anyway and are happy to sit and read a book whilst their classmates finish up their work.

One could go on about the waste of potential - and it is- but I do understand that the pressure on primary schools (due to performance table statistics) is to get as many as possible over that NC L4 threshold and, therefore, the focus of effort naturally falls on those pupils below that ability. At present there is no reward for schools expending energy on helping an able NC L4 pupil achieve NC L5 or an able NC L5 pupil achieve NC L6.

tricot39 · 17/01/2015 19:16

Thanks for your thoughts. He already does daily maths and reading with y2 each day and our nqt is trying her best to stretch him, but he is just too quick. I tried to persuade him on to the woodlands games site rather than access kodu or friv which seem to be unrestricted. I do sympathise with the teacher and the system but I dont want his interest in learning to be beaten down. I remember it happening to me in secondary but not quite this early..... She is an approachable teacher so as you say the first thing is to get some facts and take it from there.

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