Expectations at the end of Reception

[TreaterAnita]

I'd be really grateful for any advice anyone has on this as I am hugely confused and, to be honest, a bit upset following a meeting with my child's teacher. I'm not going to post reams of detail to start with because a) it'll bore everyone to death, and this post will be long enough already, b) half of it won't be relevant and c) some of it might be identifying. However I'm more than happy to answer any questions.

So...my lovely, PFB, little boy. Quite prem and poorly and I've always been a bit anxious about him and now diagnosed as deaf (mild/moderate hearing loss - has aids). But also lovely, cheery, friendly, inquisitive, popular, generally reasonably well behaved, increasingly vocal (since hearing aids).

Reception report, 10 expecteds, 7 emergings (the 4 academic ones, plus speaking, moving and handling and managing feelings and behaviour - he is distractible/distracting). I would say, having read the descriptions, that he cannot be very far from achieving the reading and shapes, etc goals, he's a bit of a reluctant writer (though he can do it) and he needs a bit more work on adding and subtracting to achieve the maths.

Met with teacher to discuss. I was expecting, not least from the wording of the report, lots of reassurance about how he had made a good start, was close to the goals, could catch up, etc. Instead the impression I got was very much that my son was probably either of below average IQ or a child who has specific learning difficulties (beyond his hearing loss). There was discussion of him returning to reception when year 1 were addressing more difficult topics, even though the teacher accepted that this would put him at a greater disadvantage going forward. I'm just struggling to square this with my little boy who, on the way to school the other day, informed me that a snail that he found might be nocturnal and then accurately explained to me what that means and gave me some other animal examples (thanks apparently to Paw Patrol). He's also been really engaged by the most recent topic they did in reception and has been telling me lots of facts about it.

I'm aware that the Tory reforms mean that the curriculum, even for EYFS, is much more challenging than it was before and for that reason I was always expecting that my little boy might struggle a bit (he is a late spring birth, would have been summer but for prematurity, and I think he would have been better off in the next school year but that wasn't an option) but I now feel, having spoken to his teacher today, that he's never going to catch up, let alone have a chance of excelling if that's what he's ultimately capable of, because he's made such a poor start.

I'm finding it really hard, to be honest, that I can't just use my own brain to fix this for him. Obviously his own education is something he has to do for himself, though we will support him as much as we possibly can. However I can't spend all my free time tutoring him (I try to do fun spelling/reading/maths in every day life, plus reading eggs, mathletics, etc, but he's not daft and will resist what he perceives to be excessive homework).

I have found a tutor who offers 1-to-1 support for children with SEN and wonder whether that would be worth a trial - maybe he would be more receptive to a stranger and more willing to engage in the things he needs to practice at home like writing. Also school have suggested SALT/EP assessment but waiting lists are huge and we'd be prepared to jump that and cough up privately. Has anyone done this? I work with these professionals in my job but normally engage them for profoundly disabled kids.

On the other hand though, and the reason I'm posting here really, do a search and you will find lots of posts on this site saying "Oh my god, he's fucking 5, give the poor child a break, my child didn't know the alphabet until he was 10 and now he's doing a PhD at Cambridge, etc" so am I, and my kid's teacher. just entirely overreacting and he will ultimately just achieve his academic potential anyway? Or does Govean education policy now mean that you fail at 5, you fail forever unless, in the Tory way, you manage to acquire sufficient resources that you can circumvent the state?

Academic year progress is what should be considered over the long term. Longitudinal studies are the only thing worth a dime in development and education.

Maybe the impact of repeating a year isn't as bad if it's a regularly occurring solution in your society. But in the UK it's not, so moving him down is going to be noticeable by him

"Impact of retention

Deeply held beliefs dating back to the early 1900s contended that retention improved achievement and the only arguments against it revolved around social concerns such as diminished self-esteem.

But that changed over time.

More recently, a preponderance of studies have shown that holding kids back a year has a negative effect or no effect at all on academic achievement."

It was my understanding that many countries were moving away from holding back because it wasn't working.

My experience of being educated in a system where children are held back, doesn't quite match yours poppy. Very few children that were held back did particularly well. They usually ended up in the middle to bottom half of the year they ended up in.

www.smh.com.au/nsw/repeating-school-has-no-social-or-academic-benefit-20140712-zt4dk.html

He shouldn't repeat... It's not the norm. It should be an option however. It should be an option to enter children into reception at four or five... It isn't. Every education expert would agree this should be the case... But in this country... And only this country... It isn't. We are the only country to implement baseline assessment. We are the only country to routinely assess every six weeks.

I just took my 5 yr old for a hearing test yesterday, having failed two in school. He has mild hearing loss, probably glue ear. They will test again in 3 months to see if grommets required.

Anyway, I am telling you this because the audiologist said that even if his hearing is still at same level, we may not want to get grommets fitted unless it is affecting his life. The examples she gave were being distracted/ playing up in class, and being behind with spelling, reading and writing. She also said that although children with hearing loss can hear the sounds more quietly, something like a noisy classroom could be stressful for him as he can't very well differentiate between the sounds, it is all just noise.

How long since your DS got his hearing aid? It could be that certain behaviour in class started because he couldn't hear well?

Join the flexible start for summer born children on Facebook. Lots of people with similar starts looking for ways to offset the SEN label and either delay starts, repeat reception or encourage the school to see your child more in line to with their own development stage.

They aren't moving away fro m it they are limiting it to infants... As it should be. No one should repeat post 7. There really should really be a school readiness assessment for children at four because that would negate the reason to repeat... And the disaster of sending non school ready children into school.

Many states in the U.S. Assess every 6-9 weeks. I am quite sure other countries do too, particularly many of the Eastern Asian countries.

Isn't this slightly irrelevant to the OP since retention isn't being suggested. He's being kept down for 1 or 2 lessons a week, which would be pointless in any system.

Agree, tottally of topic. In this system iy is pointless to try and do anything but push children forward. There is no option and he will be, and have to be, fine. I would not advice a tutor for such a young child. School should provide extra support.

They do have have more state testing in the USA that is true. Put them their first and second level education doesn't perform well internationally either.

www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisainfocus/48363440.pdf

Yeah I've seen that before. It obviously costs more and on a money saving exercise should be discouraged. And that fact that everything in education is related to socio economic background is hardly news. To repeat because a child is unsupported...and unlikely to benefit from it... Is pointless. Some do. Some were not tready to enter school when they did.

Thanks for all of the replies, the advice is very much appreciated.

I would absolutely have liked him to start reception at 5 rather than 4, but it's a done deal now and my understanding is that, even if the school allowed him to repeat reception, he'd still be expected by the LEA to move up at 11 and would be a year behind starting senior school, so that's not going to happen. I suppose the only option would be to go private - there is a non-selective prep school near us, but I don't think there are any non-selective state secondaries that he could go on to if we kept him back a year. Plus I've heard that SEN provision isn't great in the private sector if that's what he needs, rather than just more one-to-one.

Poppy has pretty much summed up my biggest worry which is that he's never going to be able to catch up if he falls significantly behind his peers. That's why I thought a tutor might be a good idea, so that he can consolidate the areas that they've already covered when they won't have time to do that in class. I can see the sense in waiting until the new term though.

In terms of his hearing loss, he's had his aids since Easter, so about 4 months. His contribution to class has apparently improved a lot since he had them, and he doesn't need to be in front of/looking at the teacher the whole time, but I know that he does find noisy environments difficult to cope with. He does have a teacher for the deaf though she has only been into school once. I'll give her a call to discuss whether he would benefit from any changes in the school environment. He doesn't have a radio aid or sound field system at the moment and that could explain why he's so easily distracted in assembly, if he can't clearly hear what's being said.

I remembered today that we have an app which has the ORT books. I looked at band 3, expecting it to be a huge jump from band 2 but it's clearly not and I'm going to read one with him tomorrow as I'm pretty sure that he's ready to tackle them. If he is, I can read them through with him over the summer and see if I can get him onto band 4 by the time he goes back.

He doesn't sound that far behind. Consistent, gentle support with reading during the summer will benefit him. Don't panic. Support him. Encourage him. Teach him that it is all about the effort... Not the result.

I wouldn't recommend repeating the year in a mainstream school. DS will be repeating his reception year (kinda) but he will be going to an independent special school in September and the classes are mixed ages.

Has your son applied for an ECHP plan? I really recommend you doing this.

You may not want to hear this, but have you thought about putting your son into a specialised school. There are a variety of Independent special schools (like my son is going to) that cater for children who have normal or above intelligence but have a specific difficulty in one area eg. hearing.

Or there are some mainstream schools that have a specialist needs unit, they may one for children with hearing loss/deafness etc, but haven't come across one.

I wonder if something that I can say might help. I have a hearing impairment and I am a hearing aid user. I had constant ear infections in primary school and I missed loads of school because of it.

None of that is a reason to believe that your child is going to do anything but succeed.

I have a degree, a good career, two wonderful DDs (and supportive DH), I speak 2 languages and a spattering of BSL, I am working on an MBA. Although I have to make adaptations for my disability none of them are particularly painful (I have a tendency to sleep through fire alarms so when I am travelling on my own I have to make sure to have an adapted hotel room, I need to sit with my bad ear to walls so that people don't think they've told me something when I haven't heard it, etc.).

The question that you need to be asking of your son's new teacher in September is 'what are they going to do to ensure that he achieves his potential?' I would also ask what they are doing to make the classroom comfortable for him. Is there a loop or similar to help him pick the teachers voice out from the huge amount of background noise in an infant classroom? In my DD1's class there are 2 children with hearing impairments and they use a handheld mike in class discussions so that these children can follow the conversation as it passes from child to child (the teacher wears a mike permanently).

In the meantime keep doing what you are doing. You sound like you are a wonderful Mum who is doing their best for their son, just like mine did for me.

DS1 has no additional needs that we're aware of, and his report was expecteds, apart from 2 emerging (writing and maths) - which is exactly where I knew we were heading from parents evenings. His writing is very, very poor, and his maths (number bonds for example) are pretty far off too.

But like your little boy, DS1 comes across very well - he comes out with the most amazing things he's learned at school about planets or animals just like yours, he's clearly thinking things through, and just hasn't got writing and maths yet.

I think, and the teachers at DS1's school agree, that at this point these emergings are areas you just need to keep an eye on, and make extra effort with. They're flags, saying you need to watch this, not massive problems that you should worry about.

I meant to add, that DS1 is also 4, and I really think that this first year has been so much about maturing as much as learning, and that's only going to be more challenging when not only are you a distracted 4 year old, but you also can't hear what the teacher's saying very well.

I wouldn't repeat. I'd ask them what they're doing for support (mrsmortis's mic idea is a very good accommodation for example), work with him on the reading as you're planning, and give it a bit longer before getting worried.

Adrianna with his kind of hearing loss he wouldn't get a place in a special school or even a school with a deaf unit, or an EHCP unless there were other issues going on.
Mrsmortis is spot on about asking the school what they will do and also about getting a radio mic. With the right approach from school he will hopefully be fine.