reception class issues - is this the norm - ie are my expectations unreasonable?

[northerngoldilocks]

DS has just started reception. He is my eldest and therefore I am new to this. However, he has been to private nursery since he was 14 months. There are a variety of things I am unhappy about with the school but am trying to give it a chance and see how things go but my main 2 bugbears are:

1- Reading books. Children are only allowed to change their books every other day. You might think that this is from a cutting down admin perspective but given they have to put their books in either a 'keep' or 'change' box that can't be it (presumably so that some children can read to the teacher / TA even if they are keeping the book). As we are in the realms of books with about 5 pages and no words / limited words, 2 nights seems a long time. We've been living with it and I've been countering any 'I don't want to do that again' with things like 'there's lots to talk about - what do you think x is doing here - what might you like to do' etc etc. Last night he got a book that he's really familiar with (he was already doing ORT at nursery and we have a box too - school said not to do the reading scheme outside school at the open day at the end of the summer term pre starting, but it was a bit late by then!) We looked at it together - it has words and he read it all easily on his own with no errors. We chatted about the story but then he said he didn't want it again the next day. I wrote in his reading record it was a story he was very familiar with and therefore we would like to change it and added it to the books to change box. Tonight it has come back in his book bag. I'm cross about this as I feel that it is not adapting the education to differing children's needs, rather applying a policy in a blanket way but wondering if asking the teacher why it wasn't changed isn't appropriate (DH seems to think we should leave it!)

2 - Handwriting. All children have a book in which they write their own names. They are given a laminated card with small arrows on to show the direction of letter formation. Every morning we go in and they have to find their books and write their names. There are 60 children in the class and there aren't enough chairs / tables for them all to sit down. Over half the books are therefore on the floor in different parts of the classroom. I'm not ecstatic about writing on the floor as I don't think its an ideal way to learn to write, but my bigger issue is that no one is watching how they're forming letters. My son's writing looks fine, but he's left handed and forms lots of letters backwards, so I feel that this approach just reinforces the error for him and will ultimately make it harder to correct. In addition, trying to find books whilst 60 kids plus parents are arriving just increases the total chaos.

Basically would be interesting to find out if this is pretty standard / normal and my expectations are just unreasonable or whether I'd be justified in asking the teacher what the learning objectives of the handwriting are? Apologies for the epic post too!

Everyone writing their name at the same time sounds a bit odd. I prefer to do it one at a time so you can see how letters are being formed etc.

Where are you in the world? Not the UK with 60 children per class.

Unless its a two form entry class that team teaches....

I expect it's 2 classes with 2 teachers in one. Some of the schools round here do that. I don't know why.

Well the book thing sounds very normal. At this early stage in reception I'm surprised he is being sent home with reading books at all. As a teacher and a mother of small children many schools don't start this til at least after the half term. If it bothers you that much then speak to his teacher and see if you can work something out. To be honest with 60!!!!! In a year group (they must have at least 2 teachers) I'm surprised they find the time to change them every other day! You can always read something else at home in between.
The handwriting on the floor is a bit odd and again I would suggest you gently express your concerns with regard to YOUR son and his writing. It does sound like a LOT of children to be organising all at once. On the other hand this will be in no way the only time his teachers are doing writing with him. There will be many other opportunities for them to see and correct any issues.
Overall these seem to be very minor issues. If your son is happy and settled at this stage and you feel his well looked after then I think you need to try to shrug and look at the bigger picture.
No school is perfect and we all find things we'd rather they did differently ( I too have issues with the reading at my DDs school ) BUT if the children are happy and flourishing you have to let it go.

Read more books at home. DD and DS get/got one book per week, read it in a nano-second and that's fine. I stick it back in their book bag, mark it as read, and then we crack on reading much better and more entertaining books at home. If your kid is bright, that's great - but help them by doing your bit at home (at this age; fair enough if they were older but reception is teeny tiny).

DD did this in nursery last year, with all 3 classes together, i.e. 60 kids. Worked fine as it was about creating a morning routine rather than learning. i.e. coat on peg, book bag in box, write your name, settle down for the day. Most of her learning takes place at a quieter time of day, not during the bun fight at the start of the day. Find out what else they do and when. If this is the only time they do writing I'd be very surprised.

My DD learned LOADS in nursery last year (it's attached to the school) and I didn't see any of that actual teaching - so if I'd based my opinion on what I saw I'd have been fuming. I based it instead on her reports, what she brought home and what she told me.

It's early days. If you want your child to do more, that's great, but at this age you'd be best off doing that "more" with them yourself.

DS is is Yr 1 now, but it is the same as reception last year and the books are changed twice a week, provided you have read them. We don't manage to read every day as DS is often too tired at the moment to manage it, or we have swimming or a play date to go to. If your DS wants to do more then he can read some of the books you have at home surely? We have Julia Donaldson's phonics books and I have found those good for supplementing the school reading books when necessary.
WRT the writing, I don't know about that. DS still doesn't form a lot of his letters properly, but then in a class of thirty they won't be able to watch each child write individually every time they write so I think some incorrect forming is bound to happen. I guess it is just a case of trying to show him the correct forming whenever the occasion arises and he'll get it eventually.

It is in the UK - 2 classrooms knocked together into one - so double normal TA / teachers but double the kids!!! Putting aside anything else, its total chaos at morning drop off!

If he doesn't want to look at the same book two nights in a row (which I think is what you are unhappy about)read the book tthe first night then look at one of your own books the second night, or just read a book to him. As for the writing it does sound a bit pointless as you say they have no idea if the kids are doing it correctly or not. Whe you say we all have to go in do you mean 60 kids plus 60 parents in the classroom in the morning?!

northern we had 3 classes together in nursery/pre-school, and then 2 classes in one room now in reception (divided by where they hang coats).

It is chaos at drop off time, but the few times I have been in during the day, it is remarkably calm, with the kids in smaller groups. Even my very shy and noise-hating DS managed fine with that set-up, so they know what they're doing (or at least they do in our school)

Thanks for all the responses - the reading book thing seems normal re the changing then - I guess I was just annoyed about the fact that I specifically asked for that one to be changed and gave a reason - ie normally we just change every other day. We do have what resembles a library at home and read loads of different books here (way more interesting than Biff and Chip!) it was just that he was very specific about not wanting to have the same book again. I'm conscious that I want to keep school fun and interesting so I just thought I would try to change it based on his wishes.

I think I will raise the writing - mainly because I think its a ridiculous way to do it, but also because it really does make the chaos even harder. 60 kids have to enter the class through one door in the centre of the room and then EVERYONE has to go and put coats and bags away in the same area and then go back down the same bit of the classroom. That's bad enough without adding in wandering round finding names whilst everyone else also does the same thing!

and yes - 60 kids plus 60 parents. I had hoped that drop off might become something we do at the door but there are no signs of that happening - the teachers stand around (I think this is to give parents chance to have a quick chat on stuff). In the evening the kids are let out of the door when the teacher sees their parent standing in the playground!

When DS was in reception books were changed Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I think at that point some repetition and practise of the same story is good.

Why not write his name with him instead then in the evening?

It is extremely time consuming to change books. Plus Reception teachers teach other subjects too. The name writing is probably wake up work to keep the child busy as s/he comes in - not ideal for formation - but are parents supposed to be helping?

Reading books - speak to the teacher about changing them more frequently and in the meantime read other books from the library or home

Writing - bit odd, but just a small part of writing in the day. I wouldn't worry, but I can imagine that all those 4 years old under foot are a bit of tripping hazard!

No idea if parents are supposed to be helping - communication on well, anything really is a little lacking. Some parents do stay to help - we both work and so the person dropping off generally has to leave for work, or has our 2 year old with them (and with 60 kids in the classroom their isn't exactly acres of space for additional siblings)

It takes lots of adult time to change books so sounds pretty good that they are prepared to change them so often. You can't expect the teacher to do something immediately the day you ask though!

Dd was in reception last year. The reading books were changed once a week. They read once a week with the TA. This was a class of 30.

She goes to a different school now where she reads daily and book is changed every day.

We've got a couple of 'Read at home' ORT sets (one Biff and Chip, one other stories) from The Book People which we read alongside school books. Our reception only get two books a week.
This sort of thing
www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?productId=537110&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&topCatId=85207&categoryId=91726

DC's school did the writing thing as well, but parents were allowed in so most "helped" their child where necessary. Teacher did wander round and sit with individual children. Re the left handedness though - DC's school were actually very good about this with DD (also left handed) - although they had standard "grids" with letters, they actually explicitly sat with the left handed children and showed them when they should form letters differently - which is something I would definitely suggest you raising, as I don't think right handed teachers necessarily think about it!!

As the mother of Y3 and YR children, these are pretty minor issues. How about all the things which happen during the school day which you don't know about? And imagine if in your job there were potentially 120 people ready to give their opinion on how you were going about discharging your responsibilities? Especially on some relatively small aspects of the overall teaching. I'm not saying this all sounds ideal at all, just that I don't think you will achieve anything by questioning it.

Reading: we get 2 books a week in reception (at once). Changed once a week. Use your local library - we have never relied on school for all my DDs' reading material.

Handwriting: ask about it at parents evening. Don't ask about it now.

Save your energy for worse things (there will probably be some).

Books changed twice a week here in year 1. They were very clear that it's not a race to get through the books and that they should be making sure they comprehend. It's a prep school and he's on a far lower level than his siblings were at the same point in state school yet tonight he read me horrid Henry so I guess that method is working just fine!

Redskybynight - I didn't know about forming letters differently - is this standard for left handers? I'm right handed as is my DH so we don't really have any experience of this (slightly off original topic)

We do have what resembles a library at home and read loads of different books here (way more interesting than Biff and Chip!)

You might be finding Biff and Chip dull (trust me, the teacher finds them even more dull that you) but do remember that some children come from household where there are no books, it is important for all children to have books to take home, even if they are dull.

As for sending the children out of the door when they see the parent at pick up time, how else would you suggest they do it?