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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

ELS programme year 1

14 replies

Homebody1976 · 07/10/2016 18:49

ELS programme year 1

Would be grateful if you could share your thoughts on my frustration. My 5 year old son is a May born child,so is the youngest in his class,Y1. We feel he is doing great. Good spelling reading and writing for his age. He met all targets in reception with an exceed for speaking. I was shocked therefore to find a letter in his bag tonight saying that DS has been chosen to attend the ELS Programme although he is not exactly struggling at school but it will help him reach the other kids' level. I know that the programme is for underachieving children.
Can't the teacher understand that he is only 5 and it's detrimental for children to be put labels like that at such early age as ''underachieving''. I feel under constant pressure and in total despair for him. We've always encouraged him to do his best but he needs to be a child as well. He already has homework and spelling tests and the ELS will give him even more. We don't get enough family as it is and now extra work will encroach on the time we do have. I am furious at the school. Their communication is so poor and I feel that if he was struggling I should have been informed sooner and personally rather than just a letter in his bag. The leap the kids are expected to take from reception to yr 1 is too much in.my opinion and I'm now questioning whether reception was actually good enough. Any thoughts?

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SnowInLove · 07/10/2016 18:58

I'm a year one teacher.

We never target our lowest ability children for ELS. Ime, the programme was not designed for this group of children, but for those children who just need an extra boost. We use it to target children who may be in danger of not meeting ARE by the end of the year. This often includes summer born boys.

Try not to worry about the homework. It shouldn't be much at all.

Try to see the programme as a positive. Many of our parents share similar concerns but all have been happy with the difference it made to their child :).

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Homebody1976 · 07/10/2016 19:15

Thanks for that. I think I'm more angry at the school for not explaining any of this. It's a shock to get a letter like that out of the blue when you think everything is ok. There's encouraging and there's being a pushy parent. I certainly won't be the latter having anxiety issues as an adult from fear of failure.

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clam · 07/10/2016 19:28

I feel that if he was struggling I should have been informed sooner

We're five weeks in to the new year. I think that's a pretty reasonable time-frame to have identified that some extra support might be beneficial.

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mrz · 07/10/2016 19:30

I'm quite surprised schools still have ELS around our LEA advisor threw ours out years ago. They're part of the defunct literacy strategy and have no place in the new curriculum.

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angeldiver · 07/10/2016 19:35

I had this in reception. I goggled ELP and our council and got taken straight to the SEN page. I was gob smacked!
Dc is a mid August baby, so very young in her year.
Ends up it was for handwriting. Went along with it.
Now? Year 6 and top 3 in her year.

The cynic in me thinks school targeted her, and another girl who is v bright, to improve their value add statistics.

Her handwriting wasn't great, now it's okay, certainly not the neatest but not the worst either.

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mrz · 07/10/2016 19:37

ELS was a catch up program aimed at Y1 pupils

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Feenie · 07/10/2016 19:44

A not very good one! Certainly very out of date now.

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Homebody1976 · 07/10/2016 20:04

Clam. My point is that if he was struggling so much that he needs extra help, why was this not identified at the end of reception. Instead he had a glowing report with no issues.

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mrz · 07/10/2016 20:20

There is a huge difference between the EYFS curriculum expectations and the National Curriculum. ELS isn't the answer however

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Homebody1976 · 09/10/2016 13:48

He brings home books from the julia donaldson and biff and chip ranges. Can anyone tell me what level he should be on by now? The school don't tell us anything.

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user789653241 · 09/10/2016 14:15

If you mean book bands, here's one.

www.readingchest.co.uk/9/book-bands

Looks like average range for yr1 is blue/green/orange?

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Homebody1976 · 09/10/2016 20:11

I've just checked the books in his bag and they have a red sticker on the spine which to me makes him way behind but I feel these are too easy for him. I've written to the teacher for an explanation as until we know what it is exactly he's struggling with we don't know how to help him.

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WowOoo · 09/10/2016 20:28

Don't panic! If you feel he's doing well this early in the term, he is.

Continue to read with and to him regularly. Don't worry about what level he 'should' be at compared with others in his class. Let his learning be fun and not too heavy - he's only little!
There is loads of time in primary to catch up and I'm sure, just like my summer born youngest, he will at his pace. Mine went from being a bit 'behind' to being one of the best readers in the class.
Hope the teacher gets back to you with how you can help at home. In the meantime, try not to worry and just read with him and enjoy!

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Homebody1976 · 09/10/2016 20:36

Thank you wowooo. That's lovely.

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