What does differentiation of work look like?

[nat73]

Our first child is at primary school. We understand the school has to cater to a range of abilities and ages and so 'differentiates' work. In practice what does this look like? The school doesn't explicity say what it is or how they do it. I understood they were in groups for e.g. maths and english and that the groups work on different levels depending on the ability of the kids in the group.

Our child has 18 in her year group. I thought they had 3 different ability groups but now it seems they have only 2. Our child is telling us its too easy for her and she gets bored (esp when the student teacher is teaching).

We went to look around another school the other day and the had 9 kids in the class split into 3 ability groups and they all had the same workbooks but the questions were graded for the 3 ability groups (e.g. red, green, purple) which seemed to make it easy to teach and easy for the kids to all be taught together.

How can I ask the class teacher whether our child is being sufficiently challenged without putting anyone's nose out of joint? She is rather fierce though we have a good relationship.

I see I x-posted a few people there. Irvine you're right DD is just reception, and yes I realise that's easier, for a start she can get a bit of teacher time while the others are doing free play. I also think this particular teacher is a bit awesome. DS' experience higher up the school is not as good despite being less of an outlier if at all.

Grace, that's why I said a textbook or a puzzle sheet, while setting completely their own work would be ideal I do appreciate that's a huge amount of work. In reality children and parents are pathetically grateful for the odd challenge that really works, even once a week perks DS up no end. That's currently pipe dream territory for him. Teacher does agree he's finding it easy, it's not just him or me.

Trifle, basing my assertion of really getting it on my own observation of what they can do, not child's opinion. Though you wouldn't get the best out of DS if you put him on the spot like that either. Or me, and I definitely understand and overuse and confuse people on MN with simile. Dd uses beautifully creative similes, though whether she yet knows they are such I don't know. Perhaps you'd get a better idea observing the similes they use in their writing.

Sorry crossed pages, I meant evening, sorry grace.

Surely they should be JUST failing anyone. The HT sounds like a dick imo.

Shouldn't not should grrr

Tomorrow, school and HT are actually quite good, imo.
I think she was so disappointed that only reason not to get outstanding on Ofsted was not stretching able children. She must have been really pissed off. But, it did disappointed me, and stop trusting her ever since.

The honest truth is that if your child picks things up a lot faster that you will always come across people like your HT. People like that will turn these children off education as they spend years in school bored.
As soon as they also make statements like that they are also start a very slippery slope as these are only the first people they let down as they think this is okay which means it gives clearance to let down others. These decisions change these children's lives and yet the HT will remain a head teacher untouched by it.

Our HT suggested 'doing too much' led the mental health issues! She must think our house is an enclave of north korea! ;-)

If that's how the HT thinks, it might be difficult to get the teacher to change the work that your child thinks it's too easy. But no harm in trying I suppose.

At DS's school (Year 3), differentiation of work according to what he tells me looks like this:
There are 6 tables ranging from the one the gets the easiest work (let's call it table 1) to the one that gets the hardest work (table 6). Table 3 and 4 seem to be in the same level and do similar work. The tables appear to be fluid. A few children have moved down or up according to how well they are getting along with the work or whether they are struggling to finish it.

All the children work with the same weekly topic. If it is addition, they all do addition but lower ability would be securing number bonds, middle ability would do column addition two digits plus one one digit numbers, higher ability would do column addition three digits plus two digits, and table 6 would be doing column addition of three digits numbers on day 1, problems combining addition and subtraction on day 2, and on day 3 they would be making up their own problems that need to be solved using those operations and giving them to their partner to solve them.

It seems to work well, or at least it is working for DS. Sometimes even the hardest work is easy enough for him, but he always gets challenged one way or another.

If they finished their work too quickly, the teacher has puzzles or challenges they can do in their spare time.

He also can take his murderous maths or maths quest books to read in his free time if he wants.

catkind:

Using questioning in your teaching isn't 'putting them on the spot' - of course they are then given time to use similes in their writing.

Similes and metaphors only feature in the non statutory guidance not in the Primary curriculum.
It would be really useful if secondary teachers were familiar with the curriculum

Trifle, but I do feel put on the spot answering questions aloud in front of people. Surely you have students like that too? All I mean is that hopefully in practice you probe further or use what you know of their written work before you deem students not to have understood.

mrz, I think trifle was just using it as an example of students thinking they understand things when they don't, not complaining at primary schools not teaching simile?

Cat my own children wasted three years repeating what they'd learnt in primary because the secondary teachers weren't aware of the KS2 curriculum.
A few years ago my head invited secondary heads and HODs to visit everyone of them was surprised by what they saw in KS2 classrooms ...a common theme was "we didn't realise children were taught this ..." as a result we've worked much more closely with the secondary schools our children transfer to.

I am well aware that primary schools teach similes. My point is that teaching doesn't always mean learning.

But the thing is, they maybe have been taught, but not taught good/deep enough to retain as a knowledge/long term memory, maybe?
I really feel that sometimes with my ds' learning. They go through topic. Some he get it and retain it, but some he totally forget about it few weeks later.

ex post, Trifle, that's what I wanted to say!

cross, not ex!

You're aware that primary schools teach similes despite it not being in the primary curriculum trifle?

Yes.