How to help a 7yo learn to concentrate in school?

[womaninatightspot]

There is a real difference in what DS seems to be able to do in school and what he does at home. Often his work at school is a bit illegible and unfinished. His homework is done really well. Teacher has assessed him and feels his work is great when he has one on one but nosedives when left to his own devices in a class and expected to get on.

He has advanced vocabulary for his age and his reading has come on well recently but his handwriting is not great. Maths again does well at home can recite/ write times tables 2-6 & 10 and work out the rest using number square or writing down sums. He's actually really good at working things out when you explain the route to take. At school he'd rather be fast than right and will cheerfully blurt out the wrong answer and there's a lot of unfinished work in class.

Just wish he'd concentrate on his work when necessary rather than on being silly/ clowning around in class as I'm sure his teacher would. Anyone got advice?

Bog standard state school so not working to high pressure prep. school standards or anything like that.

Hi, I’m not an expert, but I sat my ds6 down and explained how he showed his teachers he knew stuff (spoke up, did the work right, asked questions...), and the purpose of school. Really helped his concentration at school. Have u spoke to him about how he finds school?

-Tasks broken down into steps and Checklists to complete after he is finished.
-Sticker for quality rather than quantity after each lesson.
-Move desks to a less distracting area of the class or next to TA for prompts.
-Movement breaks so he's calmer in class.
-Fidget toys so he can focus.

I have spoken to him at length and many times. He finds a lot of the lessons boring though enjoys the social aspect of school.

I think the checklists is a good idea, are there resources you could suggest?I've tried giving him a fidget toy and he got so distracted by the thing he didn't do anything else.

He does sit close to the teacher (no TA). It is frustrating we read a big chunk of Dara O'Briains book beyond the sky and he was engaged and really absorbed a lot of the information given to him. I just wish he could take that enthusiasm for learning into the classroom on a regular basis.

Is he 7 or in yr 7 because if he's only 7 you've got a lot of expectations of him.

He's 7. It's more his teachers expectations really. She is concerned that he's falling behind so he's going to get a bit of 1 to 1 to help him focus. We had this last year too and when he has one to one at home or at school his work is up to standard but nosedives without. Not sure in these glorious days of slashed school budgets how long that can go on for though.

Is he an only child? I just ask because my DC was like this in P1 and the teacher said it was because he was focusing on socialising. He loved the company of other DCs at school.
I laughed at your fidget spinner story. We tried a little toy in his pocket to remind him not to chat and he just chatted about and to the toy
We've tried a few different strategies (sitting near the teacher; getting work sent home; keeping him in at break if work is unfinished). The latter works best because he hates to miss playing with his friends but tbh I think getting older and maturing has also had a big impact.

My 7yo (P3, the youngest in the class) is the same. Apparently his reading is way above expectations and his homework always gets an excellent and a merit sticker. Yet when I see his classroom his work on the board is noticeably the worst in the room.
His teacher isn't worried but does keep a very firm line on him and won't let him st with his friends for example. And I make sure home is full of reading / Lego / jigsaws and we make a real effort with homework. I guess I'm hoping it will sort itself out as he gets older

What does the teacher suggest?
Moving place and timers (the silent - sand- 15 mjns ones) work wonders in focusing.
The had writing may be rushing.
Let the teacher lead the in class changes.

I think the key is for him to learn to concentrate. I know it's hard, but that's it really. I don't think it's fair to say he is bored because work is too easy when he isn't getting near 100%, or not finishing his work.
Unless you home school him, he would never get 1-1 at school, unless your dc have specific SEN.
My ds used to be very easily distracted until yr3. I don't know why, but one day his teacher told me that he started to get on with his work, ignoring others who try to distract him, and some started to follow him, becoming a good role model. So it may happen with maturity.

Why are you so sure it's simply concentration at school, if you and the teacher were so confident that it was simply lack of engagement rather than ability, the teacher would not be concerned at "falling behind".

Needing support to complete work to a standard doesn't necessarily strike me as simply a concentration problem, but could be that he needs help to remember what to do / what steps etc. And you saying "He's actually really good at working things out when you explain the route to take" possibly suggests similar.

So I'd at least consider the policy that it's not simply lack of concentration disengagement and actually some other reason why work needs to be so scaffolded for him to understand.

If it genuinely is simply concentration and progress is perfectly good, then I personally wouldn't be that bothered, other than discussing why engagement with tasks is useful.