Reception children - what feedback do you get?

[Whatatado]

DS is in Reception. I have no idea what he does all day or how he’s getting on. I ask and he says he doesn’t know!

We haven’t had a parent’s evening since he started. There is no book to write notes to and from home.

There is a v high level weekly round up email (along the lines of: a good week, don’t forget to send coats in).

I would quite like to have some idea of the topics they are covering, if they are learning new phonics etc so I can chat to him about it. Ideally I’d like to see their timetable so I know which lessons they have each day to use as a basis for discussion.

There are only 10 in the class so the teacher isn’t too swamped, but we get no feedback whatsoever.

Is this normal or should I just accept it?

It's not normal in my experience. Do you have a home work or some other sort of folder that's sent home? We have a 'home learning' folder that comes home every day. It has a sheet in it that we have to fill out each week of what she's done at home. We have certain reading/phonics and numeracy related tasks to do at home together each week and then I record these in there. There's also instructions on how to do things with them so they are the same as at school. So for instance, they have a certain approach to teaching phonics, so all the information is in there about the different pronunciations and they're grouped into sets so they master the first set and then carry on moving through the different levels. Work that's sent home corresponds to where she's at so I know but also can refer to the sheets to help her understand it (or myself really, because sometimes it's confusing!). There is one big project a term that we do with her. We don't really get feedback per se on it but it means we at least know what she's doing. Last term it was on the body and learning about yourself. This term it's about British mammals.

We also use Tapestry, which is an online record of what they're doing. Our nursery used to use it as well, so I don't know if it's a local thing or used more widely? But basically they record observations, usually a few a week, upload them with photos and notes about the activity and how she did and how it's helping her reach various targets, etc. So we can log in and see what they're doing and see photos from her day. It's not real time, but we might get them about a week or so after they do something. So again, I have a good idea of what she's been up to. You can comment on the various observations and the teacher and TA can write back to you through there (it's private, just for you and your child, not accessible to other parents, everyone has their own separate account).

We did have one parent teacher evening, but honestly it wasn't that interesting. It was basically just a chance for us to ask any questions or raise any concerns and we didn't have any, so it was like 5 minutes in and out.

I definitely think you should be getting more individual feedback or at least knowing what they are doing and being given some guidance about what you should be doing at home though.

Is there any information such as a timetable or topic list on the school website?

Was there some sort of introductory pack from before he started school, containing a timetable or topics?

Does he bring reading books home? Is there some sort of home-school reading diary? I occasionally wrote questions to the teacher in there, and always had a response within a couple of days.

Have you asked other parents whether they know of a timetable or topics, or whether they've had any feedback from the teacher? Is it possible you've missed some papers?

If he's been there since September, and you've not had a parents' evening or some sort of teacher/parent information session or a report yet, I think that is unusual, and not very good!

Can you speak to the teacher at pickup one day, and ask to arrange to have a quick chat?

It wouldn't be normal at our school.

Ours had a parents' evening last term, as well as different meetings and workshops about how they teach things like phonics and maths. They also have an overview of each topic on the school website for parents to look at.

Loads! We have tapestry (app where pictures and updates are uploaded on an almost daily basis) newsletters, website, 1 x parents evening per term.

It doesn't sound like you get very much at all...

Absolutely not normal. We get the home learning folder, the online Tapestry journal and a separate reading log for us to fill in (it’s also got all the reading she does with an adult at school recorded). Home learning folder has suggestions of things to do over the weekend, and a summary of what they’ve been doing. We can also chat with the teacher or TA at pickup/drop off, and have had one parents evening last term.

Our school also puts on phonics evenings/maths evenings for parents so you know what approaches the school are using.

Not normal, I'd definitely pursue it further. I'm in NI and we don't have a Reception year - it's nursery then primary 1.
My 4 year old is Nursery - we had a parents meeting last term with another two planned before June. We also get a monthly newsletter that tells us what they'll be focusing on in the coming month - different themes etc, and how you can help with this at home.
Then we also have regular, albeit higher-level, communication via ClassDojo app.

Thanks so much for responding, I’ll email the teacher to see if we can discuss it. The phonics workshops sound really useful!

We had a parents evening in October which was very reassuring, great to hear how he was getting on. We’ve also had a couple of chances to go in and view their classroom/work. Plus their learning journey was emailed home before Christmas. We have a diary which goes back and forth, mostly for recording progress in reading. The teacher is available for messages and queries at drop off and pick up everyday. In addition to that there is a blog/website which is updated at least weekly with info on topics and learning areas, pictures of what they’ve done this week and reminders of upcoming events. So yeah, definitely not normal in my experience (Reception in the South East)

Not only is it not normal it is exceptionally poor practice. Do you not have reading books and a pupil/parent reading log? Surely a parents meeting must be coming up? What about a reading workshop or curriculum overview for parents? A handbook? Many schools do an open evening too or an assembly for parents to attend.

Is this an independent school with only 10 in the class? To me it sounds like a lazy school! Sorry.

At my DGS's school there has been one formal parents evening where parents were allocated a time slot to talk with the class teacher. An informal after school drop in session to speak to class teacher and/or key worker and there is another such session this week.
Each term there is a chance for parents to attend both a phonics and a numeracy lesson with your child. There have also been a couple of workshops - one on phonics and one on numeracy.
There is a reading record which parents fill in detailing which pages etc their child has read and any comments. The member of staff who listens to child read at school also completes the reading record with their comments on progress.
Homework is handed out each Friday and there is a home/school book included, child's keyworker or teacher writes comments (sometimes a couple of words sometimes a lot more) and parents return the book with the homework and include comments about what child has been doing at home etc.
At drop off each morning, children do an activity with their parent/grandparent/carer - this morning's was measuring plastic snakes with a ruler and saying the length in centimetres, last week's was writing full name or numbers between 10 and 20.
Class teacher and/or LSA are available for a quick chat both before and after school or a one to one appointment can be made if needed.

My dgs used to attend nursery at a different school and when my dd met up with some of the mum's from the nursery it seems that at least 3 other schools locally have similar practices with as outlined above, except for the settling in activity each morning which seems unique to dgs's school, locally at least.

At my DGS's school there has been one formal parents evening where parents were allocated a time slot to talk with the class teacher. An informal after school drop in session to speak to class teacher and/or key worker and there is another such session this week.
Each term there is a chance for parents to attend both a phonics and a numeracy lesson with your child. There have also been a couple of workshops - one on phonics and one on numeracy.
There is a reading record which parents fill in detailing which pages etc their child has read and any comments. The member of staff who listens to child read at school also completes the reading record with their comments on progress.
Homework is handed out each Friday and there is a home/school book included, child's keyworker or teacher writes comments (sometimes a couple of words sometimes a lot more) and parents return the book with the homework and include comments about what child has been doing at home etc.
At drop off each morning, children do an activity with their parent/grandparent/carer - this morning's was measuring plastic snakes with a ruler and saying the length in centimetres, last week's was writing full name or numbers between 10 and 20.
Class teacher and/or LSA are available for a quick chat both before and after school or a one to one appointment can be made if needed.

My dgs used to attend nursery at a different school and when my dd met up with some of the mum's from the nursery it seems that at least 3 other schools locally have similar practices with as outlined above, except for the settling in activity each morning which seems unique to dgs's school, locally at least.

At my DGS's school there has been one formal parents evening where parents were allocated a time slot to talk with the class teacher. An informal after school drop in session to speak to class teacher and/or key worker and there is another such session this week.
Each term there is a chance for parents to attend both a phonics and a numeracy lesson with your child. There have also been a couple of workshops - one on phonics and one on numeracy.
There is a reading record which parents fill in detailing which pages etc their child has read and any comments. The member of staff who listens to child read at school also completes the reading record with their comments on progress.
Homework is handed out each Friday and there is a home/school book included, child's keyworker or teacher writes comments (sometimes a couple of words sometimes a lot more) and parents return the book with the homework and include comments about what child has been doing at home etc.
At drop off each morning, children do an activity with their parent/grandparent/carer - this morning's was measuring plastic snakes with a ruler and saying the length in centimetres, last week's was writing full name or numbers between 10 and 20.
Class teacher and/or LSA are available for a quick chat both before and after school or a one to one appointment can be made if needed.

My dgs used to attend nursery at a different school and when my dd met up with some of the mum's from the nursery it seems that at least 3 other schools locally have similar practices with as outlined above, except for the settling in activity each morning which seems unique to dgs's school, locally at least.

So sorry for the triple post, button didn't work first two times then the message posted three times.