Don't feel like my son is being taught well

[busybreeze]

Well my dd started reception at the village school in September in a nice small class sizes of 13 children.
Newly qualified teacher.. nice lady but it's been a dodgy year. TA complained to head teacher about her teaching standards at the end of the first term which resulted in them both going off sick until the next term. Both came back but a new inexperienced TA was appointed in the class. My DD is happy at school... knows all her letters... is taking off reading her first reading books... has built up a really good bank of words that she knows (I've really helped her with reading and bought flash cards and I'm happy at where shes at). Ive really not kept my eye on writing progress until the holidays in March where I sat down with her and was quite alarmed. I feel annoyed with myself for not realising sooner. All letter formation is completely wrong and a very very established wrong! Has a go at her name but the letters don't look anything like they should - unreadable. It looks to me like she's been doing her own thing with nobody there to correct or assist her for a long while. I really struggle to find time to really help her with this. I've just started helping her grasp a few numbers but then shes back in class left to do her own thing at school and back to doing it wrong. I'm really not a pushy parent but I'm worried she'll get to the end of reception and wont even have a few letters she can form correctly. I know this teacher will not be having her contract renewed next year so she'll be gone. There's been too many concerns raised about her teaching skills but for now we're stuck with her till the end of the year. My dd has a great vocabulary. Good reading and conforms very well. If only they could show her the way with forming letters she'd be away! All through the year I've had to chase for a school book again and again we get an empty book bag brought home. Any introduction of a communication app... flash cards, homework, reading record is very short lived and inconsistent... Now we've got to finish the year with a teacher that now knows she's not got a job in September so will probably be even worse! New head teacher admits there has been problems in the class but assures me that it's being dealt with. I feel disappointed! I'm fed up with feeling like I have to be the teacher.

They watched tv in YR??? Is that what you mean?

I am so grateful my DDs had a very normal infant school! Not much free play; which was good because they didn’t need it.

What they did do was experimentation, learn about number, write their letters accurately and start to read. Very little was sitting at desks, although writing obviously was! Lots of measuring, water play, art, science, talking about books, phonics and breakthrough words (this was years ago now) learning lines for the parents’ assembly and the Christmas play, preparing for French week, learning to play the recorder: so many things. The Head knew everything and every child! The teacher made sure every child progressed as well as they could. With an imaginative curriculum where tests and milestones are not forced, every child can make progress in most areas. The children are happy too. Mine were relentlessly enthusiastic about school.

Considering your DD/DS (you don't make that clear) is only in YR she is doing perfectly fine! It's okay for writing to come later - whether the CT had 13 or 30 kids in the class - everyone has their own clock. Even if your DD/DS was the only child, flogging writing to get a child to form letters correctly won't come any sooner IF they aren't ready for it.

Put it this way, is your DD/DS still going to be writing illegibly by the time their education ends? No!

Stop panicking, stop gossiping about CT's, TA's complaining, going sick etc and I would VERY much doubt that any respectable HT would tell a parent information along the lines of 'being problems' in the class etc. If they have, then quite frankly I would be running from that school at lightning speed. A school who does not respect the privacy and confidentiality of it's own staff, is unlikely to show respect and confidentiality towards my own child.

At last some sense has been posted ..flogging writing to get a child to form letters correctly won't come any sooner IF they aren't ready…..

Congratulations banging