Help!! I think my child’s teacher is being unfair!

[Tia1112]

Hi I am new to this so I am not sure how it works. What I would like to get advice on is my duaghter and see what other children at her age are achieving.

My duaghter is 6 years old and is year 1, recently I spoke to my duaghters teacher very briefly and she gave me very shocking news about her. She told me that she is been put in a support group for her maths and is struggling with her reading and writing. Now my duaghter started this school in December due to moving houses.
In her previous school she was getting certificates left right centre for various subjects.
She was even marked as ‘expected’. Now her teacher mentioned to me that she was marked as expected in her previous school but that won’t be the case in this school. She has been put on yellow band level 3 for reading which she was saying is terriable and in a support group for maths.

I don’t understand from being a top student in her previous school she has fallen so badly in this school in matter of months.

My duaghter has private tuitions once a week for an hour and her private tutor has moved her on to phase 4 is saying she is doing very well. I am a ex nursery teacher now a child minder so I also conduct lesson with my duaghter on the weekend and during school days.

Now when she began school I wrote a letter to my duagters teacher asking if she can be moved up from the yellow band books to blue band. Then also when she had spellings given to learn over the course of a year I wrote in saying I retested my duaghter most of the spellings you marked wrong was actually correct. I tend to look over my duaghters spellings and correct the teacher markings on many occasion.

The private tutor who is a year 6 teacher really good said that it doesn’t matter even if I was to go and get a degree for my duaghter the teachers will take no notice until you don’t pass they initial assesments they have set out.

I would just like to know what is expected from a 6 year old in year 1 as I recall back to that time and we was still colouring and painting at that age we had no clue of numbers etc. Yet my duaghter at that age knows how to count to 100, count in 10’s, count in 5’s, basic addition and subtraction, tell the time (half past and o clocks), knows fractions, know place value 10’s and units. Spelling wise she is able to spell most four to five letter words. So I just like to know what other children her age are doing? Thankyou any advice will be helpful and lots of love and care for all you mothers who are trying hard with your children. 😘

I think you need to calm down a bit. There is nothing wrong with being in a support group and needing help. The school are spending resources on support they think she needs, this is good.

The expected band is incredibly wide (she may have only just been scraping through) so she may not have been top of her class. Moving house and schools might have set her back a little, she is young and children do not progress in one neat line, perhaps making new friends, settling in and adjusting is where her focus has been.

Have you thought that perhaps you are putting too much pressure on your daughter? All this talk of tutors and high involvement of every step from you might just be putting her off.

I'm not sure how you were remarking your dc spellings when you can't spell 'daughter' yourself
Maybe your a DAUGHTER is just not settled in her new school yet so is not herself in all areas? I found this with a child at the school I work at.
Everything your DAUGHTER can do is what is 'expected' of them at that age. If you know your daughter can do the work then I wouldn't worry. It doesn't put her back in anyway and won't affect future learning.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239784/English_Appendix_1_-_Spelling.pdf

www.ncetm.org.uk/public/files/23305594/Mastery_Assessment_Y1_Low_Res.pdf

Great response. Expected is really broad and the bar is so high in respect of attainment. Moving house/school will have an impact but that will soon iron out. Give her time. She’s so young.

Was your daughter having a tutor when she was at her previous school?

The classteacher has nothing to gain by saying that your daughter is working below the expected level.

I think you are getting your knickers in a twist about this. The classteacher has noticed that your dd needs a bit of extra support. She has arranged this support. Let the teacher do her job. I would arrange to go and see her again in about 1 month's time and ask for an update on progress.

BTW, when she's with the tutor, your child has the tutor's undivided attention. This is very different from being in a class of 30, and being expected to work independently.

I think she is six so it doesn't matter a jot. 'Tutoring' at 6!? 'A top student in her previous school' ...aye OK xD might be the time to take a chill pill lol. Could u be putting too much pressure on her? Anyway, the teacher thinks she needs extra support, LISTEN to them. There's nothing wrong with that. ..and I'd drop that tutor whilst you're at it tbh.

I think you are putting way too much pressure on your daughter. I was an ex teacher, grandparents teachers- we never done anything like that at home. Ds1 was reading in nursery, because that’s where he was taught. We read to him, and helped him if he wanted to read, but never actually sat and made him read to us.

Your daughter has had a lot of stress- moving home, a new school, new teacher and new friends. It’s not unusual for this to affect a child, and therefore set her back, which you will know being an ex tracher. Give the poor kid a break! Or are you aiming for a good independent school, hence all the tutoring?

Why is she having private tuition? She's 6 and should be enjoying being a child!

A child can be top of the class in one school and bottom of the class in another depending on the ability of other children I'm afraid.
You say your daughter's tutor has recently moved her onto phase 4 (I'm assuming you mean phonics) which is meant to be taught in reception. Most children in Y1 will be following phase 5.

These days Year 1 has a lot of expectations around phonics, spellings, writing and numbers. It is not what you recall at all

There is often a big jump from a largely played based reception to year 1 and it is not uncommon to struggle in year 1 as a result. I know it feels uncomfortable but be glad that she is getting extra help and attention from the staff rather than being left to drift.

Maybe she does need some extra support right now? Moving house and school is a big change for a 6 yr old and maybe she’s been more focused on adjusting to that than her schoolwork.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with her getting some extra support. If she’s struggling it should help her catch up. And it’s not going to hold her back if she does know the work already but hasn’t demonstrated that to the teacher for whatever reason.

My DD is in year 1 and 6. To answer your question She's able to to addition, subtraction, basic multiplication (2s and 5s) count in 5s, 10s, 2s both forward and backwards to and from 100. She's on book band white and her spelling and reading are excellent. But, she is considered ' greater depth' and much of this work is delivered as differentiated extension work to her and a few others. Her entire class is extremely mixed ability. Her little best friend struggles with school and also receives some extra support- her parents are delighted with this and they support the teacher in supporting their daughter. They find out what they can do at home to support - not contradict. Maybe you should try that- all children make progress in a non-linear way and maybe she does need a little support right now?

Tutoring is utterly ludicrous for a 6 year old- why are you doing that? Home support is good- daily reading, a bit of spelling, asking her to tell you the time a couple of times a day. Tutoring is a stressful thing to do to a young child, you are putting pressure on her at a very young age.

It's great that she's getting support as needed from school. It will help her. Why be upset about that? One of mine was in the Scissor Use support group once.

You sound like you are constantly correcting the teacher and pulling her up on things. Leave her do her job.
Maybe the previous school had low expectations. I often find as a teacher that children move to us from other schools and we discover quite quickly that they are behind in their learning. Parents say but the other school said nothing. But in our school we are very focused on picking up difficulties quickly so children don't get left behind. Go with the teacher for the moment. It might be nice for your dd in a new school to have a bit of extra attention.
Step back a bit ( a big bit!!) Or you are going to run into difficulties with teachers along the way which is totally not helpful for you dd.
Leave off the tutor for the poor child and let her have fun. Read stories, play board games, make jigsaws, do lots of art and plenty of outdoor play. Your dd will be fine.
But , to be honest, she won't be if you don't ease up a bit.

Is your daughter struggling to show what she knows in class?

Also, in maths there is a big difference between knowing some number facts, like tables and counting, and having a real understanding of number and being able to work with those numbers.

You are obviously putting in a lot of effort with your daughter, but I've got to be honest, it's probably too much, and is quite possibly hindering rather than helping her at the moment. A 6 year old should not be being tutored and doing work on top of school work (except reading), it's far too much pressure. She should be playing. Working on her growth mindset, independence, confidence etc are all far more valuable skills at this age.
It also is really rude of you to keep questioning the teachers, just let them get in with their job.
And, in answer to your question, both my dds were free readers at 6, they'd finished all the scheme.

Did the teacher actually say to be on a yellow band book was 'terrible' ? Or was that your dd's interpretation?

Then also when she had spellings given to learn over the course of a year I wrote in saying I retested my duaghter most of the spellings you marked wrong was actually correct.

I don’t quite understand this.
Do you know what she scored at school? Did you see the spelling as she did it at school, and got it wrong, and then retested her at home? Home and school are very different environments. She might be able to do it at home but not at school, and the teacher can only report on what they see at school.
Also there is likely to be a difference in the way you and the teacher deliver the spelling.

She was even marked as ‘expected’.

Im sorry i think your girl was possibly
Already struggling but tge new school are actually dealing with it. For her to be middle of the pack she should be marked as expected for everything. To be ahead she needs to be marked as exceeding expectations. A kid who is marked as expected on spmethings is struggling. Getting certificates doesnt necessarily mean achieving, my struggling one tends to get more awards by way of encouragement. Id far rather practical intervention, your new school has that in hand.

At that age my gifted and talented daughter was doing swimming and brownies or rainbows.... we also played a lot of board games

Too much tutoring.

Oh and there is some evidence to suggest the best way to support learning isnt homework. Its real life experience of whst you are learning at school, so when they did romans we visited a load of roman site, great fire of london we did museum of london, st pauls cathedral and walked the area of the fire down to pudding lane.

Id be getting specific areas of concern from the school teacher and ask the tutor to be working on that.

Was your Dd having tutoring in her last school? And with the tutoring she was only reaching 'expected' in some areas? She was struggling then. Year 1 no one should need tutoring unless they are struggling to grasp some things. Is English not your primary language? I wonder because amongst other peculiarities, you are spelling 'daughter ' incorrectly. Was her previous school mainly non English speakers? She may have not been flagged as the overall cohort was performing weakly. Many reasons. But I doubt your dds teacher is just randomly telling you she is struggling for no reason.

What was your reason for employing a tutor? Do you think your daughter needs the extra help? In which case it sounds as if school share your concerns and are providing extra support.

I don't understand how you have told the school they marked the spellings wrong. Did the school make spelling mistakes? Or did you make your DD redo the test at home? Retesting is not going to help her learn, in the same way constantly weighing apig doesn't make it fatter.

A child who is doing well would be 'greater depth' not 'as expected'. You seem to have great expectations of a year 1 child!! It's the first year of key stage 1. Please calm down, cancel the tutor and listen to school. Most parents are struggling to get help for their child but you are complaining about it. Your child needing support is not a reflection of you, you are not a failure and neither is she.

You clearly care a lot, so let school help her. My DD is now Y4. In year 1 she had one to one reading sessions with the learning assistant as she was struggling despite daily reading at home and they stopped it in the summer term as she had progressed so well. I was really pleased she got the extra support. She has now read all the Road Dahl books on her own, all the Owls of Blossom Wood books, all the Daisy Meadows Fairy books (all as extra outside school). She loves reading now. No she's not top of the class, but she is she where she should be and most importantly loves reading.

Poor kid.

HappySummer. My DS is exactly the same. Needed extra support in Yr 1 and now flying along towards the top of the class in year 4.

OP I didn't pressure him, I kept reading to him and helping him in a low key way and school work just clicked as he matured. She's only little, she'll get there.

Also, clever children at primary school don't always make clever/ successful adults or teenagers. Adult success is dependent on many different variants, including of course, how you define success!

I was on the "top table" all the way through primary school. I haven't done badly as an adult but I'm not setting the world alight either

Why on earth is a 6yr old having a tutor? Read with her instead of arguing about book bands and do any homework if you want to but back off a bit and let the school give her the support she needs, then let her relax outside of school and stop doing extra lessons on the weekends! Also schools tend to give out certificates as encouragement and motivation rather than to the best students.