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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Information from school?

25 replies

MrPickles73 · 16/05/2019 08:57

What level of communication do you get from your primary about what your child is doing, can do and is currently working on?
Our DC have been at a primary for 5 years now and I find working out what they are doing a struggle and quite frankly don't have the time or energy anymore.
A couple of years ago we had a weekly online newsletter which was good but that was axed. Recently we had a newsletter for 2 terms bit this has now stopped. DC2 is not a communicator really school so I have no idea what they do in their day. All I know is the French teacher left last year and now they have no specialist PE teacher. If I ask the teacher I am made to feel I am being a pain. I have tried taking a look.at the classroom but often the frosty teacher is in there. We currently have no head teacher.

Surely most schools have a weekly newsletter?

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Eviecee · 16/05/2019 09:00

My son's school has a termly newsletter. Information is given at parents evening about progress, what they're working on etc twice a year. If your child was having any issues the school woukd talk to you about it. If you need more info can you make an appointment with the teacher to discuss your concerns?

Eviecee · 16/05/2019 09:02

How is the school functioning with no head? Surely they have an acting headteacher? Sounds a bit concerning.

nwybhs · 16/05/2019 09:03

Surely most schools have a weekly newsletter?

Not sure this is common at all.

PaquitaVariation · 16/05/2019 09:05

Parents evening twice a year plus an end of year report. We get a termly curriculum overview too so we know the general areas the class are covering that term. I visit approximately forty schools in my job, only one has a weekly newsletter.

There will be someone covering the head teacher role but these aren’t really questions for the head teacher anyway. Can’t you ask your children what they are doing? Most children know what they are working on, even little ones.

daisypond · 16/05/2019 09:11

We got a weekly newsletter, but it was whole school and wouldn’t cover what individual classes were working on. It would mention trips out, etc. Never heard of a primary having a French teacher and specialist PE teacher. Are your expectations too high?

PantsyMcPantsface · 16/05/2019 09:12

Weekly newsletter, half termly year group curriculum summary, about a million emails a week on various matters, staff generally approachable to ask about queries and the head is around the school gates or playground several mornings a week to chat if required. Plus a nosey as fuck child who is more concerned about what everyone else is up to than herself and no off button when it comes to talking. I hear about it all... down to the teacher spilling her tea and who has got a new pencil case that week!

my2bundles · 16/05/2019 09:15

We get a half termly newsletter detaiing what each year group is working on that half term in each year group school trips, etc. Reminders of when homework is due. In between we get txt messages with any new information. Your school really needs to work on this, maybe a few parents could get together to approach the school?

sirfredfredgeorge · 16/05/2019 09:20

I'm not sure how a newsletter is relevant to what your child is doing, can do and is currently working on? it's going to be about general things - in any case our school has one newsletter every half term or so, start of each term one describes the very broad themes of work for that term.

Day to day stuff, it's normal to get from the kid, especially by YR4. If you need to know those sort of details, work on your kid, if you have any progress concerns, talk to the teacher, but it doesn't seem that you do.

sirfredfredgeorge · 16/05/2019 09:23

Never heard of a primary having a French teacher and specialist PE teacher. Are your expectations too high?

Our school has both - it's quite difficult surely for a school to manage having a teacher for every session for the kids if they don't have some extra teachers on staff, PE and Language seem like good options. The alternative is heads doing the teaching presumably?

Original poster

MrPickles73 · 16/05/2019 09:39

DC2 is year 1. If I ask what did you do today they say; maths English and reading. Same answer each time.
DC1 used to give a forensic breakdown of their day but DC2 not.
Academically they are fine. I just find it odd I have no clue what they doing. Or is this normal?
A friend of mine her school has a weekly newsletter for the year including homework.
French used to be taught by one of the TAs but she left and they messed the PE teacher around who came in 1 day a week so they have left too now. As I said we have no head teacher..

OP posts:

daisypond · 16/05/2019 10:02

I wouldn’t expect a year one child to give a breakdown of their day. If asked what they did mine would have said things like- had lunch, played, nothing.

Original poster

MrPickles73 · 16/05/2019 10:04

No quite daisypond. People are suggesting my child should inform me but a. They are only 5 and b. He doesn't like to communicate about school. He communicates a lot but for whatever reason not about school

OP posts:

GinUp · 16/05/2019 10:18

Ours gives an overview of the current topic and the areas of the curriculum that the children will be working on.

Each year group has its own section on the school website where they blog about what they've been up to.

They have one or two mini-reports each term to show the individual progress of each child. If parents have any queries they can usually either speak to someone at pick-up time or make an appointment if it's something that's going to take more than a minute or two.

Original poster

MrPickles73 · 16/05/2019 10:59

GinUp that sounds excellent.

OP posts:

RicStar · 16/05/2019 12:55

We get a weekly newsletter by email with whole school news / staff changes etc. Also lists any important letters that have gone out by class. Each class also has a blog which has the weeks learning plus photos etc. How often they are updated varies by class teacher but generally weekly in infants - a bit less in older classes. Also we have still (just about) specialist pe and language staff. Normal state primary school. I think we get a lot of information but you can chose to access it or not.

Patchworksack · 16/05/2019 13:08

We get a weekly newsletter emailed out and posted on the PTA facebook page, but that is quite general whole-school information. Once termly curriculum letter which sets out what they will cover in the next term and the homework list (they are supposed to pick one piece a week from a list related to their topic). Parents' evening twice a year and written report at the end of the year. They also all have a planner which they are supposed to use to record their reading, and is used by school to send home spelling lists etc, and in the lower years to send messages home. I think it depends on the individual teacher how much they use that to transfer information. We have a sports specialist shared with a neighbouring school, no language specialists.

BackforGood · 16/05/2019 23:37

You get a lot more information from your dc that I did.
dc1 would just say "dunno"

Try asking "Tell me something funny that happened today" or What was the best things you did today" or "Anything you didn't enjoy at school today" or something a bit more specific than "What did you do"

I don't expect regular reports or information about what they are doing, from staff, no. A couple of Parents evenings a year, and a fairly pointless written report once a year.
I trust that if there are any issues then the school would be in touch.

At Junior school we used to get a newsletter once a fortnight but it was about things the sports teams had done or 'special days' or trips or events that might have happened, not what each class was doing in the curriculum.

Muddlingalongalone · 17/05/2019 06:48

We have information day meeting at the beginning of the tea at giving a broad overview of the year, curriculum maps on the website for each half-term with details of the book they will be doing etc, get a weekly "peek into next week" message on class dojo, occasional pics during the week of actual activities, 1/2 termly newsletter, 2 parents evenings & a report.
Also I have the child who always knows what's going on with everything.
Am expecting the opposite for dc2 next year so then will be super grateful for all the school input!

Hepte · 17/05/2019 07:26

My kids school send out details of what they will be covering over the coming term in the first week, this includes things we can do to help and important dates for the diary, any further general communications are sent out in a text or via the app. But if any of the children were having problems I would expect the teacher to discuss this with the parent directly. I would rather my kids teacher was spending their time more efficiently then wasting it on a weekly newsletter.

@PantsyMcPantsface my kids get specialist teachers for art, PE, French and music. I never really gave it much thought. Is that over the top?

wtftodo · 20/05/2019 09:44

Ours does a weekly newsletter. we also get termly/half termly curriculum overview for reception. the home learning is emailed weekly and is stuff like "next week we are exploring how to tell the time, please talk to your child about time/clocks etc". I think they're good in terms of communication, but my child is only in reception.

BubblesBuddy · 20/05/2019 11:06

Many Heads now do a weekly newsletter for the whole school or at least one every 2 weeks. They include all sorts of information and can be accessed on web sites. They often will go through each year group with notices and information.

Good schools also have a curriculum evening for each year at the start of the autumn term and oost more detail on the web site.YR teachers usually have a "How we teach....." Reading, maths etc. soon after children start. A great school will also update parents on the curriculum at curriculum meetings for parents (eg maths) and have a parents' forum where parents meet the head to discuss any concerns and talk about how the school can move forward taking parents with them.

Any school that keeps parents at arms' length really is not good enough. All schools need to see parents as part of their wider community and I would be unhappy if meetings were not organised and there was no opportunity to see teachers aside from parents evenings. Parents should not just wander in, but they should have responses to queries and have sensible information on the curriculum and progress.

Our school also had open days with a theme. Parents were invited to see the classrooms and see what the DC had achieved. PTA makes money with serving teas, coffee and cakes. It is valuable and welcoming.

It sounds like this school is treading water without a head.Hopefully things will improve when a decent school leader takes over.

Pud2 · 21/05/2019 18:17

School Twitter accounts are also a good way of seeing what’s going on in school. We post photos most days, depending on what’s happening.

ShinyPinkLipgloss · 21/05/2019 18:26

In my experience (Scotland) the following is the norm:

"Meet the teacher evening" late August to tour the classroom and listen to a short presentation explaining the year overview and classroom routines (e.g. gym days).

Short report card in mid November which indicates how they are getting on in all areas across the curriculum

Parents' evening late November to discuss report card in more detail

Detailed report card in April

Parents' evening in May to discuss report card in more detail

Monthly whole school newsletters (emailed) includes "dates to remember" e.g. sports day

Termly learning overviews (personalised to each class and issued at the beginning of every term indicating learning in each area of the curriculum)

Weekly twitter updates (photographs/videos of an activity)

Texts to remind parents of school events

ShinyPinkLipgloss · 21/05/2019 18:27

oh - and I forgot to include a class assembly which showcases learning too! (one per year)

springgreensunshine · 21/05/2019 18:36

Newsletter maybe 4 times a year explaining what is going to be covered in the next few weeks. Emails as and when needed telling us about sports day dates etc. 2 parents nights a year. That's it.

We have a specialist pe teacher but not language. The pe teacher left last month and has been replaced but I only know that from my child, no official notification.

High school has a weekly email but it doesn't tell you much. A bit about teachers coming and going, lots just now about careers options and apprenticeship opportunities, usually lots from the pe dept about football team results. That's it really, nothing very informative.

I think our schools could do better but don't do any worse than any other really.

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