Primary not differentiating work

[scittlescatter]

Is this normal? Is there evidence behind it?

Surely it does a disservice to the more able, as well as the less able.

My DC's school does this. Absolutely no differentiation, ever. Sometimes, there is an optional challenge.

I'm not keen as I think it leads to poorer behaviour (children who aren't set appropriate work are more likely to mess about) and doesn't reach the more able resilience, as they get used to not being challenged.

Any helpful ideas?

I bet they do differentiate. Are you in the classroom every day? Do you really think DC who are, say, 2 years behind with their reading age are doing exactly the same as those 3 years ahead? Or the DC who are streets ahead at maths are doing the same work as those for whom the easy x tables are a challenge? That’s virtually impossible.

The topic might be taught to the class, but within that there will be different levels of work for the DC to complete. Less able DC will revise basic knowledge to help them understand the topic. If DC didn’t have appropriate work, set to meet their needs, based on accurate assessment, how would they progress? Do no DC in your school make good progress? Or more than expected progress? How do you know work isn’t differentiated?

I have asked, and have been told it is not differentiated (by both class teacher and senior management). My concern is my more above child is bored and not being catered for as a result

Is this Maths? Perhaps they use Maths Mastery? In this approach, the class is all taught together but challenge comes from the teacher’s questioning, and access to more challenging tasks, though they all start with the same activity. Huge focus on reasoning, explaining and problem solving, rather than just ‘harder sums’.

I’ve never seen a school like this and I’ve seen many. Is it just a particular topic that wasn’t differentiated? Does the school not do different spellings for example?

It's for a topics. Thank you for the insight into maths, perhaps this is what happens.

I would think lots of schools don't differentiate art or history or music (for example) other than by outcome.

Coming at this from secondary but... differentiation isn’t providing different work. It’s enabling everyone to reach the same outcome. So we would teach the top and then scaffold down (through verbal explanation and questioning, not different sheets/work) to enable everyone to reach the goal.
The stretch for the top is again through questioning - extending their thinking rather than doing more of the same work.
After all, we have to pass the same driving test; there isn’t an easier one for those who find driving hard or a tricky off road one for those who find driving hard.

*easy

The concern about the child being bored is a legitimate one - they should be challenged to think more deeply, evaluate etc. Is the teacher really unwilling to do this?

Well, yes, not every single thing gets differentiated. Or even entire subjects - I don’t think I’ve ever seen dance differentiated, for example. But Maths or English - I’ve always seen differentiated for most things.

I just think it's impossible not to differentiate, especially in maths. Otherwise, no children can get exceeding/gds/whatever for assessment, wouldn't look good when ofsted comes to visit.
They do learn same topic, but the expectation foe depth of understanding is different for expected and greater depth.

Our prep school used to do this as well. DD learnt nothing (she was one of the younger less confident children) - they basically left her behind at the end of reception and it's only now in year 4 after a 2 years in another school that we've closed the gap.

It doesn't work.

So why did you pay for incompetent teaching? It must have become obvious the teaching wasn’t taking prior learning into account. Some private schools do not assess children properly and plough on with lessons and worksheets irrespective of prior learning and the need to differentiate. Did they explain their assessment policy to parents?

I'm absolutely tearing my hair out with DD's primary school who refuse to provide anything appropriate for her to work on. She's one of the eldest in her year group and when she joined the school was reading and completing basic sums.

She's now in year 1. The school only reads her reading book with her once a half term and the rest of the time she group reads books she was reading at the end of preschool. She gets five spellings a week, mostly 3 letter words. She has never got less than 5 on a test. Having looked online she could spell all but a handful of the words on the year 2 spelling list. She's quickly learnt the rest - she's a sponge at the moment and I really don't want to waste the moment but I'm worried Im the only one pushing her and that she may start to resent it. I feel like I walk a tightrope with her; some days she's keen to do hours of extra work - I have to stop her otherwise she'd be up all night and other times she refuses to do even the simplest things.

I've approached the teacher to express my concerns but with very little joy. They tell me everything is about going into greater depth. I'm not sure how much depth you can go into spelling 'dad'? Her teacher reluctantly agreed but said that was just the way it was.

I'm aware other schools pay less attention to the mastery curriculum and have discussed moving her but DH is keen for her to stay put, stating the fact that, although she's often bored, she has made good friends and seems to enjoy school. I'm just worried that when it comes to secondary schools she is going to be way behind her peers at other schools or I am going to have to provide all the extension at home.

Hang on--the word "dad" is on a spelling test?

That makes no sense. That is the sort of words kids are spelling within a day or two of starting Jolly Phonics at age 4.

Schools are measured on progress. It makes no sense to hold any child back or to not extend them. She has to use the words in a sentence, along with punctuation and fingers spaces which they will have learnt in Reception class. The sentence for one child might be 'My mum and dad' whilst a higher ability child will be a more complex sentence. Her end of Reception levels must be extended to at least a satisfactory level of progress or questions are asked at many levels about the standard of work. For school to hold any child back greatly disadvantages them. Speak to the teacher about her targets and her starting levels, how they are ensuring the work is correctly moderated for consistency in levels. If there is some confusion about their answers speak to the KS1 coordinator. She would be reading and writing dad the year before usually. You need more information about her progress and if she is hitting the AREs or not.

Schools are measured on progress. It makes no sense to hold any child back or to not extend them

Schools are measured on the progress between the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. Some schools will not be adverse to the idea of a bit of coasting up to Y2.

@Esptea - y1 children shouldn’t be having dad on a spelling test. Ask to sit down with someone from the SLT or the chair of governors and go through her books with them. Ask to see where her greater depth challenges are and how her progress scores are looking. I’m all for not putting pressure on small children but wasting potential is frustrating

Esptea, spelling list is something you can ignore. Able children don't need to learn them, they know it anyway. So, it's one less wasted time on silly homework. Let her write and read at her level at home. Teacher not reading often with able child is very common. She really doesn't need that, if she is reading appropriate books at home everyday with her parents.

I don’t agree the teacher should be let off the hook because parents are stepping in. This would be a classic case which would allow a deprived child to under achieve. Some parents cannot do it at home and schools must do it.

If Ofsted arrive, they will be all over the progress of all the children! Not just y2 and y6. They will look at the work books in all year groups. They will look at all progress data gathered by the school. They will certainly know if it’s poor data and will definitely call out poor progress.

In your case I would ask to see the Head. This level of work is clearly not based on her prior learning so doesn’t have any challenge. I’m not sure whole class books work when there is no higher level book for the DC to go on to. It must be boring for the brighter DC.

At least my DC, who are much older now, had opportunities to choose library books from school and their reading books were monitored by the teacher and they were allowed to steam ahead. I have no idea how often they were heard read but I completed the reading log and the teacher acknowledged that. Books were always appropriate. So you definitely need to ask them about appropriate work. Is she in a school where most DC are not reading early? However the teacher can do something about this. I would expect them to be monitored regarding their assessment and setting appropriate work or how would the school know if they are a good teacher?

They will look at all progress data gathered by the school.

No, they won't. They expect it to exist, but inspections no longer expect to pore over internal data.

Each and every child is tracked from when they enter Reception and are assessed. That is how you identify who needs support and any gaps. This info is checked and used by the teacher, the stage leader, SLT. School adviser, governors to evidence what is or is not working and any trends, what CPD might be needed, predicted outcomes and any staffing changes and training. If it is a whole school problem or teacher specific. Everything in school is led by what the data shows and why. You are constantly checking and looking at what others schools are doing to get better outcomes.

Cabbageking, if you think every school is that on it- and all their internal data is rock solid- you haven't been in that many! What you describe actually sounds quite exhausting. Learning isn't linear and a child who slows down a little bit for a term doesn't necessarily need to be slapped straight in intervention and have their teacher sent for reprogramming.

I think there is a happy medium between that and the OP's school where their decision not to differentiate presumably means they don't have a clue what each individual child can actually do.

I have never worked in a coasting school.

The expectation for all teachers is to know where each child in their class is and what is needed to move them on.

Sounds like maths mastery approach if the subject in question is maths