How much parental input for Yr4?

[KevinTheBird]

Hi,
Just wondering if others could share how much input they’re currently having with their Yr4 child if they are currently doing home learning?

I’m working 4 hours a day, have 2dc - 1 in Reception, the other Yr4. They both have 2 hours learning via Zoom lessons a day and then work set for them. Both their lessons are at the same time and, as I need to practically pin down my younger child to make him stay still and concentrate for his lessons I can’t actually be present to listen to my older child’s lesson.

He’s finishing his lesson and telling me he can’t remember what work he’s been set to do for the rest of the day. He’s not lying, he’s incredibly ditsy (possibly ASD, waiting for a referral) and won’t remember even when I leave post it notes on his screen saying ‘WRITE DOWN HOMEWORK’. This then means I have to watch his lesson back to find out what he’s supposed to be doing which is always massively long as kids asking questions etc. etc. I asked the teacher if she could just let us know on Class Dojo what the work is for the rest of the day but she said there’s no need to worry, just do what you can. Followed the next day by an email telling me they were concerned about the lack of work dc1 had done and asking if I needed support. I asked if I could just have bullet points of what the work is so I can help him and they just replied saying he should be able to manage it himself and if he can’t then he’s welcome to take a place at the school. My younger son has severe asthma so I really don’t want to send him unless we absolutely have to.

It’s driving me to despair. I’ve got so many other things going on at the moment and I’m there begging dc1 to do his work while he just stares into space the minute I stop nudging him. Then I’ll photograph it, send it in just to immediately get a reply from the teacher saying ‘This is great DC1! Now could you do it again in your best handwriting please’. Every single time she just wants it done again when I’ve been standing over his shoulder for 2 hours getting him to write less than 20 words

That sounds ridiculous.
I have one in Yr3, one in Yr5. Theoretically, they can both do it all themselves... I just load the websites and print any worksheets (elder one loads hher own websites). Practically they come to me for help. But it's all there listed on the app for parents and children.
Only telling the children is a bit pointless.

Our teacher posts the timetable each morning on Google classroom so you can see what they're meant to be doing at any given time. I'm working so don't pay too much attention but my Y4 generally prints out her maths and does that with me, but does most of the rest quite independently. I have to remind her when to log on for their meets but we set an alarm on Alexa in the morning.

I've no idea what the quality of her work is like and sometimes she finishes suspiciously early but teacher hasn't complained so assume she's doing enough!

My two are older. The 13 year old is brilliant and gets it done by himself, and mostly shoos us away except for the occasional request for help. The 10 year old is another kettle of fish. We print off his daily schedule from the school but literally have to sit next to him the whole time while he works (usually about 4 hours a day plus a couple Teams lessons of 15 mins). If we left him to it he'd wander off and never get it done! But then we are 99% sure he's got Inattentive ADHD. Just waiting for a private diagnosis as he's off to grammar school this year and will never cope with the workload without a lot of assistance.

My Y4 has been working independently but the other day I heard his teacher ask him to have another look at a piece of work so now I insist on checking each piece of work before he submits it. Sometimes he leaves questions out but will complete them if I point it out. He has virtually the same subjects each day which makes it easier - plus I’m a teacher at his school so I know the pattern (& know his teacher!). Does your DS’s work follow a pattern (eg maths & literacy every day plus something else) or is it completely random?

That sounds really hard. I also have a Y4 and a Reception child (and a Y8). You are getting so much more work that is!

For example, today my Y4 had to read 5 slides of a PowerPoint presentation, & then draft some notes for a paragraph about appearance/characteristics of a beaver - they are spending all week preparing to write this report... she had a lesson on MyMaths, and had to read for 20 mins. That was it.

My Reception had to practise zig zag letters, phase 2 sounds, and do an Oak Academy video on addition.

I have to help both kids navigate their way to the work as it’s sent out in links in a word document but it’s only taking 1-2 hrs a day at the most so possible...

Is it possible to email the teacher again setting out all the issues & your request to have a written schedule of work? It doesn’t sound unreasonable...

That is a ridiculous expectation for a reception age child! Sorry but I would be asking the school for some basic worksheets for him to complete, especially as you are working and can't stand over him constantly.
My DD could never have written down/remembered what she was supposed to be doing at that age.
It's counter-productive. If he's not listening, he's not engaging with that piece of learning so you may as well not bother because it won't sink in.
Honestly when my DD was in yrR her handwriting was illegible, I think it must soul-destroying (for both of you) to get him to keep redoing it, especially when it's taken a long time.

Have him checked for dyslexia

The teacher should write out what needs doing

I would email school and request this

We don't help too much but she can be too quick with her work and I would prefer we could check and support her more.

But other child who is younger gets all the support as he can't be left on his own.

We feel guilty that she essentially gets forgotten about but its too much especially when we are both working.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear - the work being set is for the yr4 child. The Reception child is only having to work while he has his lessons but it’s just a nightmare to keep him still.

I would have thought that any work expected would be written down/ noted somewhere. It’s only mentioned during the Zoom lessons though so I have to rewatch it in full to try and spot the bit where she mentions what she wants them to do.

My Year 4 has dyslexia and a few other s.e.n. He literally cannot work independently, has a T. A at school usually. I don't know what I'd do if I had to teach a sibling alongside him, as soon as I stop with any input he stops what he's doing and stares out of the window. My head hurts from trying to teach him and do my own work, my heart never stops racing. I feel like it's all been quite damaging to our relationship, but hoping when he's back at school, I'll stop feeling like such a terrible Mum.

My Y4 cannot do work independently - I have to sit beside him or nothing gets done. I know he is not the only one in his class like this.

The teachers really need to let the parents know what needs doing, and provide links to the resources that will help. Otherwise parents can't support their children and the children lose out. It's ridiculous that you have to sit through the lesson yourself to get the info.

@KevinTheBird

Sorry if I wasn’t clear - the work being set is for the yr4 child. The Reception child is only having to work while he has his lessons but it’s just a nightmare to keep him still.

I would have thought that any work expected would be written down/ noted somewhere. It’s only mentioned during the Zoom lessons though so I have to rewatch it in full to try and spot the bit where she mentions what she wants them to do.

Ah, I see. Sorry, I misunderstood your op.

I still think you need some sort of timetable from the teachers. Mine (yr2 & yr4) get a link in the school website every Sunday with all they need for the week. It's set out by day and by topic with links to any external resources they need (videos etc) or to worksheets to complete. Do everyone knows what's going on.

I would have thought the work should be sent through in some way as well as discussed live? It sounds like you aren’t getting very clear information on what he is meant to be doing. I have a year 5, but august birthday so only just above year 4 age, and although he has got a little better now, I mainly need to sit with him to get anything done (I also have a reception and year 7, so it is hard!)

He has a daily Teams call with the teacher where they go through the work for the day, but it is also sent through as documents on Teams and they work through it on there and submit it. The teacher and TA will also answer questions on email or Teams, and the teacher calls them individually if they are having problems

eccle80 my year 4 is also an August born which doesn’t help. We’re emailed bits at the beginning of the week to print out but they’re never worksheets - just text that they then have to answer questions on which they’re asked during the Zoom meeting or instructions for working out fractions but none of the questions. It’s infuriating.

Most of the other kids have at least one parent not working or no younger siblings and there only seems to be one other parent who is struggling with the same thing. She was also offered to just let her dc attend school if she was struggling but also declined.

Bloody hell that does sound ridiculous. My Y4 is actually OK at working independently but then the work set is easier to access. They go to the google class room and it's all there in black and white so there's no need to remember what they were told in the lesson (I honestly have no idea whether they'd manage that).

I think I'd probably just be insistent with the school that they send you a list of work set.

@KevinTheBird that really doesn’t seem a great way of working, I would have thought most of them would struggle with that unless they had a parent sitting with them for the meeting

My daughter is in year 4 and my other dd is in reception. My y4 daughter struggles to work independently. She is very capable but needs prompting and guidance to keep going otherwise left to her own devices she will sit there staring at a blank screen daydreaming. This is worse with subjects such as English where she has to think rather than maths where she has to “do” .... role on March 8th