Should I question my child’s teacher?

[Survivingontea]

Hi,
My child is in year 1 and is a bright kid. He likes his teacher although she is not very friendly and avoids running into parents or conversations.I am sure she has a lot going on.I try not to take much of her time unless it has something to do with my kid’s school work. She has been posting brilliant stuff on the app seesaw that my child has been doing in class, but the assessment results do not add up.I have had a meeting with her regarding this and she showed me his work which was well above standard.She also told me that he will be moved up to the top most spelling group.Term 2 is coming to an end and she hasn’t moved him yet ! My son is very good with clocks and could tell time to the minute while he was still finishing Reception.So, he was excited for his asssesment recently.To my surprise he got a satisfactory grade. Yes, like every other parent I think highly of my child but I honestly feel this was unfair. I checked the criteria based on which they were marked, and I 100% believe that my son falls in the WELL ABOVE STANDARD mark. My son felt deflated and disappointed. I don’t know what to say to him.He is always very enthusiastic and thriving. I don’t want him to lose his spark. It could be tricky but should I politely ask the teacher ? I am afraid she might get low key offended. I don’t want her to have any angry feelings towards my child. It makes me feel frustrated and angry inside.

@MaMaD1990

I'm really not understanding the heat you're getting and the 'pushy' comments - as a parent, part of your role is to advocate for your child and if you feel he's not been fairly treated/marked, I don't see a problem gently raising this with his teacher and asking her to explain her reasonings for the assessment. OP isn't suggesting she'll go in and berate the teacher for doing a terrible job, it's asking a simple question. When you factor in that the teacher has said she would move him up a class or whatever and still hasn't done it, yes that absolutely warrants a meeting for a discussion. Teachers are not above being asked for reasonings, even if it does come from lowly non-teachers

Thank you for understanding. Finally !

Classic Mumsnet poster.
You post, you get responses you don't like and then finally when a couple of people pop up who respond more positively to your issue, you reappear to say thank you
It would be hugely beneficial to your ds if you didn't only pay attention to the posts that you like.
Why bother posting? Surely debating the issue with yourself would have the same result for you?

You are being utterly ridiculous. My children are older, facing national assessments just now, that may likely have an impact on their future. Your child is still an infant. He has the rest of his life to worry about reports/assessments and exams. He's obviously doing fine. Why point out any different to him?

FFS
Teachers aren't infallible and they don't always get everything right.
When my son started year 1 they put him in the SEN reading group. I have no issues with my kids getting support where needed - my other son is autistic and needed a lot of support. But this boy had had everything click wrt reading over the Summer holiday, and could read well for his age (and I am in an education based job and in a position to know). After a couple of weeks I went in to speak to his teacher.

She was somewhat defensive and said any child who joined year 1 without certain boxes ticked in the reception paperwork was placed in lowest set etc. She then got the paperwork out to check and found that ds's unchecked box was actually about fine motor skills. She said he would be 'benchmarked' soon and they would move the children after that process.

He stayed in that group for half a term before they 'benchmarked' and then he moved up 17 levels on the benchmarking process. They commented on how incredibly successful their small support group had been for him!! I rolled my eyes gently.

As long as you are not rude, OP, it is always fine to make enquiries. Just like a doctor or a politician, teachers are capable of not always getting everything 100 percent right.

OP you sound so pushy. Your boy is so young. Why are you so fixated on his grades rather than his overall happiness? He's how old? 6? Ffs.

@brittleheadgirl

Classic Mumsnet poster. You post, you get responses you don't like and then finally when a couple of people pop up who respond more positively to your issue, you reappear to say thank you It would be hugely beneficial to your ds if you didn't only pay attention to the posts that you like. Why bother posting? Surely debating the issue with yourself would have the same result for you?

Just like replying or not replying is your choice.It is mine too. I wantEd to know what other people think and I AM reading everyone’s opinion.Now, I can’t burn myself out giving explanations or start debating with each and everyone.I choose to use my energy wisely. Not replying does not mean I do not acknowledge everyone taking their time to comment on here. I do appreciate their opinion too !

This is a non issue really. You should be focusing on the bigger picture and finding ways to teach him skills he needs etc as well as initiating a life long love of learning.

BTW satisfactory is a term that is usually used to describe the pupil's level of effort at school during lessons. If you have real concerns, email or call the teacher to discuss the report in private etc. Or order some workbooks from Amazon, or buy some from your local bookshop and complete them with him instead.