Phonics support outside of school hours? Normal?

[ggmom87]

Today I received an email from the school saying my Year 1 child was invited to attend a “phonics club” at 8:15am every Wed and Thur. This is a half an hour before school starts for the day, and I have another child in Year 3. The email says it’s “essential” that he attends all of the sessions. I’ve never been told that my child must attend something outside of normal school hours, and I’m not sure how I’m going to manage it in the mornings. Would I just have to sit and wait in the school office for a half an hour every morning with my older child? Is this a normal sort of request? I’m just really thrown by it because we have a family schedule and rhythm and it doesn’t involved mandatory clubs before school.

I would also like to add that I’m not at all concerned about his reading. He is new to the school and they knocked him down two Reading levels when they started the Little Wandles reading program this year. And now they’re offering him extra support. I don’t really understand it. He’s progressing nicely, he enjoys reading. I’m not worried. I would be fine with extra support if they want to give it him, and I don’t want to deny him the offer of extra support either, but I expected it to happen during school hours.

This is how they do extra support when there’s no money for an extra member of staff during teaching hours. My daughter had a motor-skills-related intervention in the same way.

Take it. You could argue (and I do) that the U.K. system moves too fast, too early for the neurodevelopment of many children. But this is the system you are in. If your child does need additional learning support for reading in the future, you will be helped by having had this programme. Ultimately (to be blunt) in early years education, teachers can have a binary attitude to children who are not developing at the same rate as other kids. Either it’s something they can fix, or it’s not-arsed parents. If you decline the club they will assume you can’t be arsed to get out of bed for the good of your child’s education and that assessment will stick.

This is not something that I've heard of before as most schools deliver their phonics intervention during the normal school day. It may be that, due to low funding, they don't have the staff to offer additional phonics sessions within the usual hours. If you aren't able to do it, or don't want your son to attend, then just speak with them about it.

What is important here though is that the school are flagging to you that they have assessed your child as being off track for a child of his age and so needing additional support outside of regular phonics. It may be that they have identified that he is currently at risk of not "passing" the phonics screening chrck. I know that you aren't concerned and are seeing progress but the school will have a clearer idea of where a child should be and and whether that progress is rapid enough. I'd encourage you to speak with them about their concerns and see if there is anything you can do to support.

Do the school have a breakfast club that your eldest can go to? We offer free places for those siblings that have been invited to attend a club to save the "what do we do for half an hour" problem.

From my point of view:
They must think he's behind else they wouldn't be offering the extra support.
By doing it before school it means he's not missing anything else to go and do it, which is a bonus.
They might be happy for your y3 child to sit quietly at the back of the room reading.

I'd try to make it work for you. But maybe ask them why he needs it so you can support at home. The schools sounds proactive, that's a good thing. (Does he use his phonics properly to sound out unknown words, or does he guess from the first letter or pictures by any chance?)

Wow it makes it a long day, poor little mite. They must think he is behind. How do you reach your assessment that he is fine? I mean, they are the professionals and in a position to know if he is keeping up in class.

I'd take the support and id also be doing work myself gently to support reading at home not just books at bedtime but also lots of extra trips to the library, finding things in the supermarket, reading cereal boxes at breakfast, etc.

Our school has started doing this. By offering extra support to those who need it before school, the children are not missing lesson time for that support. If they miss lesson time they could get behind in other areas.
They have noticed that your child needs some support to enable them to learn. Take it!

Little Wndke requires regular assessments. The system then works by every child who isn't working at the correct stage being given catch-up intervention (LW requires fluency at each stage before moving on, no more than 1 in 20 words should require sounding out). It can mean a lot of time and staffing is needed for intervention. Sounds like the school haven't got the available staff to carry out all of the interventions in school time.

However, they cannot force you to go in put of school hours.

I'd try to take it if you can figure out the logistics OP, I'm sure your child will benefit. You could ask the school about siblings - surely you're not the only person in this position?

He’s young for his year, just turned 5 in August, but he is is reading blue books at home (pink at school, I don’t know why), and overall a much better reader than his sister was at the same point. His grasp of phonics seems just fine. That’s why it confuses me.

Well he’s not my first child so it’s not like I don’t know anything about reading progression. He is reading above the level my daughter was at the same age, and she was never flagged for anything. He reads Blue Biff and Chip books with confidence and fluency, and has great phonics knowledge through stage 3. He comes home with pink Little Wandle books that are so easy he breezes through them. Meanwhile, his class is huge and he only just started there. They also just switched reading schemes at the school. All that added together does have me doubting their assessment of my child. Yes I realise I’ll be massacred for such a statement, but I genuinely think they might be wrong about him.

Homing against the grain. No way I'd be sending my not long turned 5 year old in for extra lessons. They are there enough and already exhausted by the end of the week. Say it's not possible if it doesn't work for you and ask if there is anything you can do at home to help. I work in a class of 5 year olds and can't imagine them by the end of the day if they'd been made to do this at 8am. I'm in Scotland though and my dd didn't even start school til 5..5 so this may influence my opinion

My son is struggling with being tired and worn out each day as it is. I am definitely worried this would take a toll on him. It seems like so much to ask of him.

I hated little wandle when they brought it in to my school. She was reading gold books at the time but her little wandle book was about 7 levels below and she found the whole thing entirely pointless. She had to read it 4x a week and by the time it came home she just didn’t want to touch it.

I would maybe ask exactly what the sessions are for and for how long and why he’s been chosen. If it is just for a few sessions I’d suck it up but if it’s for a term I’d perhaps be asking more questions.

It’s for the rest of the term, possibly longer.

I think in your shoes the first thing I would do is ask for a chat with his teacher immediately to ask why they are doing this; how many other kids are being asked too; how long do they envisage it going on for, and what do they actually mean by "mandatory".

Also- obviously- make sure you spell out clearly that you are confident in his reading, perhaps take some books with you that he's got through quickly and fluently, (and maybe point out that you have an older child in case they try to write you off as an overly anxious and deluded first time parent!)

Hopefully by the end of that conversation you will know whether or not it's an excessive demand or something that might actually be to his benefit.