Just had Parents Eve - not good news... come and help me!! (DS in Reception)

[Alambil]

He doesn't concentrate.

He can't write well enough.

He can't even read his writing.

Other kids his age are writing three sentences; he can't even do one.

He doesn't work fast enough.

He doesn't get changed fast enough for P.E.

He doesn't keep up with the kids on his table (ie level).

He is falling behind.

He will be left behind during his whole school career if he doesn't change now.

The above are all statements I've just heard from his teacher..... to say I'm upset is an understatment.

I'm getting him some elastic bands to do some physio excersises on his fingers/writing hand. I'm going to get work books and colouring books and we will do work every night on them.

I will NOT have my child slip through the net because he isn't stupid - he is just laid back...

HOW can I make him get faster/better????? I need help - all I heard was negative things - she didn't say ONE positive...

I am bereft.. I thought he was doing ok at school

Ignore your mum, am saddened that she's added to your worries like this. Fwiw, ds couldn't speak properly until he was 4 and my mum was always asking me if he was 'backward'
I have a dd currently in reception, she is NOT writing 3 sentences a day, ds is year 9 and as he has gone through school, we have had the teacher who doesn't like him (year 3), in fact I went to his yr 3 parents evening and she wasn't even taking about him, she spent the whole time telling me about Robert! His name isn't even close to robert, nor does it begin with R, when I pointed out she wasn't talking about ds, she blithely carried on about Robert.
On the flip side in yr 4, his teacher thought he was the dogs gonads and he improved a lot under her tutelage.
And when he went to Middle school (where he had a lot more male teachers) things improved even more and he is doing really well now, preparing for his GCSEs and planning to go to Art College.
Protect him as best you can from this teachers negativity and hopefully next year, he will get a better teacher.

I haven't read the whole thread I am afraid, but DS was near the "top" of his class in Reception and was certainly not writing 3 sentences every day by Easter - reception was all about learning through play, and pretty much the whole class are well ahead of "expectations" now they are in Y1 - so all in all wtf is she on about?!

Like the idea of taking DS's Nobel prize back to wave under her nose

outraged on your behalf LewisFan...
ds struggled in nursery and reception,and probably until yr 2 when he blossomed in his own time - he does/did have problems with fine motor skills so handwriting was very difficult,and general coordination/balance but his school was great and he was supported brilliantly... he is now doing very well and writes well and fluently but still struggles with things like latches,keys,fiddly stuff...I can recommend that stiff putty stuff that you pull marbles out of - forget what it's called but available through physio/OT suppliers.
All through school though he has been praised and encouraged and treated as though he was very important and precious (which he is obviously !) but positive stuff is so important.

Ds2 is in Reception. We had a parents' workshop about literacy in Reception a while ago and the sentence Lewis Jr wrote is exactly the sort of thing that they hope (not expect) the children to be able to write by the end of the year. The children who can already write sentences are in the minority.

I can remember the teachers giving stickers as incentives to dress more quickly even in Yr1.

As everyone else has already said, the teacher's expectations at LewisJr's school are far too high.

wait a minute - "Where does he sit academically?" (way nack on page 2 or 3!!) - he doesn't sit anywhere academically - HE'S 5!!!!!!!

The more I think about this the crosser I get - your son is only 5 years old for goodness sake??!! My daughter is 4 - she can write her own name, she can count to 30, she can (if she wants to!) put on her own jammies. THe girl is a genius!!!!

Give him (and yourself) a break

I'm not the one pushing him - school are.

I'm not the one moaning that he can't write correctly or quickly - school are.

I am simply amazed and upset that they seem to think he is going to fail in his entire school career if he doesn't master the art of writing three sentences in 30 minutes!!

I asked where he was academically in an attempt to find out if there was ANYthing good about his school work - which it seems there isn't. I know I haven't given birth to Einstein - I know that, I was just trying to gleam a compliment - JUST ONE out of the 20 minute negative rant she gave me.

I am giving DS a break. They are not.

Lewis...how old is your DS? If he is in Reception I'm guessing he's around 5yrs old? What the hell do the school expect at just 5yrs old? He is still a baby FFS. I personally think the teacher is expecting FAR too much from such a young little boy.

For the school to say his whole school career depends on how he performs in Reception is, quite honestly, bloody ridiculous.

I have always said providing my kids are happy at school, behave and have friends so what about being the brightest spark in their class? They have years ahead of them.

I've been thinking about this and I really think you should go back to this teacher and tell her you've had a good think about what she said but, on reflection, he's 5 years old, it's a bit much for her to be damning him to underachievement so early. And doesn't she think that it won't encourage him at all if she can't think of one positive thing to say about him.
And I highly doubt he will be left behind at school with a mother who's so comitted to supporting and encouraging him, as you so clearly are.

Lewisfan - have you had a chance to look at hte Foundation Stages expectations link that doodletoyou posted? I think you will find them hugely reassuring.

I know I'm going on about this - but I am so outraged on your behalf that I can"t forget about it. I do suggest you write down everything you can remember of what the wicked witch - I mean the teacher - said, and then make an appointment to talk to the Head. I couldn't be more sure that you're not alone in your experience - maybe half the parents in the class are beating a path to his door. He needs to know that someone in his school is peddling this cruel, unkind and just plain WRONG nonsense.

I love the crumbs. 'He's better at cutting'

you will find this article interesting:

news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1307533,00.html