Teachers home visits for kids starting reception

[Auk1]

My neighbours just had a huge row about this. Shes fine, he most definitely is not. Overheard, (all windows are open as its so hot!) he said,” No f…ing way is any teacher coming in this house! Kids see their teacher's at school and thats that. Anyone comes knocking and they will meet with a violent f… ing reception!” He was so angry. He went on to say he knows of someone who is a meth head and has just started teaching, that there is no way he wants some random in his house. Then the front door slammed and she walked off down the road with her youngest.
I actually home ed my autistic 11 year old who heard all of this too. He piped up and said, “ Do you know what mum? The whole school system is broken and needs to be changed.” He went on to inform me that school has barely changed since it started, and that originally it was to train up factory workers!

I guess it depends on the circumstances. Many families round here live in overcrowded accommodation with parents or children sleeping in living areas. So home visits seem a bit inappropriate in those circumstances.

These visits are normal for a lot of schools...some don't do them. My son's school didn't, we went in to meet the teacher at school a week before starting.
But the point is, they are almost always (in my experience) offered to parents on a voluntary basis, and aren't compulsory. Any parent can decline.
The dad sounds like a volatile gimp at best, and an abuser at worst. Massive overreaction in any case. However, sometimes thing do get lost in translation in school communications with families. If someone has low literacy skills and these things aren't made explicit, the can sometimes trigger responses like these. Depending on background, a lot of parents can really struggle with professionals and statutory service involvement into their private lives and homes. Often with no sinister reason for it.

Since your son has ASD and understands that school isn't for everyone, he should understand that little kids might prefer meeting their teacher without the other 29 kids there and not being in the school building might make it a more worthwhile meeting.
He did not say the factory worker speech unless he's parroting what you have said. While the system is broken, it's not because of reception home visits 😂

Home visits are a nice thing to offer for new Reception children.

Your neighbour is a psychopath.

I home ed too and while there are lots of things wrong with the school system, home visits to ease children into school is not one of them.

I'm a childminder and also offer home visits by the way.

My son was simply responding to what he heard the neighbour saying. Of course he understands that school isn't for everyone. He didn't actually give an opinion on what he thinks about home visits.

My DD found her teachers home visit helpful and was much less anxious about starting school after the home visit. In fact she ran off happily on her first day looking for new friends. So I’m in favour. DD’s primary only had some children in during the morning for the first couple of weeks of term and the teacher did home visits in the afternoon some days. The whole thing took about 20 minutes and the teacher spent 10 of them playing with DD and also asked me a few questions about DD.

Schooling is provided by the government to train the population to be economically useful for the country and yes, traditionally, that would have been to become factory workers for the majority of the population. Some of the population still do work in factories so in a sense, it does train factory workers. However, your son is incorrect to suggest that it has barely changed since it started. Yes, the basics (the three 'r's) are still the basics (although teaching methods have changed), but otherwise it is unrecognisable from 19th century schooling.

Your "fact" about homework is extremely dubious. In some cases, at some times, it may have been used as a punishment, but there is little evidence that it was invented for that purpose or ever regularly used as a punishment. Personally I don't think homework is advantageous but I don't think alluding to it as a punishment is helpful.

Home visits are optional not something that is forced upon families.
When my Youngest started school we were glad for her teacher to visit, because she has special needs and it was important for her teacher to have an opportunity to see her individually rather then just in amongst a group of children.
However I agree with your child on the whole school factor. They are geared up to mould children into a certain level of compliance so that they go on to follow rules, work earn and pay tax. But I'd like to think that most teachers are just normal human beings that genuinely care for the children and aren't just a robot programmed for some sort of government control system.
Regardless we all have a choice whether to send them or not, it's only compulsory if you're registered and it's important for parents to have open dialogue with their kids.

Too intrusive. And not everyone lives in a lovely house. Teachers would judge. They would have an impression in their mind about home life and that affects their expectations of the child

this. We live in a small home because I decided when i moved for work to keep my large 5 bedroom house in another part of the country. But I know that people judge me on my small home. Teachers would be the same.

I don't necessarily feel like he's parroting anything said by OP. He is a bright boy with ASD - likely taking a very autonomous approach to learning. I'd say he's likely put his neurodivergent research skills to use and hyperfocussed on school vs EHE (as often ASD YP will focus on their own individual circumstances) and has read this opinion for himself. It's one that does pop up in history of education. He won't have had to look to deeply before stumbling upon "I want a nation of workers not thinkers" quote attributed to Rockerfeller and explored that.

Agree, thanks!

I would be calling the school to avoid the possibility of the violent reception that he promised. I guess they have one planned.

As for home visits, it helped my DC feel more comfortable when starting school - no issue from me.

From a future safeguarding perspective it allows teachers to be aware of any potential issues.

“ Do you know what mum? The whole school system is broken and needs to be changed.”

Reminds me of the Rebecca meme

Not sure about easier for the parents. Especially if they need to take day off work and child put of childcare ( thst they pay for) to sit around waiting for a teacher to show up

My eldest ( now 32) had home visit before starting reception and she was in school nursery at the time so seemed a bit pointless. The teacher turned up three quarters of and hour late and spent 10 minutes there asking dd1 questions which she refused to answer

My house is very clean and tidy, but I still wouldn't want a teacher coming here. Intrusive and unnecessary.

Unless of course parents could also visit teachers to nose at their home, to check what kind of person will be teaching their child? No, thought not.

I think home visits are great, we had one yesterday ready for my little one to start school. They give teachers an insight into the home, meet the family, see any potential safeguarding issues in a positive and friendly way. But I think your 11 year olds view on schooling is ignorant and unwarranted from a home educated child.

We declined the visit as they were scheduled for during the day and we were both at work and DT’s at nursery. We didn’t feel it was necessary.

Maybe you should do some research regarding homework. Or would you like me to upload some links?
As I've already stated, homework works for some kids, but is a huge struggle for others.

Yes i agree, i think i will contact the school regarding this. Its not the first time he's behaved this way.

Which one?

I never knew home visits were a thing until I read it on here last year. When did it start becoming the norm?

@doroda I have no interest in visiting my kids teachers homes because I couldn't care less whether or not my kids teachers clean their homes. I'm only interested in how they teach my children.

I think there is a lot of projection here - everyone thinking that teachers want to check your house is clean, that's not what it's for - but if you think it is - then like I said earlier, just clean it, this one time.

It was a thing with my eldest about 13 years ago. It's very common but not sure if it is the norm or not.

I am a retired teacher a mother and a grandmother. I would have been delighted to have teacher visits. Come in, have a cup of tea, see the kids’ bedrooms… then show the books, ask for recommendations for other books etc maybe from the library. If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. If you worry about having fewer things than others that isn’t what teachers are interested in. The want to help where help is needed.