DD finally settled but not being stretched

[BluLagoon]

Weve had a tricky time with my eldest DD at school and had thought she might have ADHD. She is bright but behaviour issues, refusing to go in, horrible rudeness and attitude after school etc especially in Y1.

We then moved house and did home ed for 6 months whilst a suitable school place came up. This was like a much needed ‘re-set’ time in which she also seemed to mature.

FF to now, she is in a local tiny village school and loves it, is finally settled and previous issues seem a thing of the past. However she is not being stretched and complains the lessons especially phonics are too easy.

I just found some extension maths work to complete after the main task; there were 3 different sheets which she has completed multiple times over. Unmarked and I assume teacher didn’t ask for them to be handed in.

I am unsure how to handle this, socially/emotionally she is settled but have been growing increasingly concerned the teacher is not differentiating effectively. It’s a mixed Y1/Y2 class. She is in Y2 but summer born. WWYD?

It might be useful to speak to the teacher and find out from her perspective. If you aren’t happy with her viewpoint, you can escalate, but I think it’s reasonable to find out more about it from the person in the classroom first.

Personally I would encourage reading, hobbies and social skills at that age. Education is about a lot more than literacy and numeracy and it will be dull her at school if she has already covered the classroom work.

why do kids always have to be 'stretched'. She is bright, she is happy, she will learn fast as things happen. Yes, reading music, other stuff.

Reminds me of a great song by Pink Floyd- and bricks!

It sounds like it has been a tough start to her school life for you both.

At this age there is a lot more going on in each lesson than there might appear to be at first glance - a phonics lesson might be covering a sound that your DD knows and others in the class are still learning, but within that lesson the songs/colouring/games whatever else they are doing are all building and reinforcing other skills. I would focus on encouraging your DD to give her all to all lessons regardless of whether she finds it 'too easy' - I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the teachers that they think our DC still have something to gain from the lessons they are delivering

I understand the need for a child to be stretched by the work they're doing at school, especially after a negative experience and school refusal.

I moved my DD school because the teacher was making her anxious on top of her not learning much at all academically there.

She is now at a school which is a much more positive environment and they do study a wider curriculum than the previous school which helps to stretch her a bit but there's no getting away from the fact that her reading, comprehension, logic and maths skills far outstrip what she does at school. It's not that I want to advance her further but I do want the work to entertain her brain enough to keep her engaged and for her to feel that school is worthwhile.

I have no doubt that school is imperative for DD to develop socially and academically but she needs to find the lessons interesting. I think the teacher actually does a good job of running a lesson for a class of 30 with vastly different abilities but beyond the measures they have in place on worksheets for kids to answer an optional in depth question there's not much they can do to cater for the outliers.

I don't think we can change what happens in the classroom as teachers are already up against it doing what they do so I just try to keep a love of learning new stuff and challenging the brain cells going at home whilst being careful not to advance maths/English skills even further.

Doing things like learning an instrument, having lots of art supplies, going out a lot and learning about the world, cooking, growing food, varied physical activity etc. help to keep DD ticking along quite happily.

She NEEDS to be at school as that's where she gets the most opportunity to develop other essential skills and the staff are great at supporting all the kids to develop 'soft' skills.

I don't think there's an answer though for occupying particularly able children fully in the classroom. I used to be sent to the office to do jobs once I'd finished my class work so I did things like counting the school dinner money in etc. and I'd be sent to the top class to choose a reading book which I'd spend ages doing until the bell rang. This was in the 80s though and having a kid wandering round school just wouldn't wash nowadays!

I could have written this, my DS in in Y2 and summer born. Currently halfway through ASD diagnosis. We had a period in Y1 with lots of tears, anxiety, refusal to engage with the lesson or enter the classroom. We have now resolved this and he is happy to go to school and is making friends but is bored by the work. I have decided that at this age, the social and confidence side is more important. We can give more challenging books at home and little maths bits and pieces as needed. He also does music lessons (in school) and a sport as a hobby outside of school.

I was a child that my parents claimed needed to be stretched more. As I got older I found this excruciating. I just wanted to be left to be a normal kid. As a young kid I enjoyed finding it easy. I could write lengthy imaginative stories, I got extra jobs to do. I was fine really.

Phonics are probably boring for most kids whether they are struggling or finding it easy. Many kids moan about school. If it wasn’t that the work was too easy it’d be something else, even if they quite like school. Primary education is as much about learning how to learn than actually learning loads of interesting stuff.

As others have said if the academic stuff is going well challenge her in other ways. She may be neurodivergent, she may not but it sounds like things that would enhance her social skills and emotional regulation, boost her confidence and support her mental health are key here. Is she getting lots of friends over to play? How many different sports has she tried? Does she like any? Might she want to run for the school council?

I think at this age there can be a stark difference not only academically but developmentally as well.
I teach across the primary age range and in one class (year 1/2), you've got children at one end, very independent and can tackle KS2 work, then at the other you've got children who can't read or write yet without huge levels of support, but they're also very immature as well and really should still be accessing provision.

In KS2 at least most children are capable of sitting and doing something independently. More so than a KS1 class anyway so you have a little more scope to stretch those who need it.

I'd worry more when they're a bit older, personally. Keep stretching and doing things on the side but most of all encourage social skills, maybe learning an instrument, going to museums, etc.

A bright kid should be well able to come up with her own enrichment tbqh. I’d just ask if it would be ok if, once she’s completed the lesson work, she might read quietly or maybe work on a story she’s writing herself. In a non-disruptive way to the class.

it’s a valuable life lesson - kids need to learn that not every lesson will be all singing, all dancing.

Some year 2 kids are reading Harry Potter and some still Biff and Kippering. It’s the nature of early primary.