Should state primary be doing more? And what should we do as parents?

[Wildwild]

DD has just finished year 1 at our local primary school. There’s loads we love about it, it’s at the top of our road and the catchment is really small so all her friends live within a five minute walk. This means it has a really great community feel. Her teachers have been lovely, she’s got a nice group of friends and seems happy there. For what it’s worth, the school received an outstanding Ofsted rating a few years ago which was maintained just before Christmas when they were inspected.

Whenever I have got any feedback (usually at parents evening) the teachers have said that she is performing well above average. Her year 1 teacher said she was so far ahead she could in theory skip Y2 and just go into key stage 2 but they’re not allowed to do that (and I’d hate her to be singled out from her peers). Apparently their main concern is that she’ll be bored and become disengaged.

But nobody is telling me how I can resolve this. They give the odd bit of homework sporadically on Google classroom but she does it in 30 seconds and asks for more. They never send home spellings or times tables. My mum (ex primary teacher) just keeps telling me I should move her to private but I can’t afford it.

I was wondering whether I should go to see the new class teacher at the beginning of term and ask her about how the school differentiate brighter children so they’re being challenged and what we as parents can do to support her. But I’m really conscious of being “that” parent!

Any teachers around who can advise? Am I over thinking and should just go with the flow or should I be doing something more? Should I get her a private tutor to give her new challenges or will she end up further ahead? Should I turn up at the local prep school and get her to read a copy of the Sunday Times to them and see if they can help with the fees?! (This last one is light hearted)

@Needlenardlenoo Goodness me! Proceed at the pace of the slowest?? So that’s the Sen dc then - with learning difficulties? Really? I’ve been a primary governor and that’s not what a good teacher does. Often the least able are revising the basic curriculum with a Ta to get them up to speed to access the new curriculum. They actually do get a more bespoke offering. Other dc are given the hardest follow up work straight away after the teacher checks they have understood the lesson. Any decent maths or literacy co-ordinator will be guiding and advising on this. Again it’s a more bespoke approach. They can be set homework that challenges too.

So many schools just don’t seem to help brighter dc or sen sc in the way they should. They both have needs.

I'm a secondary teacher and by no means an expert on primary, but it's worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of classrooms across the age range have only got one adult in them, so if you want to extend anyone you need a) resources and b) the kind of students that actually want to extend themselves and don't feel socially constrained in doing so.

Or setting/streaming but that is out of fashion.

Just to add that some of the most able students I've taught have had SEND.

If you have a bright DC they'd be held back at the bog standard state primary school. Honestly I feel at primary at least most of the stuff you can just home school them.

In year 5 I was teaching my DS polynomial long division and he was understanding it and getting it right. There were other children (not SEN) who were working at year 2 level. Come year 6 the school had to take these certain children to a separate room and tell them the answers for the SATS.

@Needlenardlenoo it isn’t out of fashion in primary schools. Dc are working with similar dc at their tables or might be set for English and maths for the mornings. This way schools get more through beyond expected and the borderline up to expected. As far as possible!