Dd not meeting age related expectations

[whostheshithead]

Hi all,

I have my dd3 in year 4 from this September and she's in the very bottom set for maths and possibly English too. She was working below expected in both English and maths by the end of summer and I don't feel the school is doing much in the way of support. They did have some small group intervention but I don't think its made much of a difference. She's a late July born so could be a factor.
I really want to focus on her this year now that dd1 GCSE's year is out of the way .

What can I do at home? I struggle so much with making time for workbooks etc. just feels like an uphill struggle but I'm so worried about her falling further and further behind and then getting to secondary like this.

Reading. Get her to read a variety of books and then chat about them to ensure she comprehends them.
try and make maths games - add up how much things cost, make up stories where she has to work things out.

Reading is the key to everything, we both work full time and often abroad with a year 3 and year 4. I even take reading books on long haul work trips and do bedtime story via FaceTime even if it is 2am where I am.

I don’t believe people don’t have 10/15 mins a day.

maths sums on the way to school. Count the red/blue cars and add them together. Cooking- weighing out ingredients. It doesn’t have to be workbooks.

The usual advice in these situations is to get her eyesight and hearing tested before anything else.

if she’s having trouble seeing or hearing then it’ll impact everything else, and fixing that is important.

so do that first and then try other stuff.

I truly think you need to dedicate time - it will make such a difference.
Then incorporate it into everyday things, simple maths when on a road trip, having dinner. Make it fun, not a chore. I remember my dad spending every Friday with us doing a spelling test and times table test after a week of reading, prep etc. it changed my life.
we also used to play the number plate game where you’d see the numbers, add or multiply them - quickest to get the answer got the point etc.
read together and get her to read to you and read alone.
i wouldn’t expect school to additional support, that would be my job as a parent.

agree with @Octavia64though, check there’s no underlying issue.

good luck x

Even ten minutes a day will help. Alternate between english and maths workbooks, she should be reading to you and discussing if she struggles with comprehension. Dh travels for work, I don’t but he also facetimes to read a bedtime story and reading in bed we do every night anyway.

She needs to read to you everyday, you need to read to her everyday. She could also listen to audiobooks. Get her immersed into stories. And get her to learn her times tables inside out. Practice everyday. Keep it as positive as possible as it might take a little while for her to notice results but she will and hopefully that will then motivate her.

Its hard if you feel she not being supported but unfortunately schools budgets are getting tighter and there are less staff in schools now to provide interventions. Potentially she’s not the only one struggling so little support there is will be stretched.

Don’t do workbooks - sorry but if she struggles with workbooks at school try something different at home.

1. read read read - get her to read you a book during cooking dinner , casually ask questions and discuss the book to grasp comprehension both literal and inferential questions and discussions.
2. Maths - cooking and the supermarket are great everyday examples of maths. This recipe is for 4 people. I need 400g of flour for 4 people if I have 5 people how much flour do I need?
3. mental maths questions - get ChatGPT to create questions and then if too hard or too easy ChatGPT can adjust

good luck

As PP have said, reading is really important (reading to her, her reading to you, discussing what you’ve read). You can also practice comprehension skills by discussing TV or film together. As she’s Y4 see if you can nail times tables this year, they’re nice and easy to practice when you’re out and about. If you want her to practice writing, put her in charge of shopping lists or writing short notes to family members.
Bear in mind that nowadays schools only have additional adults for children with EHCPs (and even then it’s not full-time) so she is unfortunately one of thirty for the teacher to support.

What have you done during the holidays? Do you use after school care?
Do 10 min maths (mathsfactors is good) and 20 min reading a day, every day. Make sure all homework is done properly.
State school days are so short, you have plenty of time.
Mine leave the house at 7:15 and are back home at 5, we still get at least 30 min work plus reading done (oldest is dyslexic- we had no choice). Both have a great work ethic as a consequence.

Could you afford a tutor? It’s worthy of you can afford it. Also daily reading and times tables practice.

I'm ashamed to admit the whole of the summer slipped away without any of the above mentioned. It's just been such a busy time with family , events . The weather has been good so we've been out and about a lot.

But thanks for all the replies . I'm definitely focusing on reading and times tables as a starting point , her times tables are already quite good.

I would suggest a tutor, but if you can't afford that focus on times tables and reading. Lots and lots of reading together and checking for understanding of the plot, characters' motivations and intentions, word meanings and sequencing.

The most important thing is to introduce a habit. Every day at the same time, no exceptions . Otherwise year 4 will slip away as well.
you also need to identify the issues - if her timetables are good, no point practicing them! Ask her teacher to find out the weak points, and use mathsfactor or similar from today!

Do ask the school for an Ed psy assessment- you need to know if there are any learning difficulties. It will help you - and the school - put in place the appropriate support

This is the most important piece of advice.

Then focus on talking with her and reading together.

Check what school are putting in place and ask her teacher if there is anything specific to practise to back up what is being taught in school.

If she hasn’t already got one, find a hobby where she can see success through her efforts. She is probably working harder than her peers and seeing them move ahead academically whilst she isn’t making as much progress.

If it's not a priority for you, why should she see it as important?

Thanks everyone. Definitely making an appointment with opticians. Also got a meeting with her class teacher today. Looking into tutoring as well. I always think I can do it myself but the time slips away and I'm so caught up doing other things , if it's a set time wirh a tutor and I'm paying for it I definitely will make sure she goes.

For both of you, a routine with set times is important.
Assuming state school and no after school clubs, you have 4 hours every evening. That is a lot! so “every day at 5pm we read for 30 minutes. then a 30 min break, then 15 minutes math”. set timers
A tutor once a week won’t be enough, you need to put the work in between.

Just popping on to say I empathise so much with struggling to fit in homework and reading. My daughter is Y5 and by the time we’ve got home, tea sorted, her sister sorted etc I feel KNACKERED and just don’t have it in me to ask her to do the work, supervise it etc then mark it. I don’t have the energy at all.
we are preparing for 11+ so I basically force myself to stay consistent and ensure she is doing her work but god it is hard
think it’s just a case of being a bit disciplined and sitting down even 10 minutes a day will be beneficial, good luck

There isn't a chance any school I've worked in would use a EP slot just for someone working at the lower end of the cohort. Looking just at SATS attainment, at least a quarter of children across England are below age expectations. We get EP time for one, maybe two children a year.

It's good the school has done interventions. Reading at least 5 times a week would help, as would practising maths in some way - either a workbook, app or in a practical sense. I'd look up the objectives for Y4 maths though to ensure you are pitching questions at the right level. Y4s should be able to use the four operations and deal with numbers up to 10,000. There is also a big focus on fractions and decimals (to two places).

If you can afford it, get a good tutor to assess her and fill in any gaps in knowledge from the beginning (preferably one experienced in dyslexia and dyscalculia). She or he will then work with her to achieve age-related expectations (and beyond).

Why only eyesight and not also the hearing test?

You need to understand the curriculum and her starting point. There is no point working on year 3 maths with her if she hasn’t grasped year 2 skills. For specific skills orchard games can be good. Year 4 is focused on nailing times tables.

Buy a set of the reading scheme books or ask school if they can change her reading book more frequently and get her to read to you every night but also don’t forget to keep reading to her every night. Don’t just read, make sure you understands the vocab, ask questions like how do you think the character feels and say oh that was an interesting word why do you think the author used that word.

A tutor once a week is goof but 10 mjns reading to you every day is even better.

Read, read, read and TALK about what you are reading. Why did he do that? What might happen next? Why did the author choose that way to say it? How would you describe it?

Build maths into every day life, lots of ideas here: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/helping-children-maths/family-maths-toolkit

Make sure number bonds and times tables are secure. Chant, sing, Hit The Button, Times Table Rockstars, etc.