is this a reasonable maths exercise to set for Reception children?!

[imaginaryfriend]

Dd came out of school looking very hot and bothered and said she'd done terribly in her maths corner task. The teacher asked the kids to write the numbers 1-100 in order. She got to 20 quite well then kept going backwards (writing 21 as 12 and so going through the teens again to 20 over and over). The teacher apparently told her her work was 'a bit of a mess.'

I was shocked they were asked to do this. Or is it a typical exercise to do? Dd's 5 1/2.

As a reception teacher (in days gone by..!) I am very surprised that she was set this work. It sounds SO boring and unless your dd is exceptionally gifted with numeracy, its a bit OTT. Know and write numbers to 100 - fine - but not like that!

Sounds dull, boring and monotunous, I wouldn't even have the patience to do that sod knows what a 5yr old would do

The teacher is, ahem, somewhat chilly at the best of times. She pushes the kids quite hard a think. And she's frequently thoughtless in what she says to them, puts them on the spot etc.

Hi, I'm a TA in a reception class and there is no way we would give that kind of exercise to any child, not even the very bright ones, we generally aim to get up to about 20.

sounds very odd. Ds is in reception and I can't remember them ever being asked to do anything like this. AFAIK they only go up to 20 for written work.

(but ds has only been there 1.5 terms and is not five yet, so maybe the older children do more?)

I think the teacher probably needed todoher Ocado order for the weekend or somesuch.

edam the older children definately don't do more, up to 20 is as high as they go

It's bizarre isn't it? I was helping dd to read some numbers this evening and there are so many (beyond 29) that she doesn't recognise at all even to read let alone to write. She can recite them from her head ok though. She's one of the older children in the year, I don't know if that makes a difference or not to what they get asked to do.