Just come back from 'helping' in my dd2's Yr 2 class. Again, I am left wondering why I bother getting her to go to school. The children don't sit and listen. Several just wander round the classroom randomly poking at things until the teacher requests they sit down. Some 'need' go to to the toilet 3 times in an hour and no-one notices when they don't return for 5 mins. Children are asked to be quiet when others are talking but it doesn't happen. There is a constant noise of chatting and constant level of poking, playing with others' hair, fiddlig with toys. Children don't seem to feel the need to listen to the teacher,and quite opnely say 'No' to TA's and parent helpers.
It is not a full blown riot, but fairly chaotic, very noisy. No sense of focus or purposefulness. No real respect for adults or other children.
Sometimes work is done in groups and the able switch off because it is so slow while the less able are effectively excluded because they aren't able to read and write yet.
It just feels horrible to see all these children so lost in a school. A large cohort are bright, so results are good despite this. However, there is so much potential that is wasted, while those that need help struggle to concentrate in such a melee.
Ofsted say it is an outstanding school. To me it feels lik a holding pen.
I suppose my question is - to other parents who help and to other teachers - is this normal?