Questions for Year 1 parents evening....

[HonoriaGlossop]

got it coming up soon and I am pretty clear on a few things to ask ds' teacher - but just thought I'd ask on here what sort of things people have asked/are planning to, because there is always something I haven't thought of and many MN heads are better than one muzzy honoria head!

Ds is apparently beautifully behaved in school and a 'joy to teach' which is lovely, but he HATES school, only ever has negative things to say, isn't enthused by anything; he has particular muscle issues at the mo which mean he has alot of trouble writing/drawing and for which he's on the SEN register; he's also the youngest (still 5 on leaving yr 1) and can't read much at all where alot of his class are fluent.

Think that's about it really

TIA for any ideas....

What does he enjoy in school? Why do you think he tells me he doesn't enjoy school?

What does he choose to play with?

Who are his friends?

Eho would he choose to sit by? Who would choose him?

What are you doing to help his reading? What can I do to support you?

What are you doing to help his fine motor control?

Are you doing anything to ensure he doesn't have to do too much writing?

thanks cazzy - one or two of those things I already know as in who he chooses to play with and who would choose him etc

asking HER why she thinks he tells me he doesn't enjoy school is a brilliant idea though! It may make her look a little deeper into him as a person...obviously at the moment, he is no trouble at all and in a class of 30 all demanding your attention, it must be easy enough to just think 'oh he's fine'....

It's interesting you say 'are you doing anything to ensure he doesn't have to do too much writing'.....because I think we have been in the nicest possible way brow-beaten that he must just practice, because after all we all need to learn to write, and he HAS made progress so they don't feel he's needing what the Ed Psych initially recommended which was 'other ways of recording'. Do you think it is ok for a child to NOT have to do too much writing? My instinct would be for him not to, because it is turning him off so much.

Thanks for the ideas!

t is hard one but I would worry that I may put him off - if he is saying he hates school that rings alarm bells for me! I am not saying he must have no practise but maybe he could do the writing as part of literacy and for other subjects look for other ways of recording - so he still meeting the lesson objective without thinking god I hate X because it means more writing.

cazzy, that is a thought. I will definitely suggest that and see what she thinks.

There is alot of writing at the moment - obviously in literacy, also he does a half hour class at the start of the day at their suggestion which is apparently to help his reading but all the 'homework' is actually writing; also he has spellings to practice at home each week and a spelling test on Fridays.

I do think she needs to know what he says at home about school because he IS so negative, which just shows what an effort he's making at school to be so good.