Expected Standards Year One -sorry bit long 1st post!

[pinktortoise]

Hi first post on mumsnet but looking through thought that may get good advice here!

My son is in Year 1 at an Outstanding Ofsted Primary in a very middle class area. So far so good...he is very happy there and have no real issues with the school. The only niggling feeling is I wonder if their expectations / standards are sometimes a little high?

My ds is one of the youngest in Yr 1 (end July Bday). He is doing fine as far as I can see. Yet the teacher seems always to infer that there "may" be a problem with his literacy. He is reading ok , averaging 8/10 on spellings (in top grp for this), handwriting fine. I think what she is getting at is his writing of sentences. He can easily write a sentence if you ask him ie Write " I love playing in the park". It is more the free sort of writing - ie write what you thought about this book. He will write a spiel with no fullstops etc.

Now I feel this is fine and just where he is at developmentally and that he will just progress and that just because others already do it doesn't mean he is wrong?

My ds did suffer with glue ear and had slow speech development . Has come on since grommets at age 4. So maybe speech always marked him out as someone to watch?

Just resent being made to feel that there is something wrong and worrying when I think on a national average level he would be above the norm!

This always bugged me at my DDs school (also outstanding according to ofsted .)

DD1 was in an exceptionally bright year group. She came out as above national average in maths at the end of KS 1 but was put in the bottom set in year 3 (of four sets) because out of 120 children she was only one of 30 who did not get level 3.

I had to endure teachers telling me she was struggling in maths all the way through junior school until finally she had a teacher in year 6 who had recently worked in a lower achieving school and said she was fine (which I knew all along as I am a teacher) She is now in the top set for maths at her secondary school and is doing really well.

I wouldn't worry too much about his writing at this stage. He is really little and boys are often more reluctant to write. He sounds like he is doing fine.

Thanks - yes gut instinct is that he is fine and that school just very keen to maintain their high standard. Glad your dd doing so well.

Sounds like your DS is doing fine. From school point of view they need to maintain high standard, if your instinct tells you he's doing well and is happy then go with it!