What should I expect for ds who is quite ahead of general reception curriculum, what's best practice?

[themumfromdelmonte]

It's a naff question I know. I've even name changed for this.

Ds is in reception. He can read at about ORT level 2. He is at about level 6 in reading on the EYFS stage early learning goals, spells stuff, level 8 for numeracy (can add, subtract, count to 200, 1 less than, 2 less than a number and all that)

Writing is about average and not his thing and I don't persuade or push him with that as it's ok.

So other than writing and having a lovely time playing unless there is some form of differentiation he isn't going to learn much new that's academic this year at school. I know he will learn social stuff and general life stuff and how to be at school (although the latter comes naturally to him as he is quite mature according to the staff).
There are no reading books being sent home. Tehy are doing first phonics slowly.
He's having a lovely time playing, isn't bored at all.

Some of you will say that's all that is important. I am not a pushy mum, really I am not. BUT if all children are meant to matter and progress in reception, even if it's via play, how can I ensure my ds progresses too?

What works well at this age in this situation?

Mixing in with year one for some lessons? Differentiation in the classroom (and how can this realistically be done in a way which is more than an extra question for ds and his type - I assume he isn't the only one who is at this level).
Accepting he won't learn much in literacy and numeracy at school?

Can I just ask about Maths- how do you know if dc's Maths is better than average? What was OP basing it on?

DC is just 4 and just started reception. He is crazy about numbers. He can count to 500 or more if left to get on with it, and often counts to himself. He can see patterns, e.g. when my ds is 3 I will be 7, when she is 5 I will be 9 etc, or all the house numbers on thsi street are odd, the next one will be 37, then 39, stuff like that. He can add and subtract units and sometimes tens and units. He can 'read' any number e.g. he will read the number plates of cars. He worked out that two even nos added will always be even and so will two odd nos and announced this to me and dh at dinner.

I find it all a bit freaky as I like numbers but am no mathematician. TBH would rather he liked doing drawings as I know what to do with that!!

I was also more worried that the obsession with numbers was a sign of aspergers than anything. But does it sound as if I should be asking more qus of school re: maths provision for dc?
Sorry to hijack but wonder how you know what is average, below, above..

Wook. Ds is NOT off the scale but he is beyond average based on reading around and basic knowledge of child development from my work. Average seems to be maybe counting to 20 or 30 and starting to understand one less and one more than and the concept of taking away and adding.

Your ds sounds really very good at this maths lark and certainly not average!

Is there anything else about him that makes you worry about aspergers or just this?

One of the teachers on here will give you a better idea though.

Zoya re: "So you worked out all that stuff about levels yourself? It is quite unusual IME to be so preoccupied so early in your child's educational career with a particular set of measures of progress. I'm assuming this is your first child to go into school? you could drive yourself nuts with that stuff"

I see your point but I have related work interests which is why I've had to look at the EYFS goals. It's natural imho to then relate them to your own kid if you have to look at this info anyway.
I never pressure ds so there's no worry there. I'm simply very interested in child development not obsesses with my own kid.

To answer your question is I suspect it depends massively on the school.

My dcs schoool is also supposedly outstanding yeyt seems to do almost nothing to differentiate upwards and will only extend the more challenged if they are not achieving the (too low IMHO) targets!

It's next Ofsted must be due soon ad I will be very interested in what they say!

Not sure how relevant this is but my ds was in Reception last year and started to join the Year 1 class for some phonics and reading after Christmas last year. This was just a small part of his day but he seemed to enjoy it.

Clayhead - that sounds good - did it go well?
Nice that he could go off and do appropriate work but only for a minority of the time so he didn't miss out on the fun of reception or feel too different.

Yes, he is now in year 1 and does the same with a year 2 class!

I am glad that he does this but I do believe that there is so much opportunity for the school to broaden his knowledge at this stage that it is not the be all and end all.

I think that sort of thing for numeracy would be my ideal for him - maybe two sessions a week or something. I doubt he'd be at an appropriate level with reading to do this with year one though as they will be too far ahead.

As I said below, this was the sort of thing the school were talking about doing generally.

Anyway will await the teacher's views next week!

I suspect best practice is different for different children. Ds was free reading in reception & very able at maths. He was also very happy just getting on with whatever was going on & while I worried a bit at the time it doesn't seem to have done any harm at all in the long run. But there are some parents on mumsnet who have pushed hard for accelerated work &/or more individualised provision as they see it as their child's right not to coast &/or because their child is bored at school & they worry about them becoming turned off learning and I can understand their viewpoint too - I should think that sort of provision is right in some cases. I know some children that have 'moved up' a year group too (which is another option, though tends to be frowned upon these days) for some it's worked out really well & others it hasn't, so again what works well for one child doesn't work well for all & it's really not easy to know in advance which category your child might be in.

That's a very good point and presumably the best schools do have an individualised approach.

Ds couldn't really go up a year realistically as he's summer born and would be so much younger.

He's not bored so far and very happy pottering with crafts and games etc. so I don't want them to do anything drastic like that anyway.

Your ds sounds fairly similar to mine but he is in Yr1 now, he went upto Yr1 to do Maths last year and enjoyed it but it was easily done as the classes were both based in the same end of the school and did the same topics (lots of their maths was topic/project based). I wasn't really concerned, my main aim for the first few years were that he learns to be a little bit more independent and can get along with people but primarily that he enjoys school and wants to go. Fwiw he still says all they do is play, but I was in today helping and they were measuring objects and he was plotting them on a graph on the whiteboard, sorting into categories etc and when I asked him about it tonight he said that was playing.

I think a lot of it depends on the school/teacher I trust his teacher to know how best to manage all the children and she came to me to initiate the different things but you may feel differently if you don't have the same faith in the teacher.

I'm not sure - if you do something obviously different with a child, like taking them to another year for their maths lessons, then you are singling them out & just sometimes that can lead to bullying etc. The older group often don't take too well to being outshone by someone younger too, so it's not always ideal. There is also the issue of what happens when they get to the top of the school & there is no year above to go to.

My experience is that some teachers are far better at giving a child work at a suitable level in the normal classroom than others, and that for most children having a good teacher in the normal environment is the best solution. It is also much better if there is another child or children in the class working at the same (or quite close) level so they are not isolated, but of course that's not always so easy to arrange.

snorkie, I suppose that depends on the school as well. They mix and match quite a bit in our school, with mixed classes anyway.
So there hasn't been a problem with bullying etc.

Similarly if the plan is mixed cross-year workgroups for some subjects at our school then going into one of these groups will be normalised and less of a problem for ds I think.

If there's just one child doing something different it's far more likely to be a problem than if several children are. Even if the other children aren't in the same class - it becomes 'something that happens' rather than 'something that xyz does because he's nerdy'. And yes thirdname, I agree. The ethos of the school plays a big part in whether or not such interventions lead to bullying too.

If your school is anything like DS's, you will fnd that the pace and pressure cranks up in Yr 1, that they will discreetly be put on tables according to ability and level, and that this will be even more apparant in Yr2.

KS1 is wholly different from Foundation..if he's happy, give him interesting things to do at home, and get ready to talk to the school more in Yr 1.

Like you, mumfromdelmonte we have teacher parent interviews next week so I'll be interested to hear the teacher's take on things.

I like to think of ds being happy at school first and foremost and doing all the social stuff and role play, making friends, enjoying imaginary worlds and so on.

But: from experience of secondary school teaching, albeit in very challenging schools, the system seems to put a ceiling on what children could be achieving at times- just the way timetables etc are organised, pressures on teachers, subjects being compartmentalised, size of classes etc.

Primary schools seem a little more flexible and better organised to me, and definitely more on the case with differentiation and individualised learning, but maybe I am just imagining this!

Hope your ds gets what he needs and that mine does too.

BTW on the dfes standards site there are some little 'targets for pupils' maths booklets for parents you can download. The targets do seem to be set low, but then again, I have seen 11 yr olds and older in mainstream school who cannot do some of the things expected at 5.

As for aspergers, no, nothing else would fit so I think I am guilty of worrying on the basis of a very stereotyped and ignorant view of the condition!

How did it go Wook?

Ours was pretty bland and really about general settling in.

Apparently they differentiate by asking more stretching questions for those who are ready for that and giving them some extra play tasks.

No reading books home yet but he won't have to start at the beginning of the reading scheme - teacher asked I give her a steer as to where ds is at nearer the time if needed.

No sign of reading individually in class. Is that normal?

I like to hear individual children reading but many schools continue using the literacy strategy guidance of guided reading (groups) with different books to those sent home.

From what I can tell, all they are doing is Jolly Phonics individual letters as a class and if the teacher reads a book she will pick out the odd word and ask the whole class what it is or talk about it.

Thus we are at half term and although it is early days there is no sign at all of anything that is appropriate for those who are already reading. Does this matter?

I have 2 boys who are reading and have books to take home and in the class, the rest of the class are working on sounds and word cards.

Mrz (or anyone) when, in general, do they start to learn to write in reception?

So should I have another chat to the teacher and ask her if he can have books home or something appropriate e.g. ten mins a week with someone reading at his level?

Part of me thinks he's fine and happy and it doesn't matter. The other part thinks all children should be progressing with their reading etc.

The teacher has a very play based learning approach which is fine but surely that still needs to respond to the different starting points of the children in the class?

My class are learning how to form letters correctly now and dictation of short words. We do lots of story telling and composing stories that an adult records for the children. In general most won't be ready to write (independently ) until the summer term. I won't on the principal "If they can't say it they can't write it!"

MRZ would love your view on my last post after the writing one.