Please reassure me - did your child's concentration greatly improve after Year 1?

[AttillaTheHan]

Have just got back from ds's parent's evening and the teacher is really worried about his concentration. TBH it's no big surprise as he has always been a drifter rather than a child who can sit still and concentrate on one particulr thing for a period of time.

He is in the bottom groups in his class for most things and his writing and fine motor skills are also a little behind, not helped by his concentration...

We have really tried to support his learning at home as well and have done lots of things with him to improve his fine motor skills but the teacher says that he has not made the progress that she was expecting.

Please reassure me if you had a dc who was in a similar position in year one and has improved since then....
TIA

anyone?

Yes mine did.

My Ds was not really ready to start formal learning until Yr2.(this year)

is your son a summer birthday?

My Ds is, and also generally immature and babyish, late language, still has baby pudge, toddler gait when running etc etc.

In Yr 2 he was suddenly ready to learn and leanrt more in 6 mths than in all reception and Yr1. he was still bottom groups though so we've moved him to a private school and he's gone back to Yr1 and is doing great happily near the top of the class.

But yes, concentration and general readiness was not there until Yr2.

I hope mine does...

DS2 is 5 (6 in May) and doesn't concentrate well. He isn't actually behind in his work, but he doesn't concentrate at all in class and often gets into trouble.

He has started to improve during the past month or two, so I'm hoping that next year he will be ready for more formal learning.

Both my boys suffered from poor concentration according to their yr1 teachers. I worried myself sick because of what DS1's teacher said, but his teachers in YRs 2 & 3 didn't think it was a problem at all.

So, when they said the same about DS2 in y1, I asked, "typical of a 5yo boy or worse than that?" and she had to admit, that he was no worse than any of the other boys in the class!

I don't think teachers always understand what their throw away comments do to us mums and they have to find something to say at parents' evening!

BTW DS1 is now yr 4 and in top groups for everything. DS2 is yr2, still struggling a bit with reading, but apparently gifted and talented for maths & science (nonsense, but at least he's doing well)

ds1 settled down a lot for Yr 2. Unfortunately it has taken him 2 terms to settle down and start concentrating in Yr 3. I think it's because he's moved up to the Juniors and is in a different building etc. and it takes a while to get to grips with new structure and routine.

I imagine your ds may be the same with Yr 1 after foundation stage. Also general maturity can be an issue at this age. Some Yr 1 children are still only 5 1/2 and while they can be stretched academically, they can sometimes only do this work in short bursts, with lots of physical activity in between times.

Some children are not ready in Yr 1 to sit down for ages and do quite abstract work, but many schools encourage that very early in Yr 1 which can be quite off-putting. I guess your ds will gradually learn how to concentrate and mature sufficiently to keep focussed, then his work will catch up. I wouldn't worry too much at this stage unless he is not enjoying school because he feels constricted by it.

Agree with all of above; DS1 (nearly 7) still has some concentration issues and it was mentioned in our parents evening. With the stuff he likes he concentrates, stuff he doesn't, he doesn't. Teacher said he wasn't eager to learn as some (demonstrated by him not wanting to stay in at break to redo some work, which I thought was entirely normal, but obviously not).
Last year he wasn't ready for any formal work - fortunately his yr 1 teacher was ex steiner so was excellent with him. But yr 2 has been a shock for him, though he has really settled down in the last month.
Bridesheadegardless interested in your experience as we are thinking of private too. Current teacher says he has great potential but isn't showing it. He really doesn't click with her and could do with more teacher input than he gets. Top group for reading but bottom for writing and numeracy and it affects his confidence. Did you move for same sort of reasons?

Yes, dd's concentration is starting to improve now in yr 2. She is summer birthday, immature for age and wasn't ready to learn until quite recently, really. Now she's coming on, but is still some way behind and is in bottom groups for everything. Her (very good) state school won't entertain keeping her back a year, and we can't afford private.

Brideshead, my dd sounds very like your ds. We did change dd's school in yr 1 as her old school were only really geared up for the children who could keep up. dd didn't learn much for the 1st 2 terms of yr1, until we moved her - but they wouldn't keep her down in yr 1 this year. She won't be ready for juniors in sept but there's not much we can do - am considering getting a tutor for the summer hols.

my dd is definitely the dreamer type. In her own world a lot of the time!

Houseofboys, my ds was bottom groups for everyting, and becoming aware of this which was our biggest concern. He was starting to make good progress, as he is now ready for for learning, but was stil behind everyone else.

We've moved him into private, and he'sgone into a year 1 class, and as if my magic, all 'learning difficulties' have disappeared overnight. He is doing well is confident and is top/average in the class. He doesn't need an IEP or any SENCo input as all the class work is appropriate.

Just shows that if you put a little flexibility into the system the child's 'problems' can disappear, yet we persist in insisting it's the child with the problem and giving IEP's and discussing what they can't do.

I always knew that if he could have just started school in the september after he was fie instead of the year before he'd never have had any issues and I'm sure he'd still be in the state system.

This is not an option though in state eductaion so we've gone private for this flexibilty.

Brideshead, agree entirely. No flexibility at all - and teachers who show any (like DS yr1 teacher who used steiner methods) was pushed out after 18months. Aren't many private schools even more results orientated though?

I think there are many differnt sorts of private schools tbh.

Obviously the one we've gone for is non academically selective.

It seems to be that many private schools now cater well for the very bright/advanced and the struggling/slower end of the spectrum both of which feel that their needs are not met well in state education, where larger classes, national curriculum and SATs are now prescriptive and restrictive.

The school we've gone for is used by many parents as a training ground for the grammar and is very successful at this. That's not what we are using it for though, we are using it for the flexibility on year groups and the small classes, and the school are happy to meet these needs. we are not the only ones there for these reasons.

Don't private schools now educate about 20% of SEN pupils? as somnay parenst are unhappy with the support in state eductaion? I may have that perentage wrong, but it is high, considering the actuaal percnetage in private eductaion.

As I said though, with a bit of flexibility my sons 'SEN' have disappeared, lieralyy overnight.

The state system seems to make a rod for it's own back.

I can believe that figure. You're not talking about Colyton grammar are you, by any chance?

As I say the figure may be wrong, I heard it on the radio last week and all I remember was it was a shockingly high number.

No not that grammar, I'm in the west midlands and we have a plethora of grammar schools.

Brideshead I can believe that figure too. dd's state school is very good but still insists on keeping her with her peer group, even though she'd fit in much better, socially and academically, with the year below. She has an IEP and extra help, which I think probably wouldn't be required if she were still in yr 1. She is socially immature too and I think some of her classmates think she's a bit strange - I don't think they're nasty to her but tend to leave her out of things as they're not on the same wavelength. Her speech is behind as well - she was a late talker.

Paddington she sounds so much like my DS. He is very sociable but immature compared to many of his Yr2 friends (some of who of course are nearly a year older anyway.)

He still has a giddy, excitability and will squeal with laughter at silly things, whereas some of the boys in his old Year2 class would have a rather mature converstaion with you about school.

He was a late talker too, and still even now just still has that 'baby' look, you know the chubby face and hands?

His new school were concerned about the social side of him going into Yr1, I assured them it wouldn't be an issue and I was right, he is more at their stage of development in all ways.

Brideshead yes I know exactly what you mean. dd still has a lisp, and also still has all her baby teeth (not that that's relevant, it's just another thing!) She gets along best with my friend's boys, who are 4 and just 6. Some kids in her class at school want to talk about football and the X Factor, whereas dd is still into the shows on Nick Jr!
I'm glad things have worked out so well for your ds.

Year 1 was a complete right off for us - teacher nagged me constantly about my ds's inability to concentrate. The year was painful for us both, I wish I'd kept him at home.

Year 2 has been better but he has a way to go before it doesn't get a mention. Problem now is the teacher has such low expectations of him - she is always telling me about how surprised she is that he knows things or can do something, she says it like she always expects him to be crap at everything, I find it quite depressing.

My Mum tells me that both my brothers were exactly the same - one is now an Operations Director for a Blue Chip Company and the other (who we believe was undiagnosed dyslexic) runs he own very successful business....I try to keep them in my mind when I listen to the teachers complain at me for 10 mins about how inconvenient it is to have a less than perfect child in their class!

The baby teeth may be relevant you know, there has been research lately into a link between teeth development and readiness to read, and that one often follows the other (with some children.)

Obviously baby teeth don't stop you redaing, but it makes sense that it may be a measure of development, and that physical deveopement may be linked to cognitive and readiness to learn in certain ways.

It's early days for my ds at new school, but seems to be gong well so far. I feel a sense of relief tbh, like I knew all along what he needed and now he's got it.