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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Home visits for children starting reception - why?

84 replies

corlan · 28/06/2010 16:01

I've just received a letter telling me that 'In preparation for your child starting at school we would like to visit your child at home'.
I've never heard of these visits happening before. Are there any primary teachers that know what the thinking behind this is?
(To be honest I'm not too keen, maybe because I work in a secondary school and I know how judgemental about student's homes and families we can all be!!)

OP posts:

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paisleyleaf · 30/06/2010 23:24

Most of the schools here do it. But I am so glad DD's didn't.
I'd have really felt obliged to tidy up a lot especially for it. And no doubt my DD would've spent the whole time hiding under her bed anyway.

sparkle12mar08 · 02/07/2010 11:25

I know I'm late to this, and I can't believe I'm in this position but...

I agree totally with Bonsoir Anna - over my dead body would I allow a teacher to visit our home officially. If the visit is to provide one on one with the child then why can't it be done on school premises. There is absolutely no need whatsoever for the location to be in the childs home. None. The parent would still have to be present at home and so they could similarly be present at the school. A total and utter violation of the privacy of the family home. It's my home, the sanctity and safety of everything that means, a place of retreat - a teacher has no place there, not even for 15 minutes.

civil · 02/07/2010 11:59

You can always say 'no' if you don't want the intrusion.

Teachers do it for the best of reasons - however, they probably make some judgements as everyone who visits a house does.

I was very disappointed when our home visit never materialised! It turns out the teacher had been in contact with nursery instead, and had intended to meet with our dd there. (Our dd was at home with us that week)

mrz · 03/07/2010 13:42

good grief sparkle12mar08 you aren't inviting a mad axe murderer into your living room or even Kim and Aggy teacher's are human beings doing a job!

piprabbit · 03/07/2010 14:29

mrz, I've been trying to think of an appropriate way of replying to sparkle - thank you for putting it better than I ever could.

sparkle12mar08 · 03/07/2010 22:28

How constructive and engaging mrz and piprabbit. I'm well aware of that thank you. My father was a teacher and gave way over the odds to his job. I simply see no need whatsoever for the teacher to be in the home. And I have no need to justify that to you either.

mrz · 04/07/2010 12:50

and not having the teacher in your home is your choice and perfectly fine but your reaction is more than a tad OTT - "over your dead body" ... " a total and utter violation"

as a teacher I think I would be more than a little worried about coming near if that's how you react to an offer of a chat ...

theyoungvisiter · 04/07/2010 12:55

Our school offers them. You are in no way obliged to accept (here at any rate).

I think they are very good idea, it gives the teacher a much better idea of your child in their own environment, and the child will feel more confident starting school having met the teacher on their own turf.

Also presumably it reduces post-code fraud for school places, although I doubt that's why they are in place.

theyoungvisiter · 04/07/2010 12:57

sparkle I think your reaction is very odd and OTT too!

Why on earth is having a teacher in your home a "total and utter violation"?! This is a person you'll be working with to ensure your child's welfare and good education - not cockroaches or SS officers.

It baffles me that people are prepared to trust their child into the care of someone they view with such mistrust.

Rhuidean · 04/07/2010 14:44

Just to add to the TV size aspect of the debate; we have a massive TV and DD was through the reading schemes and into the library by the end of reception. We did turn it off for the home visit tho

sparkle12mar08 · 04/07/2010 19:12

You are deliberately misunderstanding me I think. I don't mistrust the teacher, far from it, they are the professional educator, not me. I simply do not want them in my home - why do they need to be there? Give me any good reason why the meeting could only take place in the child's home, and I'll try and understand it.

And by the way, this is all academic for me (boom boom) - our primary does not do home visits, so it is a pure debating point for me.

mrz · 04/07/2010 19:32

because the government has suggested that they should do home visits as part of EYFS. I'm sure you appreciate that as teachers we don't particularly want to spend our evenings going from house to house either. The original EYFS document said teachers should do home visits but the newer document has dropped this and it is now only a suggestion.

www.teachers.tv/videos/developing-transitions

sparkle12mar08 · 04/07/2010 20:00

I've watched that video all the way through and I'm still not convinced that the only, the best place, for a nursery or reception intake introductory/familiarisation visit to take place, is in the childs home. Everything I saw could just as easily be conducted in the school. A good practitioner should be able to get exactly the same information out of the child (and parent) in the school or neutral setting imo.

Sorry. Not convinced

mrz · 04/07/2010 20:13

I'm not trying to convince you I have no interest in whether you think it is a good idea or not just as my own personal opinion isn't relevant
I'm answering your request for a good reason ... which is that teachers were told by the government to visit children in their homes as part of the transition process ... I imagine lots of people are told to do things by their employers that they would rather not do ...

ImSoNotTelling · 04/07/2010 20:16

Gosh never heard of this before in my life. I don't think they do them around here but who knows (DD starts next year).

I have to say I wouldn't be keen.

mrz · 04/07/2010 20:19

Perhaps now is the time to drop in that the teaching unions recommend going in pairs

MavisEnderby · 04/07/2010 20:22

TBH i think it is a lovely idea.You get to meet the teacher in home territory as it were and in my case it gave me the opportunity to highlight the fact that at the time dss Dad was very poorly and that ds had a disabled sister so the poor little bugger had a lot on his plate and this was able to be done discreetly and sensitively.

StayFrosty · 04/07/2010 20:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

theyoungvisiter · 04/07/2010 20:28

Sparkle - to answer you question - I am sure that the teacher could get an idea of a child in a school setting, but surely getting a fuller, rounder picture of the child and their family can only be a good thing?

Tell you what, why don't you convince me that a home visit is a bad idea and likely to be detrimental to the child's education?

It's about as logical. And as Mrz points out, about as relevant. Schools do this due to government guidelines, not because they fancy a nosy around your DVD collection. I'm sure they better things to do with their time.

Anyhoo round here it's optional and I opted in - although I think like everything else in education, this probably means that the children with involved, enthusiastic parents will get home visits and I'm not sure they are the ones who would benefit the most.

Fel1x · 04/07/2010 20:46

I think it's a fantastic idea. My ds starts school this year and it will be the only chance I get to chat to the teacher about him before he starts. He has aspergers and there is plenty the teacher needs to know!

Rollergirl1 · 04/07/2010 21:58

Why all the histrionics? If you feel uncomfortable letting a teacher into your home just decline the school visit. Job done.

And privacy is a completely individual thing. No there is probably not an "absolute need" for it. But I think you're missing the point or purposely looking for something sinister that just isn't there. I know that my DD will benefit from a home visit because she is very very shy. I know for a fact that she will interact with the teacher more in her own enviroment then she will in the classroom surrounded by 29 other children.

Are you so precious about other professionals setting foot in your home? Would you feel the same about a doctor, a midwife, a health visitor?

Rockbird · 04/07/2010 22:03

God I'm the most visitor-phobic person I know and even I could put the kettle on and hand a biscuit to a visiting teacher. Luckily DD doesn't start reception for another 2 years so I've plenty of time to tidy.

Parish nuns, now they're a different story...

sparkle12mar08 · 05/07/2010 10:18

Rollergirl - about health visitors, yes, I would - I've declined many a visit from them and many a clinic visit too. If I or my child is ill, we'll go to the doctors, not a HV - they are generally badly trained and ill informed in my opinion and I get nothing from them that I couldn't get from a better source elsewhere frankly. Yes of course I would accept a home visit from a doctor - if I was that ill of course it would be necessary! Same goes for midwives - if I couldn't get to the surgery, or if post birth of course I accepted. Not the same question at all. And yes, I would prefer to see most professionals in their setting, not in my home. It's mine, thanks.

And I notice how because I am an "involved and enthusiastic parent" (thank you very much) that has chosen to consider the issues and to engage in this debate, you're all happy to challenge and debate me - that's great. But where's the similar slating for Bonsior Anna who said exactly the same thing, and before I did?!

As for "visitor phobic", please! Entertaining for friends and family is one of my great pleasures - we love having open house here.

camaleon · 05/07/2010 11:55

Emy27 said 'I think there is a little bit of truth though in what nonnomum and colditz say.

Teachers are only humans and walking into a run down/untidy/no books etc type of house will give them a certain impression of the family, even if they choose to ignore that completely.'

I agree. I cannot see the big 'advantages' of this visit. Children normally like it, of course, but cannot see this immense waste of resources as worhty. Children meeting their teacher and the school is a very good idea, but the only thing the home visit adds is the risk of being labelled. You can decline the offer, but that would put you in the 'problem parent' circle which is the last think your child needs and we are all quite aware of it. I quite agree with Bonsoir and Sparkle too.

By the way... I did allow the visit in my house but I would have prefer not to, my dd loved it but it did not make her start any easeir or more difficult.

Mimi66 · 19/07/2010 18:37

I've just been told by my child's prospective teacher that the home visit IS compulsory (I asked).

How can this be right? Home visits involve parents INVITING teachers into the home. Any thoughts?

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