State, private or Homeed?

[halia]

we're not happy with DS progress and support at his current (ofsted rated good) state primary. I have been looking into options and need some advice on what to do/ or what to consider when I make my mind up:
1: stay where he is and trust that next year will be better: Cost 0, impact minimal
2: Stay where he is, change my working hrs so I have more time after school and spend it with DS to help him progress Cost £5-10k
3: move him to another state primary: no cost but not sure if its doable
4: Go private: Cost for 2 years £9k
5: Home ed: I'd have to give up my job which would probably put a damper on my career Cost £15k (1yr)

I wouldn't think about the 'now' -I would think about the long term.
What did you hope he would achieve? I would ask questions about how he has settled, is he happy, does he interact well with the rest of the class, can he share, is he enthusiastic about school? He is laying the foundation, the best thing the school can do is give him a love of learning.
If you are expecting him to sit down and fill in worksheets and write a lot then I think that you will be disappointed where ever he goes.They learn through play at that age.
IF you are negative about all my above I would look at the options, but if he is happy and enthusiastic leave well alone.
If you are hoping that he will go on to university then bear in mind that it cost a lot and will cost even more when he gets to that age. You really need to start saving now.
If you go private are you going to do it all the way through to 18yrs? Can you afford it for 13 years with university fees afterwards and the inevitable extras that go with private education?
Do you want to HE for 13 years or is it a stop gap? Do you want to be out of the job market all that time? Have you any interest in education? Do you know what he should be achieving?
If you are only thinking of the options for the next 2 years what do you expect him to do then?
Have you had a good chat with the teacher? Have you discussed his lack of progress with the Head?
Some DC just take their time and over long term do better.My DC was in the bottom maths group all through primary but he got an A at A'level.
If your DC was a plant you wouldn't dig him up to see how the roots are doing-you would give him time!
Unless he is unhappy, I would at least give it another year. Do a lot at home (not academically) play chess, card games, talk, read recipes and cook, read books together, ask questions about the stories, act them out-visit the library often-have fun.

maybe you should go into the year 1 class and see what some of the children there have been doing, if it seems like they too are not making much progress then think about changing schools- remember though not all private schools are good!

I too think you may be a bit hasty. Young children develop in fits and starts and if you moved him at Reception they may well not be comparing like with like on the EY assessments. Also having had the benefit of sevral years of dc schooling(approx 12 class teachers and a number of subject teachers) you and dc will tend to gel better with some teachers more so than others and the feedback may reflect that. Just because a school is well regarded overall won't automatically mean that you will regard all the staff and its curriculum equally, whatever system you are in. If you went private (and 9k would be exceptionally cheap around here too), is there even a place at such short notice and what would you do at year 3 ?

Hi halia

i had a very similar problem this time last year and posted this if you are interested. In the end we did it and moved DD into year one at the private school and it was the best thing we have ever done! The school has been fantastic and everything she has done in the last year has really challenged her (in the right way - not ott) and she has been incredibly happy there - much more so than in her old local infants school which was outstanding ofsted and a lovely school in the main, but for us the smaller classes really suit DD. Happy to talk more about it if you want but I would say if you are in any doubt and can afford it then go for it! Good luck!

If you want your child to begin to learn to read in YR this is not an unrealistic expectation. But it should not cost 1000s of pounds in lost income, or many hours of instruction in addition to the school day.

A cheap and effective way is to use the BRI books from www.piperbooks.co.uk.

I do bang on about these books but they are brilliant for parents to use at home with their children, are extremely user-friendly, and don't cost much in time or money.

You could work and He, y'know... Depends on your job, so you might have to change career, but it is very possible- remember HE doesn't have to happen between 9 and 3, Monday to Friday, and it doesn't have to happen in the home. You could work from home, do flexitime, do shifts that fit around any childcare you can find and so on.

I personally (although you might not be the same) hate the idea of a child having to do a full day at school, then study and activities on top of that. They just don't have enough time to run about getting mucky. Hence why we are going to HE- we don't have enough faith in the school system and so would like our children to do extra at home, and that wouldn't leave them with enough free time.

Neither of my children learnt to read in Reception. One of them is now slightly above National Guidelines, the other (at 13) reads more confidently than most of the undergraduates I teach. Very glad that I didn't unsettle them by keeping moving them, but just kept encouraging them to take an interest in books.

Pisces' advice seems excellent to me: look at your ds and see if he is actually happy. At this age it is not so much about how he seems to be learning, it is about what attitude he is learning.

I agree with Cory. 2 of my 3 ended reception barely recognising a few words (and the third started reception reading so recpetion can't take any credit for that). All 3 are now avid bookworms reading voraciously, they're 10, 8 and just 6. They are very young still at the end of reception.

I would wait and see how he does with year 1, which is totally different from Reception. all of mine made far more progress then.

Children 'catch' reading, they're not 'taught it' according to Sue Palmer.

So, at home you should just carry on enjoying reading bedtime stories to your ds and doing the reading that the school asks for.

It's not really worth spending hours teaching a child to read - they will 'catch' it!

It is not unusual for a child not to be fluent by the end of reception. Some of us weren't even at school by that age!

Sue Palmer is incorrect - to rely on catching reading is like relying on children to catch swimming, or catch piano playing, risky.
Reading bedtime stories is a delightful way to extend children's oral language. It is unusual for a 5 year old to be a fluent reader.

I wouldn't rely on all children 'catching' reading. Some children will learn to read whatever the method-it really doesn't matter. HOWEVER some children need a structured approach-my middle DC struggled, and phonics was the only way.
You can play a lot of games with letters and sounds at home without 'teaching'.
I would be interested to know what you think that he should be doing in reception that he isn't?

I've already asked halia this question but I havent had an answer, maybe I should rephrase it in case it seemed like a 'leading' question.... Is your concern that you feel your child was at a high level on entering Reception and has remained at the same level, or is it that you expected more from Reception year? obviously the answer would definitely change whether it is a good reason to move (remove) him.... IMPO

I think that we need more information in order to give useful advice.