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Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

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Original poster

What is your P1 child doing in school, especially if they are 'playbased'?

123 replies

thefictionalcrown · 18/12/2020 18:39

I am definitely not speaking to the teacher at this point in term but this has been niggling away at me for a while now.

DS is number 3 so I thought I knew the script by now, but everything's changed. They have 'must do tasks' which they show they have completed by putting a stick in a jar.

Learning seems to be very, very slow- they have only learned up to the sound o and numbers 0-10. The whole class seems to be working together whereas DDs were definitely in groups by this point and reading quite nicely.

He is quite capable academically but also quite capable of mischief... he has told me that he puts his stick in the jar without actually completing the task. I was very firm with him that I want him to complete all these tasks when he is given them, but whether that is happening or not I don't know.

OP posts:

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:05

What a disappointing thread.

museumum · 19/12/2020 15:07

My ds is p3 now but I seem to remember the p1 classrooms gradually having more tables and chairs added through the year till they looked more like I remember by the end of the year rather than it being a big shock between p1 and p2.

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:09

Maybe the other side of the holidays will be more formal then. I am worried about the jump to P2.

OP posts:

midnightstar66 · 19/12/2020 15:10

Are you basing this most on your DD's interpretation OP? As I bet the dc in my p1 class say they just play but I can promise you they are learning. One of dd2's 'classrooms' was a large corridor area but it was extremely well kitted out for its purpose and as it's only one of 5 they aren't there for long

midnightstar66 · 19/12/2020 15:13

Also the jump from p1 - p2 will be no different than the jump from nursery to a traditional p1 except that the dc will be older, more mature and more able to cope with a bit more structure. Obviously they won't expect them to suddenly sit at desks all day doing work sheets anyway.

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:18

My DDs are older, my DS is in P1. Partly his interpretation (which yes, will not be 100% reliable) but also from sitting with him and doing his homework and reading with him at home. I can see such a difference in what I was doing with my girls at this stage and what he is doing.

He's a very capable child so it does worry me. He loves Alphablocks so knows more sounds than he was been taught etc. I am lucky enough to be P/T and I really enjoy taking our time as a family over homework.

It does concern me. I feel a move from nursery to P1 is obviously different for children, but if they are in this routine in school already, will they be expecting this to continue?

OP posts:

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:19

Or, if play continues into P2, does P3 then become a shock? When does the academic gap get addressed?

OP posts:

cookiecuttercreamandbutter · 19/12/2020 15:26

Are you not able to offer some support yourself?

My 5 year old is home educated at the moment. He can read, knows most of the phonics (not ph) and most of his number bonds, place value etc. It wasn't hard with all the resources out there. Teaching a child one to one is straight forward relative to managing a class. Why don't you just work with him a little at home using online resources and get him where you would like him to be?

It does sound like he won't do a tap unless you make it happen, some children are just like that and teachers are really struggling at the moment. Half an hour under Mummy's eye with a good online programme and you'll know exactly what he knows and where progress is happening.

ParkheadParadise · 19/12/2020 15:27

Dd2 started school in August.
Dd1 started school 23 years ago. I don't have a clue what she does all day.
I know on Thursday that Jesus came to visit and they all said their prayers. I think Jesus is the local parish priest.

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:29

What academic gap op? There is no academic gap.

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:33

I know on Thursday that Jesus came to visit and they all said their prayers. I think Jesus is the local parish priest.

I have been doing some reading with him but don't want to take him too far outwith the pace of the class.

Can you expand a little more Ohio? When you look up the Jolly Phonics sounds, they have only completed phase 1 and 2. Does that not concern you? What about not checking must do tasks?

OP posts:

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:40

Why would that concern me? What's the point in doing the third thing if they haven't achieved the first thing? You are comparing them to what you think they should be learning? You are not making a judgement on what is actually happening because you don't know.

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:46

Yes, it strongly concerns me that I don't know how my child's work is checked. It also strongly concerns me that they seem to be very far behind where my other children were at the half way point.

OP posts:

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:47

Fair enough. I can help you. I'd suggest not hugging the teacher and just fixing it yourself.

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:50

Could you afford to pay for maths seeds and reading eggs?

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:51

Hugging the teacher would be very frowned on, especially in Covid times....

I've already made it perfectly clear that I will not be asking her anything at this point, I'm just trying to find out more information about what is the norm for play based classes.

OP posts:

cookiecuttercreamandbutter · 19/12/2020 15:51

Well clearly you need to contact the teacher and tell her your son is putting his stick in the jar without doing the task.

Then voice your concerns that she isn't covering as much ground as you would like and ask how many tricky words/phonics sounds she hopes they will be able to sound out and speak by June.

And she will answer pleasantly and put the phone down and scream because there is a global pandemic going on, she is now also a cleaner and she knows fine rightly your child doesn't respect the class rules.

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:54

Played based is a way of describing an approach to the timetable. It's not an excuse for not implementing the curriculum. The fastest and easiest way of staying on top of it would be reading eggs and maths seeds. These are computer programmes that provide information that your child needs to practise and will regenerate the information until your child has learned them.

cookiecuttercreamandbutter · 19/12/2020 15:56

She doesn't need to pay for reading eggs. Her child is able, she could fix this herself with phonics bloom and the school run (which sets out everything the child is learning year and would be a far better use of your time, OP). But you don't seem to want your child to cover ground if it means he'll be ahead of his peers so you're in a tricky position. In your shoes, I'd turn my child into one of the children at the top end so he doesn't fall behind through sheer lack of application and then define himself as a week learner. He can then toss his sticks around to his heart's content and you can do extension with at home. The other children will catch up surprising quickly and some will already be doing this so he won't be alone.

cookiecuttercreamandbutter · 19/12/2020 15:57

Weak learner 🙂

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 15:57

If DS isn't doing his work, and she 'knows fine' well that that is the case, I should have been told. I do want to know how often this is happening, and as I said, I was very firm with him that he was to complete all tasks properly.

Giving a five year old the responsibility of stopping painting and hammering to learn phonics sounds is asking for trouble, imo.

OP posts:

OhioOhioOhio · 19/12/2020 15:58

She doesn't need to pay for it but it is an easy way of solving the problem.

Original poster

thefictionalcrown · 19/12/2020 16:00

If there is a problem, why aren't the school dealing with it?!

OP posts:

anon444877 · 19/12/2020 16:02

I have to agree that the most reassuring thing we did was read with them every morning, ignoring the snail's pace class stuff. Even if they repeat it later, what's the harm? It'll give you more peace of mind than trying to get info from the teacher or school.

ikswobel · 19/12/2020 16:08

I don't agree that this is "an entirely new approach ". It's exactly what I experienced as a child in Edinburgh and what I taught in the 90s. It's very highly skilled to teach properly and involves a deep understanding of child development and professional observation skills. There's a wealth of academic research behind play pedagogy. If it's done correctly the children will be experiencing a rich literacy and numeracy curriculum. They may not be writing with beautiful calligraphy but they will be confident happy children who are developing a positive attitude to school and learning and a huge range of soft skills that are so important. Just as people have said in this thread children can pick up sounds and numbers from an app. Where will they pick up concepts of spatial awareness? Of rich storytelling and character? How to cooperate, work in a group and accept others who are different? Will an app recognise and assess the importance of gross motor skills for the development of fine motor skills and handwriting?

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