Is this a general rule or did she make it up?

[ihateryansworld]

We are having difficulties with my daughters teacher. We feel she is being ignored as she is a quiet child and many of the others in the class are big personality loud children.

I wrote 2 weeks ago asking for a meeting to discuss DD and teacher only came back to me on Wednesday offering a meet today.

We went along and asked where she would place dd in the class. She looked appalled and said she was not allowed to give that information. We asked was she in top part or lower part of class and again wouldn't tell us. I said judging by her reading books she must be in lower part she again said she wouldn't be drawn on that!!!

Is this normal? Do teachers not seriously give out this information. FYI Dd is 8 yrs old.

Thanks x

I think its normal - why would they release comparative information. You need to talk about her being on target for her age, ahead or behind or where the teacher feels she needs to improve - behaviour or work etc. Focus around your child not around others in a competitive way

This is a general rule not a made up one. You only need to know about your child, the wider context of where they are compared to the class is of no relevance to you. Teacher will compare to national standards for ages etc but that's it. Why do you need to know about the class?

I say this as a teacher. It would not go down well with the school of a teacher was discussing other students with parents.

Why do you think she's being ignored because she's quiet?

The question should be whether the teacher feels the child is making progress or achieving their potential. Whether the rest of the class are leaps beyond or behind is irrelevant.

What difference would it make if teacher had said she’s in top/bottom 20% of the class?

Surely what matters is whether your child is progressing?

Ok so I'm no in the teaching profession or associated professions. After reading the reply then I can see we should have asked is she on target for her age and stage of development etc. I see that now. However I'm concerned that she didn't tell us that. I'm worried about going back to see her as she is very very defensive and obstructive.

That sounds normal to me, I've never known where my DD was compared to the rest of her class. Why did you want to know that information OP?

Surely her reports are telling you whether she’s on target?

Sorry, cross post there - whether she is meeting age-expected targets would normally be in her report OP, what did her last one say?

Her teacher should have helped you by saying ‘I can’t tell you where she is compared with the other children in the class but I can tell you that she is .... the targets for this time in the academic year’.

If the teacher can’t tell you that how are you supposed to know, you aren’t psychic.

“I'm worried about going back to see her as she is very very defensive and obstructive.“

Probably be a you called a meeting and demanded to know where your daughter was “ranked” in the class, and probably put into question her teaching ability when you commented on your daughters books....

I’m pretty sure of a client/customer of yours came in and demanded similar infirmary they had no right to know and questioned your ability to do your job, you might come across as defensive and obstructive too...

It sounds normal to me too - you need to know where she is at for her age and what progress she is making, but teachers don’t generally give any comparative information in terms of the rest of the class. That’s why people often call bullshit when posters write things like ‘ my DS is ‘top of the class’ in x y and z’ - it’s very very old school to be telling kids who’s scored best in what test etc, that’s not how most schools operate nowadays.

She has been in the same lower reading group for two years. We have been working very hard to help her at home. We have had her assessed by an independent teacher who has reported back that the books she is bringing home are well below her reading age.

After various other conversations with teacher we discovered she doesn't hear the reading with the group DD is in. She has never looked at her homework book either. She allows the classroom assistant to correct homework. She only looks at problematic books.

DD is quiet. She is well behaved and if the teacher shouts, as she does often she is terrified and takes it personally. So she is gutted to think she is disappointing the teacher.

We have worked so hard with her she is a really hard working kid and she is getting zero feedback from teacher. We wanted to know what level she is working at now, or where s he is in the class so we could chart progress as year goes on.

Are we doing this the wrong way?

Where she ranks wouldn't tell you anything really because if it's a low/high performing cohort you will be misled.
Her summer report should have told you where she is regarding age related expectations and you should get this information again later in the year. You need to ask if she is making progress. Look in her books is she making progress? Remember, reading isn't just barking at print, it's also comprehension.
Good luck

Give her more challenging books at home.

How do you know the teacher has never looked at the homework book?

How come she’s had the same teacher for 2 years?

No problem with asking for her progress in relation to age based expectations but yes, the performance against other children is not appropriate.

Maybe the teacher isn't that confident speaking to parents. Sometimes people get defensive when they feel they are being attacked, even if that wasn't your intention. I work in secondary where contact with parents is primarily at P.Eve unless there is a problem. A few teachers I have worked with get very nervous about speaking to parents, especially if they are new to the profession or have had a bad experience in the past.

Am sure you already have an idea where your DD sits in the class ability scale.
You seem to know what group your DD is in for reading. Did you come to the conclusion is was the lower group by asking who else was in the group and making assumptions?

We wanted to know what level she is working at now, or where s he is in the class so we could chart progress as year goes on.
Are we doing this the wrong way?

Yes. Who is this independent teacher you got to test your daughter’s reading? Unfortunately I’ve come across lots of tutors who tell parents what they want to hear because the parents are paying the bills.

If she’s looking at problematic books then it’s because those students need more support - the TA will know how to help when she’s listening. Maybe ask the teacher for a new book of a higher level and see how your daughter manages. It does however sound like you are ‘that’ parent - the teacher is doing her best for a class of 30. You sound really quite dismissive of this teacher; I’d be defensive when you were attacking me too.

I don't think I'd be very happy either if books weren't being marked and a primary school teacher was identifying a child as a weak reader but not listening to them read. I would probably ask for a follow up meeting in two weeks' time and ask for specific things you can do with your daughter to progress her reading level. Then you have something concrete to discuss. It sounds like you are suspicious of this teacher, perhaps rightly and perhaps not, but I'd try to hide that for now as keeping the teacher onside will potentially be more beneficial.

We have been providing her with reading books at home and they at least motivate her to read and she will discuss the story and characters with us. The summer report was just a paragraph written under each area of the curriculum but no mention of her ability or how she is performing in terms of age.

The teachers were all moved around at end of last year and this woman has ended up with same class again.

She has been in the same lower reading group for two years.We have been working very hard to help her at home.

I expect other parents have done the same. Did you expect everyone else not to make progress too?

We have had her assessed by an independent teacher

What for?!

You do not need to know her ranking-that would be completely dependent on the cohort and not much use to you. If you were told she was working at the top of the class, you might be given the false impression she was a genius when really she was just in a very low-attaining cohort.

Ask where she is compared to age-related expectations.

Tbh though, if you’re that pissed off with the teacher that you’ve had your daughter ‘assessed’ by another teacher-why don’t you move schools?

Spied. No! I would never make ana assumption about another child. I came to that conclusion due to the standard of the reading books she's bringing home. Simple biff and chip books with one or two lines of text on a page!

If your daughter is bringing home Biff chip and kipper books with a couple of lines of text at 8 years old then I think she is below expected level. However that’s an assumption based on my dc. I’m not a teacher.