Tonight Programme on 8th Nov. 2012, 7.30pm: Check it out!

[Fun Mum]

My DD wants to move to Finland, thought no uniform and walking around in socks so cool! She has just sat Essex test with 2 hours tutoring a week and maintained all her other out of school activities. I agree GS should be for bright kids not thoses that are put under pressure with hours of tutoring. Many people I know have made a success of their lives without qualifications and I still believe thats possible in todays society.

[daveg]

I am shocked - those poor kids

It's middle class child abuse.

[Beckii330]

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, 3 hours a day and 6 on Saturdays? So wrong. My son and I decided to get started in March and I stumbled on this forum and read a few parents who have been tutoring since Year 4 and I was concerned that I'd left it too late but it wouldn't even have crossed my mind to start at that age. There's just no need for it, children aren't circus animals, being trained to perform at a certain level.

[doodles]

Only saw the first bit as I had to go to a PTA meeting!

However, from bit I did see I'm not sure I want to watch the recording. It was so sad...those poor children. 'A' level reading comprehension by year 3 - couldn't believe my ears and as for starting at age 2 - as an Early Years practitioner don't get me started!!!

Mind you I might make my DS's watch it and then they will realise what a pussycat I am even if I do insist they do their homework properly

[JRM]

The thing is that the little girl is probably a bright child who would do well anyway. The maths that she was doing when the camera filmed her did look ahead of her years. But then the mother said that when she started school some children were just learning to write their name and she came home having written the names of everyone in her family. Well, I know plenty of children who have done that as their interest in writing has bloomed naturally just before they start school, and they haven't been forced to do homework everyday for the last 2 years.

The childline study mentioned briefly was interesting, so I'd love to find out more about that - what was the sample size and how was the question phrased?

I don't mind children doing tests occasionally but have always told them that it is to find out what they know so they know what they need to do more practice on. But then they have friends who are paid by the result for tests and for school reports. I think that contributes to the children feeling pressure from parents even though the parents think it is a reward.

Back to the programme more specifically, I found those parents almost hard to believe. The lady whose son does 25 hours extra per week? She said it with such a straight face I felt like she must be acting. Surely she would at least have doubts but justify it by saying I think it is neccessary because of x,y,z? At that amount of extra work she would be better off just teaching him at home if his school is 'so bad' and then he would at least get some play time.

The comments about testing and assessing from age 4 rang a real bell with me. Parents do compare scores at the school gate - even those of us who know it doesn't really matter take an interest however much we tell ourselves not to.

[tabasco]

I think the boy only did extra 25 hours per week during the last few months before 11+ and not the entire two years when he was preparing for the exam?????

[Long Journey]

The thing is that the little girl is probably a bright child who would do well anyway. The maths that she was doing when the camera filmed her did look ahead of her years. But then the mother said that when she started school some children were just learning to write their name and she came home having written the names of everyone in her family. Well, I know plenty of children who have done that as their interest in writing has bloomed naturally just before they start school, and they haven't been forced to do homework everyday for the last 2 years.

I thought exactly that. I think a lot of these parents convince themselves that the gruelling schedule these children are under (and gruelling in this case is not an exaggeration!) is worth it because of the vast progress the children have made. The reality is that there are other children as advanced or more, without any hothousing. The work Maddie was doing looked like pages of addition. Hardly stimulating a bright and curious mind.

I wonder if Amaan's mother is on here? Would be interesting to see if the program portrayed things accurately or was edited for shock value.

[doodles]

I think the boy only did extra 25 hours per week during the last few months before 11+ and not the entire two years when he was preparing for the exam?????

That's still 3 1/2 hours per day if you take it as 7 days per week. That's a huge amount for a child; I was made to feel an ogre making my son do a 1-1/2hrs a day in the holidays leading up to the 11+ in September and for quite a few days he did nothing at all.

It's all very well saying that your child does 25 extra hours per week, but I do wonder how much of that time is actually usefully spent. A child can only concentrate for a certain length of time so perhaps he was spending a couple of hours actually learning and the rest of the time rearranging his pencil case.

[BusyMumThree]

I am constantly surprised at the number of parents who feel that intense tutoring for hours each day is necessary....surely if a child is bright enough then with little preparation and focused studying he/she should be able to pass these exams....any child who needs 25 hours a week of tutoring to pass the 11+ obviously isnt suited to the exam and in my mind shouldn't be doing the exam....

My daughter just passed Tiffins and Slough with really good marks and we only started working on technique in May and spent the summer doing practice papers while still getting out and about and having a fun time....

sounds like the parents in this programme need to find a balance between study and other fun activities, these kids are still very young!!!

[Okanagan]

It's online here if you missed it.