Am I turning into a teachers nightmare ?

[Snowdrops]

Well, there's you answer Scarlett, if the head has no interest, it filters down .........

[doodles]

Absolutely Snowdrops. I am quite shocked that a Head teacher would admit to not knowing much about a child when they only have 60 on their roll call.

[Belinda]

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[youngmum]

Youngmum, are you sure they are adults signatures? My children mainly read to other children often only a year above...although funnily enough most seem to write that my daughter read well and should have a new book ! Maybe I'll talk to them about moving my daughter up a stage.

lolll.
They are adult signatures as they mainly read to retired teachers that used to work in the school and we still know as well as some parents. She says who she reads too but I have mentioned to the teacher that if she is behind in her reading since they have very small classes surely she should be reading mainly to her class teacher.

Hmmm, i will wait and see. She might end up moving schools if her older sis goes to a senior independent school which has a junior school attached. Have to wait and see

[mystery]

Hope ofsted minces up your school Scarlett. It's the only hope for all those other children.

[scarlett]

It would seem that we're not alone Mystery..maybe we should set up a support group !! I'll leave you to think up a suitable name !

[mystery]

Has your daughter had the one to one session yet and was it good? Hope she cheered up over half-term.

[scarlett]

Hi Mystery, thought I'd have a quick coffee and browse on here and there's your kind enquiry waiting !! Thanks.

Well, I asked dd yest and she looked a bit blank, so I'm thinking not ! Then I looked in her book bag and there was a boring, easy floppy book which she has read twice before ! Anyway, we got halfway when dd stopped ,put her hand on mine and said " I don't really like reading." I felt so sad. I read avidly and as well as learning so much it takes you into another world that you would never normally go ..if you know what I mean ! )

So, I made an executive decision to take her off the reading scheme and start my own. I have ordered lots of books from the Usborne young reader scheme. The Secret Garden, lots of Charles Dickens, Through The Looking Glass, Titanic,various princess, pony books, and today she has taken in The Wizard Of Oz which I bought the other day.She is really excited and was reading it in the bath this morning...which is what reading should be about !

I'm wondering if the reading scheme may be why ds2 hates reading now actually. He was left to stagnate on a low level floppy book and just went downhill from there.I don't want that to happen to dd.

We are not allowed to talk to the teachers in the morning..not that I want to as she rolls her eyes at me quite a lot..but I didn't want dd to worry about the books so I saw the headmistress and just said dd was getting bored and despondant so I was going to provide my own books from now on. She replied well, dd chooses those books ! So I replied well, I'm expanding her choice !

Dh is cringing because He's got a governors meeting tonight with her !

[Milla]

"Literacy" might be applicable to Schemes, but not reading. Let your child do the school stuff, but without getting emotionally involved so to speak. True reading, the love of books, the fun, the wonder, lies in what you can choose for yourself (or have judiciously slid in front of you by a clever mother ...). Authors do not write books at levels - I always resented the coloured stickers put on books, that mine couldn't read a blue til they'd exhuasted all of yellow, or whatever, no matter that yellow were the sickly, dead books devoid of interest or inspiration. All far too prescriptive. Sure, the teachers have their lists to tick and their systems to apply, but, yes, keep running an alternative thing at home, where books are read for pleasure.
Cannot tell you how relieved I am to be shot of primary school!
(edited for repeated word)

[mystery]

Oh it's such a shame isn't it. You are right to buy all those books; they sound lovely. I'm just buying a load of Roald Dahl (The Twits, The Magic Finger, Matilda etc) as we saw a play locally in the holidays that my year 2 child loved. It was based on these books and she said she wanted to read The Twits (maybe because it's quite like home! )

It's all starting to get to me a bit again too since term re-started. I thought things had improved - she seemed to have moved up onto another one of those stupid table arrangements primary teachers are so fond of. But yesterday for guided reading is sent down a table to read some nonsense that would be great in reception ...... why oh why? From talking to the staff I get the idea they think she doesn't understand when she reads ----- but I can't get out of them what it is they think she doesn't understand or why they think this, or why they think that reading some easy peasy book that they could read upside down is going to improve their comprehension. What is wrong with these people?

Also despite being told again and again that they are going to test and re-group she is still in some silly phonics group that doesn't cover enough phonic sounds to read a book ------ so how come she has had a high reading age for such a long time, and understood complicated things at home? I've found out a lot about the phonics scheme and know they are not operating it at the pace that many other schools successfully do. I don't like both my children being guinea pigs with their half-baked methods. My younger child could read simple stuff on entry to reception, and in one and a half terms has learned 4 new phonic sounds that she did not know on entry.

I wish I was a governor; probably no chance now. I'm hoping that your husband is a scary governor with his ex-military background.

I know we can just battle on with all our stuff at home when we get a chance and when the kids are happy to do it, but it is so sad that time in school is being wasted - if there are better books, let them read them, if there are higher groups with more stimulating work, let them do it. It's all so incomprehensible. I've observed clever kids in secondary schools dossing, chatting, larking around in middle sets when they were capable of more, and I'm starting to feel that the rot has already set in with a 6 year old! Crazy I know to think that, but I see the signs as I know what she is like with things she really does care about and enjoys doing well.

We are definitely on the road to a complaint to the Governors, but quite what good it will do I don't know. I just want to feel that we have tried everything and not just given up because we were scared off when we know that something is not right. We have a copy of the complaints procedure. It starts with a complaint to the chair, then if we are not satisfied to an appeal panel of governors, then if still not happy can go to LEA or diocesan body depending on the nature of the complaint.

Does your husband have any tips as a governor? I feel sorry for other children at the school who I know also are capable of more than they are being given. This is another reason for not wanting to stay silent. I'm hoping that if we effected some change in some way, there are some others it would benefit too.