Appeal threat by teacher
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
Appeal threat by teacher
My ds came hame saying his teacher had threatened them that the homework set recently was going to be used in the event of a head teacher appeal.
The homework was to write a story, type it up and design a front and back cover.
This took several homeworks and went on for several weeks.
Having done 'his' best the teacher said he hasn't written enough and to complete it this weekend.
I know for a fact that some Mums have done the typing (and probable re-written/corrected) at work.
Is this reasonable for a school to use homework as the example of pupils good work at appeal.
If anyone has any knowledge of the material used at a headteacher appeal I would be very greatful.
Thanx
Wardie ***
The homework was to write a story, type it up and design a front and back cover.
This took several homeworks and went on for several weeks.
Having done 'his' best the teacher said he hasn't written enough and to complete it this weekend.
I know for a fact that some Mums have done the typing (and probable re-written/corrected) at work.
Is this reasonable for a school to use homework as the example of pupils good work at appeal.
If anyone has any knowledge of the material used at a headteacher appeal I would be very greatful.
Thanx
Wardie ***
Guestt55 - you are needed here! 
I wouldn't have thought so. Which year is he in? Is tis a state school?
Head teachers appeals would use work completed over a longer period of time, they provide exercise books, literacy and numeracy folders etc to show that teh pupil is generallyof a grammar school standard. Seems to me that the teacher is just trying to get them to work hard at the end of term...
Head teachers appeals would use work completed over a longer period of time, they provide exercise books, literacy and numeracy folders etc to show that teh pupil is generallyof a grammar school standard. Seems to me that the teacher is just trying to get them to work hard at the end of term...
He is in Y5 and a state school.
I did wonder if it was an idle threat but we don't need the teachers adding pressure re 11+.
Unfortunately he will have the same lit teacher through Y6 and he is already dreading it.
He recently said "I think I should stop trying so hard then I will be moved down a group and the work I do will look really good."
OOOHHHHHHHH !!!
I told him that the answer is to do work way above the level the teacher wants so that she will pick on someone else and I would help him achieve this.
Poor thing has always had to work harder than the average as he is dyslexic and the school do nothing to help as they say "he is coping in top sets".
Sorry for the rant - just needed to let of steam.
wardie XX
I did wonder if it was an idle threat but we don't need the teachers adding pressure re 11+.
Unfortunately he will have the same lit teacher through Y6 and he is already dreading it.
He recently said "I think I should stop trying so hard then I will be moved down a group and the work I do will look really good."
OOOHHHHHHHH !!!
I told him that the answer is to do work way above the level the teacher wants so that she will pick on someone else and I would help him achieve this.
Poor thing has always had to work harder than the average as he is dyslexic and the school do nothing to help as they say "he is coping in top sets".
Sorry for the rant - just needed to let of steam.
wardie XX
I do know how you feel. My daughter's year 4 teacher used to keep ranting that "not ONE of you will ever pass the 11+" and my daughter was really upset as she was always working flat out.
I had a teacher in year 5 who thought that the way to make me work harder was to tell me my work was no good too. It was my worst year at school.
I don;t believe in that sort of teaching at all. None of the good teachers I have come across use it, a lot of the weaker ones do..........
I had a teacher in year 5 who thought that the way to make me work harder was to tell me my work was no good too. It was my worst year at school.
I don;t believe in that sort of teaching at all. None of the good teachers I have come across use it, a lot of the weaker ones do..........
If all of this were true, then at a "real" (independent) appeal you would have grounds for suggesting that the headteacher review is flawed!My ds came hame saying his teacher had threatened them that the homework set recently was going to be used in the event of a head teacher appeal ......... I know for a fact that some Mums have done the typing (and probable re-written/corrected) at work.
I would take this up with the headteacher - ask whether it is true, and whether the school thinks it is acceptable for a dyslexic child to be stressed in this way.
Etienne
Hi Wardie
I have 3 bright children who all have SLD. Have spent years arguing their case at various points in their education. The critical point is not how well they are doing but are they reaching their full potential. We had independent ed psych reports done to demonstrate abilty & nature of problems.
The school should be able to provide guidance on developing techniques to cope with the SLD & it is important that these are in place before secondary school, when the pressure starts to build.
I'm sure you have been fighting your child's corner - as we all do - but it really is worth it. My eldest really struggled when he was younger - has an Oxbridge offer for October
( I always tell mine when writing its quality not quantity that matters!)
I have 3 bright children who all have SLD. Have spent years arguing their case at various points in their education. The critical point is not how well they are doing but are they reaching their full potential. We had independent ed psych reports done to demonstrate abilty & nature of problems.
The school should be able to provide guidance on developing techniques to cope with the SLD & it is important that these are in place before secondary school, when the pressure starts to build.
I'm sure you have been fighting your child's corner - as we all do - but it really is worth it. My eldest really struggled when he was younger - has an Oxbridge offer for October
( I always tell mine when writing its quality not quantity that matters!)
My Y5 son has been set a similar task recently - plan a story, draw the characters, write up, proof read and rewrite if necessary - it has been his English homework for the past 2 weeks. They are also working on it in class. There has been no mention of it being related in any way to 11+. I just took it as being a piece of extended work to stretch the upper English set. I did start proof reading my sons work but when I found 3 careless mistakes within the first 4 lines I stopped - it has to be his best effort not mine! Hopefully your sons teacher is just trying to get them to produce their best work - but surely there must be better ways of achieving this rather than bullying them.
-
Kent99
At the Head Teacher appeals stage in Kent the HT will be expected to provide examples of the child's work. The HT will be looking for examples of high grade work (or instances where the child has gone beyond that asked of them) which they can flag up to the appeals panel.
The panel have many appeals to hear and so won't be spending ages on each one; first impressions are, realistically, going to count. A well researched and presented project might look more impressive than a scrappy excercise book I guess. Having said that, the panel are not naive (they are themselves head teachers) and will probably draw their own conclusions if work done out of school is of a much higher standard than classwork.
This is also the reason for the written test in the 11+. Because it is done under test conditions the panel know that it is the child's own work and will consider it carefully when deciding whether the child is best suited to a grammar school.
The panel have many appeals to hear and so won't be spending ages on each one; first impressions are, realistically, going to count. A well researched and presented project might look more impressive than a scrappy excercise book I guess. Having said that, the panel are not naive (they are themselves head teachers) and will probably draw their own conclusions if work done out of school is of a much higher standard than classwork.
This is also the reason for the written test in the 11+. Because it is done under test conditions the panel know that it is the child's own work and will consider it carefully when deciding whether the child is best suited to a grammar school.
Yes, one of the things that is looked at in the Kent headteacher review is the story that the children write under exam conditions during the 11+ exams (in addition to papers on maths, VR and NVR).
In Kent this story is only read if the headteacher takes the child's work to a review because they failed the 11+ and he/she considers they should have passed.
I wonder therefore if there was a misunderstanding here and the teacher was trying to get them to practice writing stories in a more serious way ready for the 11+ in September.
In Kent this story is only read if the headteacher takes the child's work to a review because they failed the 11+ and he/she considers they should have passed.
I wonder therefore if there was a misunderstanding here and the teacher was trying to get them to practice writing stories in a more serious way ready for the 11+ in September.