am going to have a chat with teacher today- ds1 "bored" at school

[oopsagain]

How much do they actually need "stretching2, really?
He's 5 and in yr1 and apprently at stage 2b for literacy and maths...

He used to be interested in school work and talked about stuff he'd learned but now says he's bored and he doesn't want to go back.
There's nothing else going on- we've had other issues too (all resolved very well by the school)
He's bright and interested in stuff at home- especially science and mainly human body books..

He's fine really, but increasingly disillusioned with school.
This has never coome from us- i've been quite impressed with what he has been learning.

Teacher is lovely and all esle is good.

What shall i ask for/say?
Do they ever mix up classes so the brighter ones can go with some of the other years?
DO i sound pushy if i ask for that...
does gifted and talented apply to 5yr olds and am i being a complete twunt to even say the words....

feel a bit lost- not sure what i want except ds1 to be engaged and happy at school.

I knwo that there is a system and a way to manage the school etc and realsie we need to fit in, but i don't really know what is and isn't acceptable to ask for somehow.

anyone got any advice?

[throckenholt]

Just have a word with the teacher - just say he is starting to say he is bored and doesn't want to go to school - can they give him a bit of a boost to pep him up again.

It may be that at school he seems happy and gets on with what he is given - but may not say that he doesn't find it interesting.

Maybe ask if they have more technical books he can read (mine also like the more factual books more - I think boys often do).

[throckenholt]

by the way - a year "ahead" at that age is not unusual - not gifted or talented per se - just on the quicker end of the peer group. They should be able to cope with that without real problems.

[oopsagain]

thanks- i always feel it's not right to say stuff about how clever your kid is... it's ok to say how good at football they are etc...
i just feel pushy iyswim

[seeker]

I think often they start thinking about being bored at about this age, because the novelty of school has worn off and they realize that this is it for the duration! Also, they are in the wind down towards the end of term now,so they may be doing less 'work-y" things. What do you think of his next years teacher? It might be worth making sure you speak to hm/her as early as possible next year.

[oopsagain]

i don't know who will be the teacher next yr.

He was getting bored last term really- i noticed he was less engaged.
But i waited for him to say something as you know how they wax and wane.

he styed home with me for a week as the school was shut- and he was alot better in behaviour and general demenour.

I think school sort of gets in his way soemtimes...
does that make sense?
he's rather be reading a book on human bodies ust now and learning long division- it just occurred to hime that sometimes you need to divide by big numbers.. .
oh, and playing mariokart.

he has obsessions that coem and go too and school just seems to frustrate him when

[throckenholt]

don't feel afraid to say they have come home and said they don't like x.

I have 3 DSs and none of them will tell their teacher - but they often grumble at home that they don't like x. I find if I go in and have a quick word with the teacher - is there anything else they can have as an alternative - they don't seem to be grabbed by x - that usually works well. It isn't saying my kid is brilliant and you aren't dealing with them well enough. It is saying simply - can you try something different. Most teachers would be happy with that - they know not all kids have the same interests or way of learning.

Bored can happen for a number of reasons, too easy, too hard, not a subject that grabs then, etc. Unless you are there you can't quite tell which reason it is - but no reason not to ask them to try a different tack.

[throckenholt]

try telling the school in the reading log (or whatever you have) what the current obsession is - and ask if they have anything on it that they can give him, or something in a similar area.

[oopsagain]

They haven't really kept up with the log in the last few months.

I've been ill too so not really pushed it that much...

[Niecie]

My DS1 was a bit like this when in Yr 1. If your DS has started saying this since last term it maybe that he has realised that school is no longer going to be as much fun as it was in Yr R. Yr R often suits boys as it is more about playing and less about sitting down at a desk. It isn't that they aren't learning in Yr R but that the learning style is different and less desk bound in Yr R.

I think the teacher needs to know that he is disengaging with school but at this stage in the term, don't be surprised if there isn't much change before the end of term. You will have to make sure that you speak to the new teacher fairly early on in the year.

Do they stream for anything in your DS's school? My DS was streamed in Yr 2 so this might help your DS a bit if he is in a set with children of a similar ability to him. It doesn't sound like he needs to work with a higher year - if he is a 2b now, you can expect him to go up 2 sub levels in the next year (that is the average anyway) so he will be a 3c this time next year. This is good but it extremely likely there will be several other children working at this level in his year. Things might improve if he gets a chance to work with them.

Maybe the change of cirriculum in Yr 2 will engage him more - maybe he just isn't interested in the things they study in Yr 1. I know my DS finds some topics dull and some not so not surprisingly he enjoys school more at some times rather than others.

[Fennel]

I would leave it at this time of year, as the other say. Deal with it in the autumn if it's still a problem.

One of mine was bored senseless a year ago (yr2, Sats, she knew it all, found it repetitive) but has been much more challenged and engaged and happy with the work in yr3.

[oopsagain]

sorry- i'm confused with the grades- if he took the end of yr 2 sats apprently he'd get the second grade dwon....

anyway, that's not the point...

thanks for the input.
He likes things just so- so the play thing gets in the way too

MN's good for stuff like this- I appreciate the input.

[seeker]

An average year 2 child will score 2b in their SATS - your ds is at this level already. Children are expected to progress 2 sub levels a year, so your ds is on track for a level 3 in his SATS - which is very good. There are usually (I think) about 15% or so level 3s in any year 2 class, so there should be a group of bright ones wh can work together. I suspect he'll enjoy the work in year 2 more - it's usually a bit more academic and more structured.

[oopsagain]

I'm hoping it will be,
I know he's bright- he was reading at 3yrs old and i think he does well because he was suchan early reader.

I'll chat with the teacher and ask how yr2 is going to work for him. they do seem to team up the broghter kids in his class when they are doing group activities and i think he enjoys that.

I've got a friend who is a 1-1 in the class room and she said that she was impressed with how ds1 doesn't kick off at school considering how bored he must be...
i didn't ask her to elaborate- i think she knows that it's all confidential and i don't want to put hr in a difficult position by asking specifics about the way the class runs- it's not her place to talk to me...

I am hopng that yr2 will provide some more stimulation

[oopsagain]

i do love his teacher... we had a really good talk.

We think he's getting a bit put off school because she is asking him some stuff tat he isn't sure about

eg she gets him to read a book and then will ask him some questions and he is supposed to go to the index and look up the answers and present it to her-
she says he sometimes struggles to find the answers and pretends he didn't hear her!

It seems that he is being challenged- which can't be a bad thening.
And as an aside it seems that he is becoming really collaberaative and sociable with the othr kids in his group - which is a definite chnage from my little boy who sat in the class with his nose in a book for the first term.

I'm glad i didn't take it on complete face value and go wading in saying he's not being stretched.
Turns out he is "bored" because it isn't so simple just mow

[angrypixie]

I'm a year 2 teacher and I have 6 level 2b and 2 2a children in class. He is clearly able, but not unusual. This is not to diminish his talents but to say that a teacher should have no trouble differentiating to meet his needs in class. By all means mention it but I wouldn't raise 'gifted & talented' unless they do.

[Kayteee]

I am biased because we do it, but have you considered home education? It's great fun.

[angrypixie]

Oops meant year 1 teacher, otherwise my last post makes no sense at all [tired from writing reports emoticon]

[flamingobingo]

Why don't you see how the summer holidays go, and if they are productive and fun and stimulating, would you consider home education?

It's fantastic fun and you sound like the sort of mum who'd manage it easily.

[flamingobingo]

Oh - just saw Kaytee mentioned it too

[charmander]

Just to be pedantic - they should go up 2 sub levels in key stage 2 but at key stage 1 (years 1 and 2) they should go up by a whole level a year.

[Kayteee]

hey Flamingo...what a great idea

[oopsagain]

i didn't mention gifted and talented...

I have considered HE over the years, but the thing is we need two wages to carry on living here- and i love where we live.

and I've been home during the week for about 3.5yrs of the last 5.5yrs.
I need to get myslef back onto a career track too and have just accpeted a not si stressful, very 9-5 full time job wiht pretty good long term prospects..

It's hard to balance it all and just now the home is struggling due to lack of money and i jst ned to work...

Maybe in a few yrs- this job will give me a teaching qual (university level, but it'll give me some confidence)

[oopsagain]

i didn't mention gifted and talented...

I have considered HE over the years, but the thing is we need two wages to carry on living here- and i love where we live.

and I've been home during the week for about 3.5yrs of the last 5.5yrs.
I need to get myslef back onto a career track too and have just accpeted a not si stressful, very 9-5 full time job wiht pretty good long term prospects..

It's hard to balance it all and just now the home is struggling due to lack of money and i jst ned to work...

Maybe in a few yrs- this job will give me a teaching qual (university level, but it'll give me some confidence)