What would you do? -constructive answers please ;-)

[Kristal53]

Youngest son is in year 6 getting ready for SATS at a v. small rural school (28 pupils in whole school) with an excellant SATS score. We've been sent a letter stating that from now until exams the year 6's (all 3 of them) will need to come into school to revise their mathematics work two days a week from 8am -8.45am. I do not think this is reasonable as my child does not function well in the morning, it will mean getting up an hour earlier (they normally start at 9am) and he finds it difficult to eat breakfast at 8.30 am let alone 7.30 am .
Am I just being a fussy mummy or should I refuse and ask for some revision for him to do after school at home ( I'm cr*p at math though so this might not help him) lol! I just feel this is being done more for the school than the pupils sake.

[bednobs]

Are they behind? (if so, why?)

[ummmm]

I would send him in with breakfast in a pack-up.

It's only for a short time.

[sophie_1003]

It may have changed recently (read something about it but can't remember if it said it will be changing or has already changed) but schools can't change the school day without first having consultations with parents; if this is the first you've heard about it I would say you have a good chance of saying 'No' without fear of getting in trouble. To be honest I'm surprised the teachers have agreed to it; it makes their days an hour longer too!

[Kristal53]

absolutely not bedknobs! They are doing year 7 work in the classroom - this is what is so stupid -the reason given is that they can 'concentrate' on the exam questions (mock) without the distractions of the other children in the room - the school is divided into 2 classrooms -infants and juniors. IMO this process could be done in the diningroom or computer room but its a staffing thing I think.

[Prudie]

It's only 2 days a week, I'd be pleased the school are recognising an issue and acting on it. To be honest when he starts secondary school he'll have to deal with earlier mornings won't he? Most of the kids in my area are at the bus stops before 8.

[ummmm]

They are optional though. I have to sign an agreement when mine do extra lessons.

[Chunkles]

Maybe this earlier start is just what he needs to teach him to function better in the morning. He'd better get used to it because no employer would put up with the excuse that 'I don't function well in the morning'.

[ummmm]

I don't function well in the morning. Neither do my sons. One leaves for school at 7am the other leaves to do his paper round at 7am. We just don't speak to each other :-)

[rowanwitch]

sounds like one of the drawbacks of a very small school, talk to the teachers regardless but maybe give it a try...he will become a morning person when he wants to meet his mates for a catch up before school when he's a bit older. so it is only bringing forwward the inevitable You are not being a fussy mummy just wanting whats best

[Mosaic]

What do you want as an outcome? Decide this before acting.
This is a small vertically grouped school - so working intensively on one subject with one age group has to be arranged, somehow.
Your boy is on the cusp of adolescence. Sorry to sound harsh, but allowing @I don't do mornings' as an excuse from childhood upwards is self-indulgent and is giving your child lax habits. We can all 'do' what we need to do when push comes to shove.
SATs results will reflect on the school, well or badly - but they are also used by your childs next school in order to place him with peers in subject settings. This might be adjusted as year 7 proceeds but it's better for the child not to have to do this unnecessarily.
So, what do you want? The short term hour extra in bed, or a little dose of going the extra mile for a good cause?

[ladyalex]

I would not send my child into school an hour early so that teachers could get their SATS scores up.
I am quite sure this has been done for the school's sake rather than the pupils. If the children were falling behind to the extent that they need all this further tuition you should have been told about it long ago.
It's not about whether your son functions well in the mornings or not...some people do, some don't, but if we have to get up and into work, we do.

[Kristal53]

Thankyou for all those constructive answers. i'm sure the school are doing it for the schools sake, but also agree with posters who commented that he will have to do things in life he does'nt want to. He actually has'nt said anything to me about not wanting to do it i just don't think much will sink in at that time of the morning -just having woken up with little or no breakfast. I'll have a word with the teacher tonight but will let him go - I have to sign a form to allow him - if nothing else it will prepare him for catching the bus to secondary school at 7.45am next year.

[rockyracoon]

SAT's get on my flippin nerves, so much emphasis is put on these tests it's unbelievable, my 11 year old is fretting already in case she doesn't get her level 5, What The Funicular (sorry), I told her it's only for the school league tables and doesn't really benefit her at all. She will be assessed when she gets to her secondary school anyway. I'm on a bit of a downer with my daughters primary school anyway but another thing I'm sick of is them encroaching on my hours outside of school times, I can't take my kids out of school for any reason so they don't have any say in where my kids are out of school times. Meh, I'm slinking off in a huff now.

[Charlotte77]

Just for the record, I'm definitely not a morning person but have to get up at 5a.m. one week out of four for work. Something I've done for the last 28 years. Also, does your son get a good night's sleep and does he eat breakfast before going to school. Both of these things are important for him to function well in the morning.

[Kristal53]

I think I need to define 'function' here. he's quite normal in the mornings -not a sleepy head - but can anyone say on here that if they were expected to do 45 minutes of algebra, logarithims or whatever they do at 8am in the morning they would be at their best? I work from home and do accounts - but would not try and start a tax return at 8am - but would be on the ball at 11pm to do it - we all function differently.

[karenmac60]

Make sure he's in bed an hour earlier the night before - he'll have had just as much sleep and should function as well as he does an hour later. It's only 2 days a week for a few months, and he may well benefit from it.

[DaisyNonna]

How about going to see the headteacher and talking about this? Seems unreasonable to me. Why not extend the day at the other end? If this is really necessary. Which I doubt.

[sherrardk]

Last year, when boy #1 was in year 6 they did the same thing, after school for Science. I didn't agree with it but he went as the rest of the class were going. Don't think I would have agreed if it was before school. It is for the good of the school to boost their overall ranking with the LEA, however, if your son's classmates attend and achieve a significantly higher SATs level it might affect which Mathis group he will be placed in at secondary school (if they set the pupils).

[seadogg]

Reminds me of the days when doing well in 11 plus got the child into the local grammar school.
The size of the school makes for difficulties. Think we would give it a go and see how he gets on.