Homework

I’ve seen homework from all sides now– as a child, as a teacher and now as a parent– and I have to confess I grow less and less sure that there is any value in homework at Primary School level.

My own memories of homework are of learning spellings, doing comprehensions which I found incredibly dull and pages of maths calculations (also very dull). As well as this I had endless ‘What did you do in the holidays?’ type projects, which only became exciting the summer my little brother was born, and then I really wanted to write all about that.

Broadly speaking you get three types of homework children; those who always do it and get it done quickly and independently, those who have lots of help from their parents and those who never really get round to doing anything very much.  Some parents love homework, particularly ones where they can get their child to sit and do a worksheet. Most parents hate the ‘make a model of the Parthenon’ type homework, especially if they feel they have to make it themselves, so it resembles the edifice being asked for. Some parents like to know what their child is doing at school and therefore like to see this in the homework they bring home– but is it a true reflection of what is going on in class?

Personally I can see very little value in the homework being sent home. None of it is too much for my children to manage– a very important factor, as I’d much rather my children were playing on the weekend– but neither does it do very much in terms of helping them learn. I would much rather they had just reading and then may be a question or two to talk about with me. Instead the older one has a comprehension exercise which is not terribly exciting.  My oldest child reads all the time and I’d much rather we spent the homework time talking about what he is reading. I also think that this kind of discussion would support his reading far more than a comprehension, as we could discuss the book in depth. Parents would just need a few generic questions each week to support this kind of learning.

When I was teaching I always tried to send home some sort of speaking and listening homework rather than worksheets. Whilst some parents would groan at the thought of talking rather than just leaving children to get on with it, the quality was always significantly better and could be used in school. I also used to set ‘going to the library’ homework. Knowing how important regular library use is, setting it for homework ensured a far larger proportion of my class actually went.  Again some parents could not be bothered or had no time one week, but when the majority had got used to the idea that this would be part of the homework every few weeks, more children started to go. I used to set simple tasks, sometimes related to topics covered in school, and it helped the children understand how libraries are organised and even how the Dewey system works.

One of the most successful homework tasks was getting the children to become a ‘helpdesk’ at the end of a telephone line. The children had to teach their parents what to do with a computer or board game, but over the ‘phone’. The parents then had to evaluate the service they had received. This was specifically for work on instructions, but it could easily be adapted for other uses.

You might very well have cracked the homework conundrum and only send home really worthwhile and interesting tasks. If so, please let me know!

Early Years- Books or phonics?

Believe it or not there really is a debate on whether Nursery aged children should be taught formal phonics lessons instead of having books read to them. It was born out of the sincerest of motives, to try and narrow the gap between the most disadvantaged children and those who have a background rich in language and literature. Considering the latest OFSTED report 'Bold Beginnings', it seems appropriate to discuss this issue now.

Whilst the intentions are obviously very good, it seems to me, entirely unnecessary to start children on formal phonics teaching whilst they are so young.  For a start there are  few Nursery teachers who have had detailed phonics training and I suspect it would be quite overwhelming for some without such training. More importantly, there is plenty already in place that a good Nursery or preschool can do that will actually have more impact.

· Read to children, all the time. Good quality children’s books introduce pre-schoolers to a world of language. They will encounter words and ideas they might never meet in their everyday lives. Take Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper, for example, it is crammed with wonderful vocabulary, including words like squabble, row and racket. It has marvellous rhythmic language and detailed, rich illustrations. The potential for learning through books is enormous, particularly in this age of hundreds of amazing books being published all the time.

· Use Phase 1 of  Letters and Sounds. It is, for a Government publication, incredibly well thought out and researched. It is based on good Early Years practice and is easy to use as well as being free. It gives opportunities for children to learn all the basic skills in small groups and bite sized pieces. Most importantly it focusses on hearing the phonemes. Being able to hear phonemes is more important at this stage than recognising the letters, as hearing all the sounds in words is often the sign of a good reader. Children in Key Stage 1 who struggle with blending and segmenting, have often missed out or failed to grasp Phase 1. Without it, all the letter recognition in the world will not make children into decoders or readers. Phase 1 also is part of a rich language curriculum and using it enables children to explore language, through, for example, rhyming words. 

I will use my own children as examples of children learning phonics. They both attended the same outstanding nursery and are not the target children, in that they had a rich language environment at home. I never, however, did any sort of teaching with either of them, we just read to them a lot and they were regular library visitors. 

My son is one of the oldest in his year group and also a fairly mature child. He became very interested in letters and sounds when he was at nursery. The nursery taught Phase 1 but realised my son wanted something more and was ready to try new things. They responded to his questions and showed him letter formation when he asked for it. Unusually my son wanted the phonics so he could write rather than read. Rather than being bored when he started Reception, his very able teachers interested him still further and consistently challenged him. Learning phonics was, for him, very active and all about application.

My daughter, in direct contrast, is one of the younger ones in her year and not particularly mature. She was not even remotely interested in phonics, reading or writing, whilst in Nursery, which was not a problem or an issue for the staff, and happily no-one tried to force her into doing anything she did not want to do, as they recognised this would be entirely counter-productive.  When she started school she had no idea of phonics and the only letter she recognised was the start of her name. Once formal phonics teaching began with Phase 2 of Letters and Sounds my daughter quickly picked it up and within a few weeks had begun to read and write. She was approximately the same age as my son when he showed an interest, but had started school significantly younger.

Both of my children were ably supported at an appropriate level at Nursery, neither of them would have benefitted or even been interested in formal phonics lessons at that stage. In fact one of the Nursery staff once told me they would not be teaching the children to read. I said 'good' as I did not want them to have formal lessons- but actually she was wrong; through excellent play and speaking activities, they did indeed teach both children to read, through giving them the right foundations for doing so later on.

Lastly, why are we forcing younger and younger children into formal education? There is no evidence that the earlier you start formal learning the better the outcome. In fact, countries like Finland, which have very good outcomes, do not start children in formal school until they are seven years old.  Nursery aged children need time to play and the freedom to learn through play, including learning about language and phonemes. They need wonderful books and richness of language to become story tellers as well as readers. There is no rush; they are in formal education for so long, there is no advantage in trying to get them there sooner.

Book reviews

I have had the great good fortune to be asked to review lots of children’s books over the last few months. I had not written a book review for some considerable time and I realised whilst writing the reviews for the books I had read, how essentially dull writing a review can be.

The exception was when I got tremendously excited about a particular book I had read and then it became much easier to write. Often, however, we expect children to write reviews about many of the books they read and children may find this task dry and unexciting.

How can we make it a more enjoyable learning experience for children ? This is particularly important as the aim has to be to create lifelong readers.

· Ask for something different each time so it is neither boring to write or read. E.g. give it a rating in stars or smiley faces and the next time just talk about the character you might like to meet and then next time make it an advert for the book or a picture of your favourite part of the story. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.

· Vary the audience- If you have a computerised library system, they quite often have opportunities for book recommendations for other children to use. Or it might be a review for the teachers so they can suggest books for their class, or a sort of what to read next if you liked a particular book.

· Instead of writing book reviews try reading them and see if you agree with the reviewer.  Readingzone.com,  https://www.primarytimes.net/reviews/book-reviews, and most newspapers.

· Write letters, to parents, friends, teachers about the books and get them to respond with comments and questions.

· Put comments on Twitter– it is easy to link with authors there and they usually respond if you say positive things.

· ENJOY the books!

Phonics teaching- argument? What argument?

I'm always slightly baffled by the incredibly ferocity of the arguments over synthetic phonics teaching.  There is no real argument; synthetic phonics work, the end.  Yet that does not stop people on both sides of the argument firing off pretty dreadful comments on forums and blogs. It is enough to make me pause before posting items about phonics and it is usually my blogs about phonics that get the most hits- though fortunately never any trolling because of my views!

I have to admit, when Letters and Sounds first came out I was deeply cynical. I thought, if it was that easy why weren't we all doing it decades ago? Now I just think, why weren't we doing it decades ago? Teaching phonics in a really systematic way works; it enables children to read and I really cannot see why people argue about it, as it is a fact. In my very long teaching career I have only ever met one child who completely failed to read learning phonics, but then he completely failed to learn to read at all. He had a very specific learning difficulty which meant his maths was fine but he was unable to remember letters or sounds and had to have the maths paper at Y6 read to him. That is one child out of hundreds who did not make a success of reading through phonics- not a scientifically conducted test, but pretty compelling none-the-less.

What I have seen is Year 1 teachers amazed at the jump in standards when Reception started teaching systematic phonics. Year 1 teachers could not get over how much better the new Year 1 children were after a year of phonics teaching. This was noticeable, not only in reading but writing too. By the end of Reception children can have a go at spelling any word they want to and whilst they won't yet know all the variables involved in spelling, they can make a pretty good stab at  some very complicated words. How amazing to be able to give children the gift of being able to write as well as read!

Some of the more anti-systematic phonics brigade seem to think that by teaching phonics you are not teaching a love of books. I do admit some of the very phonic based books are not great literature, but they serve a purpose, namely to support early reading through using phonics skills previously learnt. No-one is suggesting that children only read these sort of books, but merely that they learn to read with this type of text, as it supports them. They can then read plenty of other, wonderful children's books at the same time. So, for example, alongside learning Phase 3 phonics from Letters and Sounds in Reception, a child could be reading Shark in the Park by Nick Sharrett which amply illustrates the use of the /ar/ phoneme, or Mr Magnolia by Quentin Blake, which goes beautifully with Phase 5 /oo/ graphemes in Year 1.

Amidst all the arguing it seems to me that the essential fact has been lost, namely that phonics teaching is the tool not the end goal. The end goal is learning to read, which requires both phonics skills and comprehension. Once again,  good phonics teaching allows for this, with fantastic words littered across schemes such as Letters and Sounds.  Within the first weeks of phonics teaching children are learning words like nip, sap, din and nag and in order to read and write they do need to have the understanding of the word meanings that go with this. I know the decoding check seems to be demanding the opposite, with half of it being made up of 'nonsense' words, but these words will not improve reading standards, where as good phonics teaching will.

Then there is the argument that the test is biased against good readers. My son was one of those children, he was reading fluently by the end of Year 1. Having had excellent phonics teaching it made no difference to the outcome of the decoding check, he had just been taught that he should always use phonics as his first strategy, so that was what he did. Interestingly, in the word by word breakdown of the decoding check outcomes, it is always words with split digraph, whether nonsense or not , that have the lowest number of children read them correctly. The simple solution is to make sure teachers revise split digraph just before the decoding check. It would appear children are not phased by the nonsense words at all if they are used to using phonics as their first strategy when reading.

So you see I really do not understand the arguments at all (or why anyone has to be unpleasant about it, whatever their view). I have visited many schools as well as taught hundreds of children. Systematic phonics, when taught well, has meant great success for many children and there can be no argument in that.

Letter from a class teacher to a difficult parent- the response!

I know who you are, I’ve heard all about you and I’m not going to run away and hide. I will give you the time you need to talk to me, but it will have to be planned. I realise there is a lot you will want to say so I want to give you a proper opportunity to speak to me, not just a few snatched moments before or after school or in public.

I know you are a teacher and I respect your experience. I will listen to you when you let me know about the homework being too hard or too easy and I like the notes you write on it. It is very helpful to see what your child is doing at home and how much help he needs. I know that you understand the levels and the jargon and I will talk to you openly and honestly. I will tell you quickly if there is any sort of problem where I feel your child is not achieving as they should and not leave it until parent consultations to spring things on you. I will also tell you when your child is doing really well and show you things you will be proud of. 

I also know that you have particular expertise and whilst I understand you want to be a parent whilst at this school I will ask your opinion if it is relevant. I know you know a lot about reading for example, so if you think a particular book would be great for your child or the class, let me know.

I do know how able your child is, even though he has been hiding it a bit. Thank you for pointing some things out to me because I did not know about the maths, because as you say, he has not been taught it and therefore not used it in class. You mentioned he was reading a particular book at home so please encourage him to bring in books to school and to tell me about what he is reading. This term we are actually starting a challenge group for both maths and English and I am  going to put your child in those groups; I was going to include him before you told me about all the things he can do, but now I have even more evidence about him, it is very useful.

I completely understand about your anxieties over your child’s health issues. I did not know anything about Diabetes before he was in my class but I do now. I suggest you come in and we can have a long discussion ; we can ask you all the questions we need to ask and you can tell us all we need to know. We will also attend training and as many of us as can be released will go. This will ensure there is never an occasion when no-one knows what to do.  I will also ensure he is not missing lessons due to his condition and I will do this by keeping his medication in a safe place in the classroom, so that he does not have to go anywhere to deal with anything. I will make sure we have a good routine and if there is going to be any change in the routine or any cooking/eating activities I will discuss it with you first. I know the emotional aspect is hard for everyone to deal with and we will all follow the care plan and review it frequently.

Finally I want to say we value having you as a parent and we understand the needs of your child. All of the staff will do everything they can to support your child right through the school.

Difficult parents- are they born that way or do teachers create them? Part 1

Letter from a difficult parent

I am a difficult parent, in fact I am probably the most difficult parent you have to deal with. I am the parent you try and avoid, sometimes asking someone else to interrupt, so you do not get stuck with me. I am not actually a difficult person and in other contexts I am easy to deal with, but when it comes to my child and school I am your worst nightmare.

Firstly I know too much. I haven’t just looked up the information about schools and levels and national standards, I really know about them. I’m a teacher myself, so I know about where my child should be, the curriculum they should be covering and what the OFSTED report really means. They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but with my child, it is a lot of knowledge that makes it hard for you. You simply cannot fob me off with jargon or standard phrases because I can read between the lines. Please don’t give my child end of year levels that are ‘dumbed’ down so as to show more progress at a later stage. I will know when they are wrong and I will challenge you over them. You might see me as being demanding, but I just want things to be done properly.

You ought to remember that homework is my biggest link between home and school. What my child brings home is the clue to how well they are doing and what they have been covering in class. I might tell you that the reading book is too easy, but it’s not that I’m being difficult, I realise how hard it is to hear so many children read and make sure they are all reading books they should be reading, I’m actually just trying to help you, by pointing it out.  I will also write helpful notes on the homework, to show you where there was help given or where my child struggled. I do know it is different at home, where it is one to one, so I like to make it clear in order for the homework to be helpful to you when you mark it.

I am a difficult parent. My child is extremely able. He has not always shown you this in school, but I know it and I want you to know and understand it too.  He is a boy so he has done the ‘boy’ thing of only doing the minimum to get by, but I can see what he is capable of and I am going to tell you about it. I don’t mean to be rude, I know how busy you are, but he really is very bright and what he does at home does not seem to be reflected in the work he does at school. Have you noticed he can actually read fluently? That he can do some maths like ratio and fractions when I know he has not been taught them? Have you seen he uses words like created instead of made, or scrumptious instead of nice, and he spells them correctly? He is only six and he can do all this; it would be so wonderful if you could see how incredible he is too!

I am a difficult parent and this is what makes me the most difficult of all. I am anxious, all the time, with no let up, because my child has health issues. We are not just talking bad coughs or lots of stomach upsets. His health issues are complex and life threatening, all pervading and there is not a day that goes by when you won’t have to deal with them. He has Type 1 Diabetes so you have to watch him like a hawk, no exceptions. You have to give him injections and learn how to deal with counting carbohydrates when he eats. You have to manage the fact that if his blood sugar is too high he will be emotional and difficult and if his blood sugar is too low it is a medical emergency. You have to deal with all of this and I have to trust you to do it. It makes me anxious, I’m not sure you really know what you are doing and I’m entrusting you with my precious child. It makes me very difficult to deal with because I get very emotional and angry if things do not go how they should. He has a care plan and you should be following it. I know that the nature of Diabetes is that it is completely unpredictable but I am still entrusting my child into your care and I have to do this, even though it makes me fearful. How will I know that you can look after him properly? How will I know that you can keep him safe?

I am a difficult parent, how are you going to help me?

[Part 2- the response- next week]

Disability in fiction

Children with disabilities are few and far between in children's fiction. The only ones I could think of straight off was the boy in ‘A Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time’ by Mark Haddon and of course ‘Katy’, both in the original by Susan Coolidge and the newly up-to-date version by Jacqueline Wilson . It is almost as if children with any sort of disabilities do not exist except in specialised books of the sort ‘I have Asthma’ or ‘I use a wheelchair’ variety.
I am aware of this lack, as my son has Type 1 Diabetes and he has one very American book of short stories in which diabetes is the defining factor in all the plots, rather than an incidental fact of life, as it is for him.  He likes this book and often asks for us to read it to him as a bedtime story, and he also likes the book entitled ‘Why do I feel tired’ also about diabetes. But he has no heroes who have diabetes, except the real life sporting hero Steve Redgrave and now Theresa May. Quite a few celebrities like Tom Hanks have announced they have Type 2, but not only does he mean very little to an 8 year old, it is also an entirely different condition. My son, like many other children with a range of disabilities, needs heroes in books to just be that way as a matter of course and deal with it in the way he does.
I’ve noticed on television there are now a range of characters with disabilities and rather than it being the plotline, they just happen to be that person with a particular difference.  That is really the crux of the matter; if managed well a disability is no longer disabling, rather something that just makes a child different. No-one looking at my son would even know there was anything out of the ordinary with him and his school has given him the chance to be entirely enabled rather than disabled by his condition. So where are these children in books?
Here is a challenge for you– if you cannot find the children with disabilities in books, write them in yourself. You meet them every day, you know them well, they are in your classrooms. Start telling stories about them and stop them being the invisible children– and send me a copy when you get published!