JoannaS said:I suppose even the reading was a headache for me, my daughter was fine she started earlier at 4 1/2 but finished in her first term at 12pm and so was quite ready for a sit down and a read but my boys started full time straight away at nearly 5 years old and so they really did not want to do anything but play outside when they got home. I read a bed time story to them but they were not interested in reading for themselves at home, we sort of persisted but I didn't want books to become a battle ground.

You did the right thing Joanna.  There is such a thing as reading readiness and you cannot force a child to read.  It is the quickest way of putting them off.  When a child then discovers the joys of reading it is wonderful.  Your boys had obviously had enough by the time they came home.  School is hard work for a 5 year old who has to stay all day and the boys would be tired.

KateUK said:

I was pondering Homework the other day…I think homework should be set weekly for the parents not the children. Children have enough to do.

This week make jam tarts with your child and eat them together.

This week talk to your child not the mobile phone.

This week spend time with your child at the playground.

This week make eachother laugh. A lot.

Round here  it is the parents who tend to insist on having homework….so they should have it.

I agree Kate, anyone without an ounce of creativity to be able to spend some time doing things like talking with your children or cooking with them ought to be made to do homework especially if they think children should be made to do it. It would be much better than carting them to this and that activity.

And Danast how very true about reading readiness, somehow think the powers that be do not understand how children learn.

danast said:

BS please can you tell me why those poor children had to copy this sentence from the board because I can see no educational value in pupils trying to copy something as many times as they can.  What an absolute waste of time. I just don't understand the reasoning behind it.  Was it supposed to a writing lesson?   As for the jiving – terrific!

Not even spellings? My kid's spelling was atrociousl, so when I got them home (as in home educated) if they made a mistake they would write it out 5 times, if they carried on making the mistake the number of times to write it out went up, they did improve slowly!

Does remind me though why one of mine had such a problem. At school they had spelling tests once a week and they had a buddy system to mark them and my son's friend used to mark my son's spelling correct whether it was or it wasn't. I spotted the problem at one Parent's evening