Education advice needed

FriendlyJ

lol Andyrules :rotfl:
Have thought about a tutor & will consider it in new year.
I would like to get her more confident before we get private help then she will be more positive! thats the theory anyway
J

dmg24

I think enthusiasm counts for a lot. I tutored someone last year who got an E in the end, but that was pretty fantastic considering the short time we had (three months, and she had already done most of her modules) and where we started from! I tried to get her to retake, but I think the enthusiasm had become focused on boys and clothes in the meantime!

If you can find out tomorrow what board she is studying (EdExcel or OCR), and if possible the syllabus number, I'll find some books for you to get. Are you registered at the library, and have you got an online password to reserve them? Also, find out if they are doing coursework, and if so, when. If you PM me all that I'll get all the info together for you.

I do tutoring, but only on a voluntary basis (I am happy to take payment in Ben and Jerry's!). The only problem is I live in Hucknall and I don't drive, but if you need a hand, feel free to pop over! x

dmg24

If you are watching I'm a Celebrity, it really does make concerning watching Maths wise ...

Gemma Atkinson could not work out 47 - 20 ...

Janice Plastic Face could not work out 20% of 60 ...

Very, very worrying! x

Savvy_Sue

Does Kumon maths carry on until this age? I have no experience of it, but I know it's often mentioned as useful for younger children, and I believe it works by reinforcing what is known before moving on to the next stage.

Discussing this with friends including an OU Physics tutor recently, the feeling was that if when someone's understanding just stops, it's usually a couple of stages back that they started 'losing it', as it were. So going back over stuff the child thinks they know could pay dividends.

dmg24

I don't know a great deal about Kumon, but I agree with what you are saying about reinforcing what is already known. It all goes back to the practice, practice, practice theory (we could call it dmg maths!) x

candygirl

If I was you i'd definitely get her a tutor, as moving schools will be way too disruptive in year 10.I had to do the same for my daughter for maths.It was expensive but worth every penny when she got B grade in GCSE.The school and Ofsted will be on to it,and improvements will have to be made, but there are no quick fixes unfortunately :rolleyes:

FriendlyJ

Thanks everyone.
I am waiting for the school to get back to me as I have requested another appt. to see her head of year/maths to get some answers about course work etc. I will find out what board she is studying etc. Thanks dmg24 Ben & Jerrys's is on offer in asda at the mo maybe I should start stocking up! :rotfl: I watched I'm a celebrity with my daughter & I'm pleased to say she got the questions right! not that it says a lot lol :rotfl: I actually work near the library so I will be able to get hold of the books easily. Going to go back a level on bitesize to re-enforce what she has learned before.
tc J

Hapless_2

FriendlyJ wrote: »

Brunts is v good went to appeal to get her in there but no luck. Thats interesting to know that is it my responsibility to ensure her ed. Does that mean I could bring her home for the maths period & she could have undisprupted bitesize? then go back to school?

that would be flexi-schooling and schools don't like it and neither to education authorities!

FriendlyJ

I understand they might not like it - but the school is failing to deliver an acceptable level of education - surely if I am responsible legally for her education I am failing in my duty by leaving them to it!
I'm feeling a bit rebellious must be all this teenage angst rubbing off on me lol :rotfl:

alm721

Ok, I echo all the advice with regards to finding out which exam board she is with, what textbook they are using etc. With regards to getting a tutor or prehaps trying Kumon I think I can offer some advice in both areas. I am a secondary science teacher who often teaches up to gcse maths (due to lack of maths teachers), my mum is also a maths teacher. My daughter and younger brother have both attended Kumon in the past and my daughter is doing so again now as my mum has recently retired and is now running a kumon centre which I help her with. (Just trying to give you an idea of where Im coming from).
Firstly Kumon maths goes from starting to count up to foundation degree level. We have many students who come who are at GSCE level and one who is at A Level, as well as lots of younger students. The beauty of Kumon is that a student will always start their kumon studies at a level that is right for them and that will enable them to achieve and be sucessful. Only when the student has mastered the topic in hand will they move on to the next level. This means that there are no gaps in their knowledge and they develop a much better grasp of number. I would say this would be a really good thing for your daughter if she is wanting to build her confidence but and it is a but, you need to be aware that the kumon programme follows its own scheme, students only move on when they are ready and so she may not be studing in kumon what she is studying in class. There is no doubt that it would be a great help to her but she may not get to the bits she needs to in time for her exams.
In which case, in your poistion I would suggest that you look for a private tutor who will go through with her on a week by week basis what she is doing at school. I really think if you can afford it them this would be of most help to her. Im not sure if its been mentioned but if you can find out what exam board and syllabus she is doing then you should be able to get hold of previous exam papers. If you can I would suggest you get her to start working through them well before any exams to get a feel for the type of questions, you can always photocopy them and get her to do them more than once and see if she improves etc over time.
It is a nightmare to be in the situation you're in but as others have said you won't get far with the school over this, your best bet is to do as you are doing and not really on the school to sort it out. Feel free to pm me if you want to know anything else about kumon etc or if you have problems locating papers etc.
Hope this helps