How long does your high school take to reply to emails

(21 Posts)
17leftfeet Wed 09-Oct-13 09:22:38

Dd is in yr7 and having issues around maths

She left primary on level 6, I expected this to drop to a 5 when she started high school but she's just been given her current assessment of 4a and her target for the end of yr 7 is a 5b

I've looked in her maths book and she hasn't got a single question wrong, she rattles her homework off in literally 5 minutes

She says she is on the verge of stopping putting her hand up in class as the teacher ignores her and will stand there asking everyone else to put their hands up to answer questions

I'm really disappointed as part of the reason we chose this school is that they state they drive even the most able to their full potential

My daughter spoke to the teacher and has been invited to the g&t club at lunch time -so the expectation is she sits bored rigid in class for 2.5 hrs each week then gives up her half hour lunch break one day?

To get back to my original heading, I emailed the teacher on Monday afternoon to arrange to have a conversation with her, as yet I've had no reply
How long do I leave it before chasing

I don't want to be a pushy mother but maths is important and the school doesn't set until yr9 which is a new policy for this year's yr 7 -I was assured they are able to differentiate within the class but it feels like they aren't even trying

missifask Wed 09-Oct-13 09:36:45

With regards to the target 4a it sounds right to me. My experience is that you don't just keep climbing the same ladder it's a new set of levels for the new age group. Sorry but I can't explain it any better than that.

If she stops putting her hand up she will probably get asked the answer now and again they have to share and if they know someone knows the answer they need to give others the chance so they get an understanding of how the youngsters are thinking and working it out. Does your DD just give the answer in her books or does she show the workings? This is important for later when things get more complicated.

It's not giving up part of your lunchtime though, it's additional and if she is keen it's good and fun - that's my experience anyway.

With regards to emails - Our school responds fairly quicklymaybe a couple of days but maybe phone the heads assistant she may have a full diary this particular week. Our school also have a clinic once a week where you can speak to the head direct which is really helpful.

17leftfeet Wed 09-Oct-13 09:58:39

In regards to showing working out, an example of a piece of work she's had to do is she had a painting by numbers sheet and every section had a maths question in. All the questions had one of 6 answers, each representing a colour and she had to colour the sections in
Questions included 5x6 or 2x2x6

In primary she was doing algebra and Pythagoras?

I was under the impression that the NC levels run all the way through education but primary don't always cover the breadth of subjects

She has had excellent provision in primary, maybe we have been spoiled?

In primary she took part in every maths thing going and in the space of 4 weeks she has become so disengaged it's actually quite frightening

Bluebell99 Wed 09-Oct-13 10:09:43

My dd has also just started year 7. I queried her target too and the school got back to me within a couple of days to say her target was wrong and it was an admin error. They have yet to correct this in her planner or speak to her about it though. She finished primary at 5a, the highest her primary taught to, and her target now is 6b/c. They are not settled and she is currently sitting with a girl who struggles with Maths and won't let my dd turn the shared sheet to access the more difficult questions! The other girl is also copying all her work, so I really don't think this not setting is working very well. So, back to you, her target sounds wrong, and I would expect a response within a couple of days.

Takver Wed 09-Oct-13 10:27:55

I emailed school last week on just the same subject [ thread here]]. Haven't heard back yet - lots of flu & teachers off though so not surprising. We shall see.

Takver Wed 09-Oct-13 10:28:11

Sorry, not sure why link didn't work here

Lottie4 Wed 09-Oct-13 10:36:23

To answer your question, I think it depends on the teacher. I had a query, phoned up and school suggested I email Head of KS3 - I did twice and never got a reply. Phoned them again and they suggested Head of Year who I had to email on three different occasions and each time she emailed me back the following break time.

You could always try writing a letter and asking your daughter to hand it to the teacher. If not, there will probably be a mentoring or parents evening in the next month or so and you can raise it there.

With regards to putting her hand up, obviously there are some that do this more willingly than the others, but I think teachers do want to hear from all in the class as they are all equally important, they need to get to know the children and what understanding they have.

jennycoast Wed 09-Oct-13 14:12:33

An e-mail to DD2s secondary yesterday got a response within the hour. it was an admin query though, not teaching.

BlackMogul Thu 10-Oct-13 00:25:20

I think it is poor practice not to set earlier than year 9 but if you downgrade students from level 6 to 4 you don't have to do much differentiation, do you? It is lazy teaching I'm afraid and don't believe what a school tells you about pushing the brightest if they don't really recognise them in the first place. Assessing low then miraculously getting good results later is all part of the value added game and children get caught up in it. Try again for an answer.

Labro Thu 10-Oct-13 07:46:46

Anything from 1 hour to 3 or 4 days depending on the teacher.

I usually get a reply the same day.

cricketballs Thu 10-Oct-13 18:08:35

Black - value added is taken from the primary assessments not the re-assessments dine by the secondary

17leftfeet Thu 10-Oct-13 19:13:43

Still no reply....

Takver Thu 10-Oct-13 20:01:28

leftfeet, if it helps I emailed with a very similar query middle of last week, and got a follow-up phone call today. HoY had been discussing the issue with head of maths + dd's teacher, and in fact they've moved on with the whole class (which makes sense - dd herself said she felt that she was one of the slower in the group, and the rest must be even more bored grin ). So I guess what I'm saying is that it takes time for them to consult etc, and don't panic.
(Having said that, I would always send a holding email in the same circs, but then I communicate by email all the time - I think maybe on the whole parents tend to phone at dd's school.)

Blissx Thu 10-Oct-13 20:13:16

Can I just raises a point about the 'hands up'? I'm afraid one of the things OFSTED frowns upon is teachers who just easily pick the children who already know the answers and we are required to pick pupils who don't put up their hand instead so that they 'think' about the answer and the same pupils don't keep answering. It is not a reflection on the teacher being mean. It is just that we are under pressure to provide 'outstanding' lessons and this is sometimes picked up on.

With regards to the email, I try and email back the same day. That said, I have sometimes had manically busy days and it might be after school the follow day.

lottysmum Thu 10-Oct-13 20:17:44

I've had the same issue with English this week (new Yr 7)and I emailed school last night and the reply was from the Principals PA before 9am this morning followed by a phone call.... I can really understand how you feel because my DD was given a 3B for a short English assessment when she was working at higher than 3B when she was in year 4.... Very interesting response that they had purposely downgraded the work for all the children ...but her target this year was 6B ...- what a silly way to demotivate a child - how can my child now trust what grades she is given ?

17leftfeet Thu 10-Oct-13 20:18:29

She gets the hands up thing and tends to only put her hand up if a couple of others have had a go first, or if no one puts their hands up

She literally has not answered a question since the first week and I get why she gets frustrated with that

I think she's disappointed when she was really looking forward to high school maths and being challenged, she likes being made to think

camptownraces Thu 10-Oct-13 20:26:05

Highly likely this question has been referred to Head of Maths for a reply.

Did you phone again with a reminder? (just in case original message vanished in an email crash, or note fell out of pigeonhole, etc)

Realistically, staff will deal with such messages in the evenings, and could assume that you wouldn't welcome a call after, say, 9.30 pm. Did you leave a daytime number, as well as one for evening?

When is the parents' evening - soon?

Is it somebody new running the Dept, perhaps? First year they haven't set for Maths until Year 9, suggests it could be. Either that, or timetable pressure has pushed them into this position unwillingly. In which case, they may be thinking carefully who should call you back.

Blissx Thu 10-Oct-13 20:42:08

Ah, I see 17leftfeet! I don't teach Maths but I do know that sometimes there can be a slight drop in the level of work at the start of Secondary (which you do seem prepared for in your opening post). I would, however not place so much regard on the levels. What I mean is that primary schools are under so much pressure to keep increasing levels every year that they don't often follow through. I have had plenty of so called 5a pupils who can barely write a full sentence and whos handwriting is worse than my 6 year olds'. It can take a while for a new year 7 to find their niche for a whole host of reasons.

Now I realise that your DD sounds like she is more than capable in Maths but I would concentrate on her experiences within the subject rather than be shocked at her sub level-especially as these are going to be abolished soon anyway. I realise I sound a bit waffley, but I have read your thread and your daughter's unhappiness stands out to me, rather than her sub level drop in itself. Therefore, I wouldn't see the lunchtime club as a punishment to give up her lunch but rather an opportunity to restore her love of Maths and shine outside of what is probably a class of 30 who have only been in school for about 6 weeks and not as well known to the teacher as you would be in a primary environment that was established for years, prior to Year 6.

I hope you get a response soon and that you can talk about what might be the best steps to help your daughter feel happier again.

17leftfeet Thu 10-Oct-13 21:37:20

In the original email I asked that I was contacted to arrange a mutually convenient time to discuss the situation either in person or on the phone and left email and mobile contact details

I'm actually not hung up on the sub levels, I'm more bothered that she isn't enjoying a subject she previously loved and is learning the lesson that she doesn't need to try

Parents evening is next week but we only get to speak to the form teacher

swhobbit Thu 10-Oct-13 22:24:49

Year 7 is a learning curve & as parents you need to let the school observe & make decisions based on a tad more than just primary Sch results. My Ds was a level 8 in year 7 but all topics were familiar so he was cruising. Year 8 with new topics that were new & unfamiliar meant he levelled out and is in a comfortable position to get A * when ready in a years time.
However school should respond to e mails ? Ours does within 2 days so keep trying smile

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