How do I find out how well my child is doing at school?

You may find yourself asking this question as a parent on a regular basis. It’s one of the obvious concerns that probably never goes away. School class sizes are so large, parent evenings are so short on time; what do you even need to ask your child’s teacher?

You might feel that getting answers and then action plans to deal with the current learning situation of your child isn’t realistically possible. Especially if your child doesn’t give the school any obvious causes of concern, really important gaps in their learning may not be flagged or come to light.

So as a concerned and responsible parent, what can you do? Well, first and foremost you care about your child’s progress and understand the need to see the true picture. That in itself is the first step along the road to ensuring that your child succeeds in school. So what can be done if you feel you don’t currently have the answers you need?

Assessing your child’s current abilities in Maths and English is essential for achieving lasting success. When a deep dive is done in to assessing the trajectory your child is travelling on, this opens up a world of possibilities that can deliver results beyond anything either you, your child or especially the school may have ever expected.

If we have learned one thing during the last 18 years, it’s that no outcome for a child is fixed in stone. Almost nothing is unobtainable, when a child is given the tools, support and investment they deserve. Understanding some important truths begins to open up the door to these unlimited possibilities.

What year level is my child working at in Maths right now? Why is this? What is it that they can’t currently understand? I didn’t know that she can’t add or subtract fractions. I didn’t know she couldn’t do long multiplication. How did she get to year 9 without being able to do this? Why didn’t anybody tell me?

I never knew my son could read so well. But why could he not answer the comprehension questions from the passage he has just read? He has some beautiful creative ideas that he writes for a boy in year 6, but why does his writing not make sense, how can he ever learn to write anything with actual meaning?

If somebody could find all of these things out and more, then the journey to fixing these sorts of issues and creating a pathway to a successful end goal can begin. A thorough assessment in Maths and English may sound daunting. It may sound formal and stressful. However, the reality need not be any of those things. What if your child could be placed in a quiet, friendly and calm environment, with space, time and kind encouragement to support them? By making this secure and comfortable environment a reality, in as little as an hour, or maybe a little longer, the answers to your child’s current situation can be found.

Would you like to know your child’s reading age? What year level are they working on in Maths. Are they heading for Foundation Maths rather than Higher? Why is this? All of your questions regarding Maths and English that involve your child can be answered in detail, with thought, care and an answer to the problem. Our in depth assessment feedback sessions are where we begin the process with you of understanding your child’s needs as they are right now. What if your child is in a low set for Maths and is tracking towards doing Foundation Maths with a maximum of Grade 5 being available. What if you don’t want this, but didn’t know? We can, with time and good teaching, change this outcome. Your child could be transformed into a child that excels in Maths and gets a top grade on the higher paper. What if it turned out that your child is more gifted than anyone ever knew? Then by finding this out, we set them on the track for entry to the High School, and they passed the entrance exam? And none of this would ever have happened without an initial assessment.

This assessment feedback is where we find out about not just where your child is at now, it’s much more than that. It’s where we can map out their future and discover possibilities you may never have though about, possibilities that can come true.

To find out about how our assessments work and what involved, read our blog ‘How assessments work’ - coming soon