School checking out home before 4 yr old starts school

Clichèè3 è clich è mç cliché ! Hurray!

Mêander. Méander. Mèander. Mëander.
Yes, very crêpey!

This is fun, thankyou

Ėęøöûï æäçbčć ü.

Thank You!

This is fun!

Don't know what half these things are.

S'pose this means I'll have to learn when to use what now.

I have never heard of this before it certainly didn't happen in the case of my 4 G/C. Slightly bizarre IMO.

I'd never heard of it before either Nonu and it seems a little bizarre to me too.

And we're back full circle...

There are, however, parents who would rather not have their living accommodation seen, never mind scrutinised, by a person they view as an 'authority figure'. Not all parents are middle-class, but they all have their pride.

Very well said Ana

Just to say I worked at Waterloo (London) when I did my very first home visits. The fabulous families I knew then were proud, worked hard , were not well off, loved their kids and welcomed me and colleagues into their homes. It's all about attitude..I respected them, they respected me.

I found the first day of school quite frightening (even though I had met my teacher beforehand) and after my mum left, I just sat and cried. The Headteacher came to get me from class, she took me up a little winding staircase to her office where I was given a chocolate biscuit to dunk in her tea! We sat and talked about things and then my teacher arrived and joined in. I ended up smiling and feeling much happier. That happened in 1960 when I was just 4 years old but the memory is still very clear as it made such an impact. I was happy to go back to class after that.

No home visit from a teacher would have prepared me for the absence of my mother in unfamiliar surroundings and unfamiliar routines and expectations but the skill and compassion of the Headteacher and my new classteacher put everything back on an even keel. I have very fond memories of my early years at school because of those two.

The only thing I remember from my first day at school was Mums and children all congregating in what must have been the canteen, sitting on benches at refectory tables. I was fascinated by the hat of my mother's best friend; it had a decoration of fake cherries which bounced around as the Mums chatted. Don't remember any more at all. (Always had a tendency to let my mind wander.)

Starting at High School was much more frightening, and continued to be so for a long time.

This sounds like a missuse of teachers time and a waste of money. Any person who works with the kids, teacher, teaching assistant, even dinner lady can soon see what kind of background the child comes from. The childs dress is the most obvious, is the child clean, can they eat properly with knife and fork etc etc. Also the way a child speaks is an indication of upbringing. All this can be observed without sending a teacher to the home. My daughter who is educated well above that of a normal teacher would be horrified at the thought of a teacher visiting and would spend days cleaning and tidying the house, as would most parents. The visiting teacher would see an artificial environment.
My DGD can eat with a knife and fork (after a fashion), says please when requesting a treat, and thank you. She is well behaved when visiting a restaurant and is bright and articulate and she under 2. By the time she goes to school, hopefully she will adapt well and settle.
By contrast some kids I see swear, and are bad mannered and have knowledge of how to behave in a civilised manner, these are the ones to have an inspection visit.

Before anyone criticises me, I mean that the kids who obviously from a troubled background are the ones who need help, with a visit, the school can arrange for help for the families if needed as very often some people need help and don't like to ask.

ethebags1 Why on earth would it take your daughter days - in the plural - to clean and tidy the house? Is it really huge? Admittedly, I am currently living in a little three-bedroom house but it is reasonably clean and tidy all the time so anyone visiting wouldn't find it an artificial environment.

Sorry, ethelbags1.

No it wouldn't take her days to clean her house she is as clean as anyone else and apart from a few toys lying around her house is usually tidy. What I mean is that she would be so panicked at the thought of a teacher coming to the house she would do extra for days and re do it as she worries about such things.
I was the same, when the health visitor came to check DD out a few weeks after she was born, I was up at 5am cleaning and scrubbing, I put fresh flowers in vases and had the coffee machine on for when she arrived, best china cups on tray to offer her a coffee.
I was dressed in a new dress, had my hair done I even laid out fresh music on the piano. I just had to give a good impression, I think I even laid out a theatre programme that we had kept from the previous week.
this was the effect a visit from someone in authority had on me so I understand that my daughter feels the same

Regards cost, teachers are salaried. So it becomes part of the role. Some head teachers take the view that it would be a helpful step forward to take away some of the awe which hits youngsters when they first begin their schooldays, for the child's comfort. We feel it must be beneficial if the new teacher can gain some insight into the child's environment and meet a new parent one to one. They are not 'spying' as some seem to think. Call it 'Induction', Previously lots of 'kiddies', were torn between fear of the unknown and being in a foreign place with strangers, and a first day away from mum. If it helps 'break the ice' children can enjoy the new adventure. Perhaps we should give it a chance.

I thought that all new starters at school have induction days anyway and with so many children going to nursery school the transition is not so traumatic as years ago when they were sent to school with not ev en a pre visit. My DD just knew that her first day in reception was the next step from nursery and she knew her teachers as they popped into the nursery from time to time.
I really think that visits from teachers are intrusive and scary, after all teachers do much to protect their privacy, never telling anyone where they live or anything about their lives, why should the parents have teachers interfering in their lives. As Ive said before those who need help it will be obvious by the condition of the child and help can be given.

Ethelbags my daughter has had several visits from a nice lady from the council to discuss GS1's behaviour at school (mainly boredom from waiting for everyone else to catch up) Each time their flat was cleaned and tidied till it was hardly recognisable Don't think the council lady noticed at all!

Not all little'uns go to nursery prior to starting school.and some are not as fortunate as others. Surely to get the feel of a new pupil is beneficial. Especially to the kids themselves. We are lucky, our Gr Gr children took it all on board with ease, but there are some who find it traumatic. Which must put them at a disadvantage.

Theatre programme? Isn't that a bit worrying?

I am amazed that an innocent and, as I see it, positive development has caused such a complicated discussion!

It must be a help to the teacher to have seen the child in its own environment; and a help to the child to have seen the teacher in a context that they are used to.

Exactly, Mishap. It is also clear from the thread that it is long-established in some areas and not some strange, new-fangled idea. I also get the impression that some people think that all schools have nurseries attached. That would be very nice, but is sadly not the case.

My DGD2 will be nearly five when she starts this September and is more than ready and desperate to go, but, an only child, she won't know any of the children as all the nurseries here are privately run so the children come from miles and so all go off to different schools. It would have been nice for them to have more introduction time in the classroom rather than an hour or so back in July.

A home visit wouldn't have told the teacher much in DGD's case as she would just sit politely and say nothing unless spoken to. A model child. DD would be the same. They don't open up quickly. Toys don't venture much into the sitting room either, wrong end of the house and teacher wouldn't be invited into what they would consider to be their private space. So the teacher just wouldn't see the chaos and fun and noise and get a completely wrong impression.

It is said that first impressions are important. I guess the teachers are trying to come across as ordinary people and not the control freaks they need to be in the classroom if order is to prevail in a roomful of four and five year olds >> <<

Ok,what's the procedure if they have suspicions?.Are they experienced enough to know a child in need? Does a clean tidy house mean happy kids?Does a messy house mean a neglected child?As I'v said,abused kids haven't been saved by their teachers or ( so called experienced) social workers.

I let your remark slip last time you said that Marmark but as you've repeated it I have to pull you up. There are many, many cases of child neglect and abuse spotted by teachers. I, personally, have spotted, reported and had positive results from several during my school career, as have my colleagues and most teachers.
There was a case recently when I too was disgusted that multiple agencies had not spotted a horrific cases of child neglect, one that I know I would have spotted and reported as the class teacher. Just because the odd, sad case, slips through please do not made such offensives remarks about a profession who care about and nurture the children in their care.