Is My Child Underperforming in School?

Is My Child Underperforming in School?

It can be really difficult to gauge how well our children are doing at school. Yes we get their reports to look out and can review their homework but how can we really tell if our children are underperforming in school? Manor Lodge is a private primary school in Hertfordshire. With pupils between 4 and 11 and lots of experience in this subject they are perfectly placed to offer us parents some great advice.

• Read the Reports

Every child should receive a school report at least once a term to help you track your child’s progress. These can sometimes be overwhelming especially if you are not used to the format so take time to read through them properly and really understand how your child is doing in each area. A lot of the time school reports give you feedback on your child’s academic progress as well as how they are performing against expected targets, general attitude, strengths and weaknesses.

• Speak to other parents

Speak to parents of the children in your child’s class to help you gauge how they are doing compared to their peers. Maybe there is a certain subject that they are all struggling with because it is new to them or maybe they need to try a different method of learning.

• Ask the teacher questions

The teacher at school will have the best understanding of your child’s performance in school and can give you some advice on how to improve anything that they may be falling behind with. Book a meeting to discuss and help you with any worries you may have.

• Find out how your child feels

Speak to your child and find out how they feel they are doing. Are they conscious that they are struggling in certain subjects or do they think they are excelling? Ask questions like ‘how many times did you put your hand up to answer questions today’ or ‘was there anything you needed help with today?’ to help you understand what’s going on in the classroom.

Guest Article.