How to spot if children are struggling at school
Sevenoaks-based teachmeuk.co.uk offers parents some useful advice on how to spot the tell tale signs that all is not well for your son or daughter at school
WE ALL want our children to do well at school, but if they do start to struggle or fall behind, it’s important to get them the help they need as soon as possible. Your child’s teachers might inform you if they think your child is having difficulties, but you shouldn’t rely on the school to have perfect monitoring and lines of communication, especially if the child has only recently started exhibiting signs of falling behind.
Parents’ evenings provide a terrific opportunity for a progress report, but are generally too infrequent for you to catch potential problems as and when they develop. There are some signs you can look out for yourself, however.
They refuse to discuss school
As a parent, you should always express an interest in your child’s schooling. If they suddenly become reluctant to discuss what they have learned and how their schoolwork is going, it could be a sign that something is wrong.
Their attitude has changed
If kids do discuss school, but express dissatisfaction, boredom, or even anger about their experience there, the fact that they are struggling could be the root cause — especially if they previously enjoyed and looked forward to school.
They start to misbehave
Misbehaviour could be another clue, as it may be a smokescreen to draw attention away from the fact that they are struggling with work. Changes in behaviour and attitude could stem from other underlying issues, however, or could simply be a passing phase as they grow up.
They struggle with homework
If their homework habits change, this can be another sign. They might be spending much longer than usual on their homework if they are struggling. On the other hand, they might become discouraged and start spending as little time on it as possible.
teachmeuk.co.uk – Sevenoaks based home and on-line tuition, holiday revision courses and practice papers covering the primary and secondary national curriculum.
- Look out for the next article from teachmeuk.co.uk when it looks at the other side of the coin – talented pupils who are not being adequately challenged.
