School Textbooks: Why No Textbooks in Uk primaries?

[Polmoche]

Hi there: I did not grow up in the UK and now as my children progress through primary school I wonder why it is they don't get textbooks? I feel it's very difficult to ever know what they're doing and how even to help them when it seems they only ever just get hand outs. Does anyone know if they used to have textbooks in the UK and they just did away with them until secondary?

[bawdy-nan]

I didn't have textbooks at primary ... but that was 30+ years ago.

[Jessie]

My Y5 son brought home his maths textbook a couple of weeks ago

[Polmoche]

Jessie is your son at a private? I have never seen any primary textbooks ever and it struck me that as a child I had maths, spelling, english, science and a "social studies" (history) textbooks in primary school.

[kristymac1]

edited because my brain is in sleep mode.....

[Fuschia]

Textbooks produced by publishers are very expensive and the curriculum changes too often for schools to be keen to invest.

[Jessie]

Ha ha ha no, not a private. Goose Green.

Edited to add, came home with him as i agreed with his teacher we'd do some learning together at home.

[Fuschia]

This sort of thing is popular

https://www.topical-resources.co.uk/category/science/

[Fuschia]

There are loads of workbooks aimed at parents

http://www.theworks.co.uk/p/key-stage-1-books/ks1-maths-workbook---ages-6-7/9781445477534?CAWELAID=1896304073&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CIC77OqMscECFSuWtAodRyMAxg

[Jessie]

Yes, I have many workbooks aimed at parents. But we needed to do some work from his textbook as he needed help with what he was actually doing in the classroom.

[Fuschia]

Ask the teacher whether they use textbooks and which ones?

Or ask for additional worksheets to do at home?

Though I tend to think that for most children, reading for pleasure and visiting museums etc is the best use of time. Homework in primary isn't of much proven benefit.

If a child needs additional support in one area, the school should share the required resources with you.

Do the school provide info on what topics are being covered each half term Nd how you can support?

[Polmoche]

Yes, they do, but usually it's soooo general. I do wish our school did spelling...I know there is a raging argument about learning in context vs memorising words. But my dd's spelling is truly atrocious and I feel like I am always searching the internet on how to support her. As a child, I remember having a spelling book (how old does that make me! :-)) and the words were always grouped in context and used in a short reading passage and each week we would have a spelling test...Sometimes I feel like I should just homeschool!

[bawdy-nan]

You can download a list of most common 100 and 200 words and work on them with your child but they are at school every day ... maybe you could leave the school work to school and do broader "educational" stuff at home - reading, letting them play, do their own projects, bake, cook, build things, plan walks and follow maps, watch newsround and talk about the world, go camping etc etc etc all of which are valid educational activities and probably more fun and more useful than poring over extra textbook learning in that they're not usually offered in a school context.

You probably do all of this already. For what its worth I think school stuff belongs at school.

[Peachpie]

Is it just spelling you would like a text book for? You should be able to get a copy of they curriculum from the teacher.

Most text books are pretty poor if followed in isolation and teachers are better off getting resources from a variety of sources.

This looks like a pretty comprehensive website for spelling but I wouldn't do too many in a week, it might put them off!! Also start easy, there is nothing like succeeding to make you want to do more... http://worksheetgenius.com/wordlists.php

[Shaggy]

Now we have the Internet, text books are a bit old hat. Look at the TES resources section. Free to sign up. Lots of stuff that you could use at home to support school learning.

[JDR]

Be careful what you wish for! My year 2 daughter (age 6) had spellings this week. The last word was quadrilateral!

[Polmoche]

Hi thanks for all the responses. Believe me I am familiar with the numerous "resources" out there as well as all the "enrichment" activities one should be doing. What I find difficult is aligning these resources to what they do in school. As a working parent it's not always easy to get into school to ask the teacher, and when I was thinking back to my own school days, I remembered we had text books that you could easily see what children were up to.

[Coach Beth]

My brother on Canada is a teacher and he said that textbooks fell out of favour over a decade ago. Basically was thought teachers could get away with not teaching but just getting students to work through chapters in a textbook.

[flocker spotter]

Some schools use text books for maths - eg Maths on Target - but since the curriculum changed again last year, these are now largely redundant. With the emphasis on the individual and the use of the interactive whiteboard, contextualised and personalised learning is preferable to 'work your way through page 24.'

Your child's homework will usually focus on what has been learnt during the week so that should keep you up to date. You can always add some extension questions at the end if you wish following the same vein. If you feel there are any areas which are a particular struggle - or a gap - why not ask the teacher to provide something extra? You can email the teacher or write a note if you are not able to pick up from school and ask. Or make an appointment to meet the teacher one day on your way home from school = most schools are open until at least 6pm.

As a teacher I would say the best support you can give at home is reading together and discussing he book, times table practice and teaching your child to tell the time. In addition, creating real life problems to work out is also use ful - egif I have got ?3 in my pocket have I got enought money to buy both you and your brother an icecream? If it is going to take us 20 minutes to get to the cinema and the film starts at 3, what time must we leave by?

I hope this is useful.

[uncleglen]

As a secondary and sixth form maths teacher I can thoroughly recommend drill in numeracy at home because they will not necessarily get it at school (this is my experience from the students I see year in year out)- for primary children-times tables, an awareness of place value, fractions, decimals, percentages....this will give your children confidence and they will find the other stuff accessible

[bawdy-nan]

For Maths, I found this book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maths-Mums-Dads-Rob-Eastaway/dp/0224086359/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414519188&sr=8-1&keywords=maths+for+mums+and+dads

Maths for Mums and Dads absolutely brilliant for helping me to understand how maths is taught now and how to help my kids when they're stuck...

Local author too ...

[oimissus]

does anyone know the situation in Ireland? An Irish friend who's husband is a teacher recently (well, about 3 years ago) returned to live there as their education is meant to be one of the best in the world, and they use very good textbooks there which means more time teaching and a better work/life balance for teachers. I can't actually remember if her husband was a primary or secondary teacher, but if it works in Ireland, why not here?

[alice]

ofsted do not like text books

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