My daughter, who turned five in May, started reception class in her primary school in January. My wife attended as a volunteer parent in a morning session and was shocked at what she saw. Teachers, assistants and parent volunteers spent a large amount of time on filing papers, sticking things into books and doing admin. Only five minutes was spent one-on-one with our daughter, mainly to go through what had been done as homework. Is there anything we can do to get the school to improve in these areas? Alternatively, what is your opinion on home schooling — is it possible to mix school attendance (reduced hours) with home schooling?

Mr and Mrs Puri
Address withheld

There is not much point in your daughter going to school if she is not taught, is there? Certainly, she should have more one-to-one time with a teacher or classroom assistant. The filing and the admin can and should wait until the children have gone home.

Arrange to go to see the head teacher to explain your concerns. Home tuition is certainly an option worth considering.

Visit www.home-ed.co.uk for advice on how to set about teaching your child the way you want her to be taught. Part-time schooling is a legal option but your child’s school and the education authority would have to agree with your plans.

My daughter is currently studying German for AS-level. She is doing well and wants to continue to A2. Her teacher recommended that she sit only the oral exam this summer and take the remaining two papers next January. He believes that she will learn more during this period and will have a better chance of getting an A grade. We thought that it was a good idea but I am now concerned about her university application. Is it an unusual thing to do and will she be disadvantaged if she has not sat all the papers for the AS exam in the summer?

Name withheld

The Cambridge University local exams syndicate tells me that it is not unusual to split the oral from the written papers. Tens of thousands of students do this every year.

Oxford University recognises that schools adopt a range of strategies at AS-level and would not penalise a candidate who split the oral and written exams but would want a statement from the teacher explaining the approach.

Why is it that our children spend more years in school than any other country with no obvious educational benefits? My youngest son will be due to start full-time school when he is not even five. Surely it would make more economic sense and be beneficial to our children to delay entry to full-time school to age six (as per most other countries).

Angela Thompson
Surrey

Children who have lots of opportunities to learn at home may be better off at home, those who do not would certainly suffer if the date for starting school were to be pushed back.

Ideally, parents should have the choice as to when their children start formal schooling and there would be a variety of early-years provision available in each locality.

That said, I am not persuaded that the later start date is why children in many European countries do better. The real reason may well be that when they do begin they are taught as a class and expectations are higher.

My seven-year-old daughter, born in late September, was seen to be cruising in year 1. She was the oldest in the year. Her teachers taught her year 1 and year 2 work concurrently and she moved straight into year 3. She has just had to do her level 2 SATS with the class she left. My question is, what happens when she is 11 and ready for secondary transfer? What are the rules governing when children can enter secondary school? Mrs P M B, Cumbria

The general expectation is that children are 11 before they go to secondary school but individual secondary schools can exercise discretion if they believe it is in the interests of the pupil. If they judge the pupil to be intellectually and emotionally capable of moving up early it can be arranged.

Your daughter’s primary school should certainly be offering additional support to allow her to fulfil her potential.

If you have a question for Chris Woodhead, write to him c/o The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST or e-mail him, with your name and address, at education-questions@sunday-times.co.uk