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Education

Moving from Reception to Year One

13 replies

Nutjob · 12/03/2003 21:09

I was having a chat with one of the mums outside my ds's school today, and she was saying how friends of hers who have older children had been telling her that moving from Reception classes to Year One can be very difficult for some children, and that it suddenly all becomes very serious and more like 'real' school. This has got me very worried as my ds took a while to settle into reception (he started in September). Is this true? Is there anything I can do to help? Any advice would be much appreciated.

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janh · 12/03/2003 21:29

Hi, Nutjob. I suppose it depends on the school but Y1 (and Y2 at our school) classrooms still have a home corner, construction toys etc. They don't have as much non-teaching help as Reception though, so the children are nannied less and have to be a bit more self-disciplined, but they aren't expected to grow up a year all at once.

Reception is classed as "Early Years" (like a nursery class) and I think the designated formal teaching time is less there - according to our school prospectus (not that I've seen it recently!) teaching hours for KS1 are c 21 hrs a week and KS2 c 22 hrs a week, or a bit over 4 hrs a day, and they are at school for 6½ hrs, so there's quite a bit of non-teaching time.

They do get the numeracy and literacy hours of course but I don't know if they still do an actual hour (they did when the scheme started). That might be the biggest hurdle - but even then the period is broken up into different activities.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry if you can manage it, settling into Reception is the hardest part. Having a different teacher might bother him a bit, if he has got very fond of his current teacher, so if you can find out which teacher he's likely to get and make encouraging remarks about her that might help. FWIW my kids were always dead excited about changing class at the end of the year - they like to feel they're getting somewhere! If you can talk positively about being a big Y1 it should help, but they are only just over halfway through the year, I would wait until after Easter or even May halfterm. Good luck! I'm sure he'll be fine!

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Nutjob · 13/03/2003 08:43

Hi Janh. I am sure you're right and he'll be fine, I am just a habitual worrier!!! I thought it would get easier as he got older - who was I kidding?!!

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Jaybee · 13/03/2003 09:58

As janh says I think it depends on the school - our school doesn't have a home corner and is much more structured in Year 1. The three classes in reception were in one large open plan area but Y1 is two definite classrooms; the toilets were within the reception area but Y1 use the ones in the cloakroom, however, they seem to do more artwork and dance in Y1 so it is not all sitting down and being 'taught'. I wouldn't worry although I think we all have concerns at how they will cope with new things. Dd is currently in Y1 and loves it, I was a bit concerned while she was in reception as she really loved her teacher - but my concerns were unnecessary. I think the main thing is to concentrate on the practical side i.e. determine any new skills they will need in Y1 - at ds & dd's school they start having swimming lessons in Y1 so they needed to be able to dry themselves and get themselves dressed, also, they do dance so dd needed to be able to get herself into a leotard.

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janh · 13/03/2003 15:03

Blimey, Jaybee, swimming in Y1?? Is this a state school? I hope they have small classes anyway, I can imagine that getting 30 infants undressed and wet, and then dry and dressed again, could take several hours!

Ours used to have swimming from Y3 - Y6 but now only Y5 get it because it costs too much. Bit sad really.

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Jaybee · 13/03/2003 15:22

Yes it is a state school - over 70 kids in Y1 split across three classes but for swimming it is split into two groups - so approx 35 in each group - they walk to the local Leisure Centre (only about 10 minutes away) and usually have about 3 Mums helping to get them sorted out, plus two teachers and a classroom assistant - although credit where credit is due they do not need much help.

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tigermoth · 13/03/2003 15:33

Janh, snap - my ds only has a term or two of swimming classes. Not enough teaching for him to learn to swim so we pay for swimming lessons after school. Luckily I have the time and the money to do this. What about families who can't affort that time or money?

If my son can't swim he will not be able to do so many sports and I will be worried about letting him play by water, even if he's 12 years old. So we are biting the bullet and getting him to lessons. Makes me sad the school can't afford at least 4 or 5 terms of lessons.

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Jaybee · 13/03/2003 15:38

We pay £1 a week for these lessons and I also pay for private lessons outside school too - like you I think it is important that they can swim - this was one of the many reasons I chose the school. I think that it is only Year 6 that it is included as officially part of the curriculum - my reason for this thought is that they do not have to pay the £1 in Y6.

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janh · 13/03/2003 16:00

£1 a week sounds like a bargain! Mind you ours have to go on a coach, so obviously that has to be paid for, but the private group lessons ( group of 8-10 I think) at our local pool cost about £2.50 a time. tigermoth, I do agree about those who can't afford!

I don't know how many of DS's year have had the private lessons but from what I can remember of what he's said (he's not here at the mo so I can't ask him) most of them can swim at least a bit. But didn't D Blunkett once make some kind of grand statement about all children leaving Y6 able to swim? Presumably they decided it would cost too much and quietly forgot it.

Anyway Jaybee, your school sounds great, with dancing in leotards as well and the little dears getting themselves sorted out, I am very impressed! (Better not say where it is or you'll be invaded by mumsnet!)

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Jaybee · 13/03/2003 16:07

Have to admit it is a great school - we are lucky. It is very much into the Arts and has achieved Artsmark Gold, they have a music teacher come in one day a week and a specialist dance teacher too. As you say, better be quiet or we won't have to travel far for Mumsnet meetups!!

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janh · 13/03/2003 16:10

Hm. Just found this on the DfES website:

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tigermoth · 13/03/2003 18:04

Hmm that's interesting janh. I wonder just how many pupils at the end of key stage 2 in a few years time will be confident swimmers? Not as many as there should be, I hazard a guess.

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SueW · 13/03/2003 18:16

tigermoth my DH grew up on the wild wet West Coast of New Zealand alongside a river and has never been able to swim. I guess he learnt to respect the water though.

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robinw · 14/03/2003 19:06

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