Transition from reception to year 1

[Honeybee79]

DS is really struggling with this and it doesn't help that the entire school has moved to a new building, so there is all of that unfamiliarity too.

For the first time ever, he doesn't want to go in the mornings. In particular, he says he never gets enough time to play, isn't allowed to go to the toilet during classroom time (only during the two 15 min daily breaks or at lunchtime), and keeps telling me that he feels"rubbish" about school and "like a failure".

I had assumed that the transition would be slightly more gradual, especially in light of the building move, but instead they have moved straight on to what seems to me like a really full on timetable. He is my eldest so I have nothing to compare it too, but he just seems so forlorn and sad right now.

A related issue which is eating into his confidence is that he feels he has forgotten how to read over the summer. To be fair, this is our fault. We read to him every day, sometimes for ages as he loves it, but as it was the summer hols I didn't push him to read to me and maybe I should have done. He finished reception having got a good level of development in all areas and exceeding in some and we had no concerns about his reading at all last year. He's currently on Level 5 of Songbirds (Oxford Reading Tree) and has really, really not wanted to read since returning to school. It's like pulling teeth and he's really struggling.

Any advice? It all feels a bit depressing - is the transition usually difficult?

Many thanks.

[PeoniesandTulips]

My Y1 is exactly the same.

They had a completely child led experience in Reception and now they've gone in cold turkey to sitting at a table and book-learning. I can't understand why the school didn't prepare them.

Homework has also taken a huge jump. I actually looked in her folder last night and didn't even bother with reading, never mind numbers and spellings. I've never done that but I don't care- she is so little, she's trying to do too much in school and I'm not letting her stress at home. I wrote a note to the teacher saying she was too tired.

I let her read her own books at home.

[Honeybee79]

Peonies - sorry to hear that your DD is also struggling with it, but good to know that DS is not alone. Homework we are OK with as it comes home on Thurs and isn't due in until Monday, plus he had it in reception so is at least used to that!

I looked at DS's timetable and wasn't at all surprised that he is struggling tbh.

[grounddown]

I was just about to start this thread.
DD is a summer born, just gone 5 year old and really thrived in reception but every morning since starting year 1 the teacher has had to peel her off me. She won't read, write or do her homework and cries all the way to school. She says she hates it and doesn't understand why she can't stay home with me and her brother. It's so upsetting as all the other kids in her class skip in without their parents having to literally push them into class and I'm worried about my DD. Her teacher is NQ and I don't know whether I should talk to her about it as she is very efficient at leading her off to sit on the carpet whilst I scarper out of sight.

I'm glad to see this isn't just an isolated incident - is your DS settling any better yet OP?

[RiverTam]

That sounds a bit crap. In DD's school (where the reception children are kept fairly separate to the rest), they transitioned over the first half term, having started to spend a bit of time with the 'big' children at the end of reception summer term. So familiar routines.

I would speak to the staff. I would be very surprised if he's the only child struggling with this (when DD's reception teacher told us about how they transitioned to year one she said that in fact she thought DD would be fine from the off but that lots of children do find it hard).

[lisaneedsarest]

I think this has a lot to do with the new curriculum, when my first two transitioned from r to y1, they had a whole term of changing from child led play to teacher led activities, starting with them doing it in small groups for short times and building up that way. My dd has just started yr1 and it has been very much throw them in at the deep end. Thankfully she has taken ok to it and apart from the first week hasn't really complained but her favourite day is Friday when they get golden time!
If he is struggling with reading I'd go back down a few levels to build his confidence and take the pressure off, he'll love it again in no time.
Poor kids don't really get much time to be babies now do they?!

[RiverTam]

But that's still down to the individual school!s approach, isn't it? DD is only in Year 2 now, so I'm talking about a year ago. Mind you, her school has no problem in flicking the government the finger when they feel like it. No teaching to SATS, no sir!

[BertPuttocks]

My DD has just moved into Yr1.

They've taken a gentle approach to the transition. They still have time set aside for playing in different areas (role play, construction, reading corner etc), just as they did in Reception. They also have a similar approach to topic work.

The biggest difference (from what I can see) is that there is more structure to the day. They have set times for the various activities/lessons, rather than the more 'free-flow' set-up of Reception.

The tasks seem to be more specific than in Reception too, eg 'complete this particular activity before lunchtime' rather than 'have a go at doing this'. They also seem to spend more time working within smaller groups rather than sitting where they want to.

I think it depends on individual schools to a certain extent.

[bowbear]

My little man has also gone from a cheery little chap who bounced into school so happily in reception and now tells me every day how much he hates school. It's heartbreaking and whilst he's at a lovely little school with great teachers it seems to come down to the curriculum that has been set by the government that makes it so difficult to allow more time for learning through play and creative thinking. We also let the reading slide over the summer and now it feels like he's back to square one and really reluctant to read at all.

It's really worrying and sad to see how wrong the government has got it with regard to early years education :(

I hope things get easier for your little man x

[sunnybobs]

I just came to this section to post the very same concern. My little boy loved reception but is having such a hard time transitioning to year 1, less time outside, less toys, less free play & more homework and spelling tests. I'm heartbroken at the change in his attitude towards school and it seems such a waste of their young childhood. Really wish I had the option to homeschool at the moment!

[Everythingstaken]

I too could have written your post. My little boy is also struggling. Thankfully he views school as a place to be with his friends so is quite happy to go but he isn't as enthusiastic about his day when I collect him. We are finding spellings hard and a bit demoralising. He is loosing confidence in his ability which is worrying. It's such a shame because he adored reception and was progressing so well in that environment.

[waterrat]

It is so sad to hear what impact our governments insane disregard of all the evidence is on early years learning.

Young children learn through play. 5 year olds sitting at tables snd doing spellings is just utterly ridiculous.

People need to stand up to this ridiculous system.

[purplepandas]

It is soul destroying isn't it. I just can't see how the government have got it so wrong. They are killing any desire to learn in our children. It makes me so sad that my children will experience such a different type of schooling to mine. I didn't have spellings at 6 and have done ok academically (work in academia ironically). I am off to a SATS meeting tomorrow for yr 2, fundamentally disagree with testing 6 and 7 year olds. It's shit and pointless.

[Cabawill]

Another with a summer born DD just gone into Y1. She's been on a "yellow" or "red" card for pretty much the whole term so far and hates it. The sitting still and listening and then being expected to just get on with it is a massive change. She thrived in Reception and we had no problems with her really.

She's changed at home too and is disobedient and back chats. She hates doing spellings and the homework but will read. I've got no chance of doing maths with her as she can only just do one more than never mind times tables.

[madmomma]

Yep my Ds is the same. Has gone from loving school to hating it. I feel very sad for him, and he's 6 in a couple of weeks, so god knows how the younger ones are finding it. I also wish I had the HE option. He's finding the spelling thing ok, but he feels like a failure at writing and says he can't do the writing tasks. His confidence has gone right down. Stupid stupid curriculum.

[Wellmeetontheledge]

I'm a yr 1 teacher and, luckily, the school I'm at is really supportive of play-based learning in year 1. It is what's best for the children! However its stressful for teachers as it's very hard to show progress against the national curriculum targets and to be honest the classrooms are not built for it and we end up spending our own money and time buying and making resources. We do our best to keep pressure levels as low as possible, however it's hard to be relaxed and positive the whole time when you know how much you are responsible for.
Also, a knock on effect of more play based learning in year 1 is that a larger number of children struggle with the transition to year 2. My friend is a fantastic year two teacher who is completely demoralised at the moment for being 'told off' as her results are not as outstanding as the government want. She feels like this year she will have to scrap her principles about the children having a varied education and teach entirely to the test.