Dual entry - will DD be disadvantaged?

[clemette]

I am slightly obsessing about the fact that my DD won't start full-time school until January (she will be 5 in the April). Her rimary takes forty children in September and then twenty in January. She won't know anyone but is really excited about school. All of her friends at nursery are going to a different primary where there is only a single intake so she will be the only one left of her age group ... ramble, ramble.

Anyway - my question is, can anyone shed any light on how dual intake works? What sort of "academic" (for want of a better word) work do children do in the first term of reception? Will DD have to "catch up"? How to reception teachers manage this?
I would speak to the school but all they are saying at the moment is that there will be a parent's meeting in the autumn and I seem to have become VERY anxious about this...

[gingernutlover]

we do this at my school although we are a small school and only have 1 reception class.

we manage it by having 2 groups for phonics etc

group 1: children who started in sept and have grasped the phonics we did in term 1

group 2: children who start in jan plus any who werent ready to pick up the letter sounds in the autumn term

by now most of the class are reading and writing at least words (the ones that arent have problems and actaully this year started in sept)

to be honest, I would rather they all came in sept becasue this year we had some bright january entrants who would be furthur on if they had started in sept - if you feel yur daughter would cope with doing some simple matsh and phonics at home then you could let the teacher know what she can already do when she starts in january

socially they have mixed well and I havent ever had problems with that

i know that in theory, the preschools and nursery use the same curriculum but the ones we take children from dont use structured progarmmes for phonics and maths so it isnt the same in that way

[gingernutlover]

sorry for typos, my spelling isnt really that bad LOL, just my typing

[clemette]

Thank you. She is a bright little button and desperate to do "homework" at home. I am just a bit frustrated that the system isn't very flexible!

[EccentricaGallumbits]

DD1 started in January (April birthday) did her the world of good. Was the 'big fish' at nursey for a term, boosted her confidence and she didn't miss anything from the first term.

DD2 started in september (March birthday. was also fine, kept up and enjoyed it.

so either way it woked for both of them

[gingernutlover]

very good point about being big fish at nursery.

my dd misses the school cut off date by a few days as she was born in early sept and everyone keeps commiserating with me that she wont start school until another year after her august born cousin. I on the other hand am really pleased that she has another year to grow up before she starts school.

Just thought of something too - in my first year of teaching i taught a little girl whos birthday is 31st august, she was a jan entrant and to be honest was still too young to be there - she just got inot the very selective grammar nearby! If the potential is there then it will show itself.

Sorry if my first ppst seemed a bit megative about jan starters - this little girl is proof that is doesnt matter one bit.

[gingernutlover]

and if you want to do some things at home with her then the jolly phonics books are nice and colourful and the ictgames.co.uk website is good for phonics and maths early skills

also, really good to do it, sharing books from library, cooking, nature walks, writing names in brithday cards etc

am sure you probably do all this already but just thought i would mention them

[GuessWhatIAmANameChanger]

My dd was a Jan starter this year, she is now at the top of the class for reading writing and maths and the teaching staff have had to pull out all the stops to keep up with her. THere are other Sept starters who are just grasping "linked" phonics (OO etc) and are at the first stages of reading books.

They are all different and progress at their own rate, if your dd is bright she will flourish when she gets there and race through the work that she has available, if she is young in her behaviour she will benefit from the time spent at nursery.

Either way, Jan intake works and I have not yet (in 16 years) met a child who was actually disadvantaged by the Jan intake.

[MrsBartlet]

If she is bright I don't think it will affect her. My dd was an easter intake so only had one term in reception and it didn't affect her adversely in any way. Just enjoy having her at home for a bit longer .

[clemette]

Thanks for the reassurance - it has really helped.
(whispers to MrsBartlet she is at nursery full-time)

[clemette]

She can read (a bit) and can write all of her letters and her name, and can count to 100, and do very simple addition and subtraction. Her nursery nurses are lovely but a little bit vague about all of this (which is fine, she is there for fun and cuddles, not learning). Does anyone have any useful links I could have a look at?

[GuessWhatIAmANameChanger]

Well she is at about the same stage my dd was at in the Jan she started so I suspect you are well ahead of schedule and will have no worries at all!

[clemette]

I think I may be struggling to separate my teacher persona from my mother persona...

[GuessWhatIAmANameChanger]

occupational hazard I would guess!

[MrsBartlet]

Sorry Clemette - bit of an assumption on my part! I really wouldn't worry especially if she is at nursery full-time as I am sure she we will be doing similar things there to what the other children will be doing in reception.