What do reception teachers expcet from new pupipls?

[Octavia09]

I would be very grateful if someone could tell me what do the foundation class teachers expect from their newcomers. I guess they would expect them to know:
letters
numbers
writing pupil's name
being able to play in small and big groups
answering questions in front of the whole class (one teacher told me it is not good to be shy; no time for this; although at this stage kids or some kids can be shy)
being able to dress up and undress
going to the loo independetly
being able to feed themselves during the lunchtime
making friends

[Octavia09]

Sorry, spelling mistakes

[mrz]

I wouldn't expect them to know
letters
numbers
to write their name
answer questions in front of the whole class

I would like them to be able
to go to the loo alone
to dress and undress themselves
to put on their own coat and fasten it
to feed themselves /use a knife and fork not a spoon
to be able to take turns and share

[blametheparents]

I don't think a reception teacher would EXPECT a child to know their letters and numbers, though many do.

Change shoes
Out on coat and do it up.

TBH, it is mostly the practical things that a teacher would like them to know. They will start with letter sounds etc from scratch regardless of how many children in the class know them.

[redskyatnight]

I would say of your list the dressing/toileting/feeding ones would be expected. Plus some degree of being able to play with other children "nicely".

The others would be a bonus. There will be many children entering Reception that don't know all their letters or numbers and that can't write their names. Also, I would think the confidence to speak in front of whole class (as opposed to 1:1 or small groups) would be something the minority would have.

Recognising your name is also a useful skill to have!

[PatriciaHolm]

Ours told us -

• dressing/undressing (including sorting out when clothes are inside out ideally!)

-going to toilet and wiping independently

• putting on and taking off own coat and shoes

That's about it. Recognising their own name is very helpful too. Nothing else is necessary at this stage.

[DreamTeamGirl]

Definitely to be self toileting- no time to wipe 30 bums
To be able to change for PE without help in less than 30 minutes, including folding your clothes neatly in a pile- we practiced this every day with DS during summer as it was NOT a skill he had
To be able to open your own lunchbox/ cut up own dinner as much as possible (they were happy to help but grateful if they didnt have to do too much for them)

He needed to be able to recognise his name so he knew which was his draw, peg etc, and ideally write it on the lunch-sheet and got that really quickly

They also said please PLEASE buy a coat he can do himself, as nothing ruins playtime like having to do up 30 coats and only getting 3 minutes outside, and please no laces on shoes unless they can do them easily and quickly unaided (which none can no velcro or pull ons)

That's it really

[Octavia09]

A while ago I talked to my son's nursery teacher and she had advised him to see a pediatrician because he was shy in front of the class. She said he was fine in small groups but would rather opt out tasks if he could. I did not see any big problem to send a child to a pediatrician. Do some teachers want pre school children to be like soldiers? They are still little kids.

[Meglet]

Such a sweet thread.

DS isn't off to school for another year yet but I will crack on with some of those lists so he should be ready in Sept 2011!

[Over40]

A friend of mine told me this tale the other day which made me laugh.
It was the first day of schoola and all the reception chd were coming into the classroom. They had already been shown where the pegs were but one boy was still standing just gazing at the pegs and then at his coat. When my friend asked him if he was ok he just put both arms up in the air. It turned out he had NEVER taken off his own coat and had no idea where to start!!
He was very capable and had "mastered" this by the end of the day!

[katiestar]

as well as the above 'self care' skills, being able to take turns, be patient, understand the world does not revolve around them, do as they are told.

[Eddas]

i've just read this thread with interest as ds will go to school in Sept 2011 and has a long way to go before he's able to dress/undress wipe his bum(only literally the last week he has been sucessfully going to the toilet without pooing in his pants I must stop doing it all for him it's much quicker for me to do it but I know i'm not helping him in the long run, so from tomorrow I will try to get him to do things for himself more.

Thanks for starting this thread octavia09, has given me a well deserved kick up the bottom

[lollymad]

DD starts this Sept and has been given a small 'homework' pack from school called 'About Me'.
One of the first pages is a list of skills that they have to tick to say they can do:
Dress/undress
Toilet independently
Use a knife & fork
Share toys/books
Sit and listen to a story
Sing some nursery rhymes
Count to 10
Recognise/write their own name.

Think its to give teachers an idea of what each child can do, but I'm guessing the first six are expected.

[DontCallMeBaby]

Think about ... if I had charge of 30 kids, and they couldn't do X for themselves, would it be a complete pain? Do up coat - yes. Wipe bum - yes*. Unpack and eat a lunchbox - yes. More subtly - line up, sit down nicely, listen to what they're being told - yes. Count to ten - nah, they can learn. Alphabet, likewise.

We had a list of 'what my teacher would like me to be able to do', and the only 'academic' one was recognise own name. Everything else was self-care or co-operation with others type stuff.

• confession time - DD very nearly got to the end of Year 1 without being able to wipe her own bum

[purpleturtle]

I'm glad I dropped into this thread. Has struck me that I need to get DS2 wiping his bum. He's not 4 till next month, but starts reception in about 6 weeks - Eek!

I'm struggling to persuade him he can put his own shoes on. Not sure about the independent toileting...

[childrenknowyourlimits]

My DS has just finished year 1 & still trying to figure out how to make him wipe his own bum! He wants me to do it. I won't! I discovered that he is just choosing not to wipe at all. Pants straight up. Skid-marks-a-plenty! Boys are gross . My DS2 is about to start school in Sept & is much more compliant with bum-wiping.

[DreamTeamGirl]

LMAO purpleturtle and childrenknowyourlimits Skid mark city here too

Eddas My DS cracked wiping his bum with 3 days to go.... Still a little hit and miss, but he is trying hard
Most days pants are marked tho [barf emoticon] so you are very wise to start trying now

purpleturtle have you tried playing at 'schools' I had to be Miss W and tell my 'class' (him) to put on their shoes .... Bless him and his overactive imagination

[Eddas]

well dd has just turned 6 and very rarely wipes her bum so I don't hold out much hope for ds but he does need to be able to attempt to do it, bless him.

[Octavia09]

Dress/undress

Any suggestions for a nice autumn jacket which would not come right to the neck, not to tight, not rubbing the neck with its zip. Some jackets do not leave much space for the neck. Also, sometimes the material becomes stuck in the zip.

Nursery rhymes
What are the most popular nursery rhymes for the reception year?

[redskyatnight]

Octavia09 - I sewed back the bottom bit of the material away from the zip on my DS's coat when he started Reception (to make it easier to do up).

I would imagine the nursery rhyme thing varies very much by school - DS's school have some of their own rhymes I've never heard before. Do you know a parent of an older child at the school you can ask?

[Octavia09]

redskyatnight, that is what I need to do. I was thinking of doing it myself.

Do not know anyone at school.

[DreamTeamGirl]

I am not sure DS has done much nursery rhymes to be honest, sorry. They did the alphabet song if that helps?

[DreamTeamGirl]

Oh and we sent DS in a paddington style coat ( like this ) as toggles were easier than zips for him

[mrz]

Nursery rhymes play an important part in very young children's language and literacy development and it is worrying how many children now enter nursery/reception not knowing any.

[mrz]

No one rhyme is more important than any other but knowing a good variety of rhymes is important. The school will probably teach some you don't know but the traditional ones never go out of fashion.

[MathsMadMummy]

can I just ask how one starts getting DC to wipe their own bum and do it properly? DD only just potty trained (3.1) and thanks to this thread it's struck me I should get her used to wiping herself soon before she gets accustomed to me doing it for her. but how?!

my mum told me when she helped out on our school trip (yr1 ish?) she had to wipe one of my classmate's bums because he wouldn't do it himself! oh the things we do for children!

you're right (whoever it was) that doing everything for DC won't help them in the long run. I've only started realising that myself recently and am still trying to get DH to realise it! he keeps putting DD's shoes/whatever on for her and I say "she can do that herself you know!" - convenience gets in the way though doesn't it! I'm trying to allow more time for getting ready so she can do more herself.