Differences between KS1 and KS2

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

DS1 is moving up to year 3 in September. He is under the impression that it is going to be all change, he says he needs a desk and he will need to work harder.

He is diligent, works hard and is doing well. The desk is as much a "him" thing as anything to do with year 3.

So, how different is it actually going to be?

[daftdame]

Well it will depend on the school, but generally they expect more independence, they may go in a main door instead of a separate classroom door for example. Messages and letters will be given to children instead of being put in book bags.

As a parent I was a bit concerned about this, but needn't have been. I made sure I didn't voice my concerns to my child instead of being encouraging and it was fine. Sometimes things were forgotten but everyone was in the same boat IYSWIM.

The actual school work didn't increase significantly or exponentially. They will maybe do more as they learn more and become more proficient but it should be a gradual increase.

[redskyatnight]

DS moved schools at Y3, so some of these may be school changing things. But ..

• Expected to take more responsibility for self-organisation e.g. no teacher prompting all the time
  
• More homework and expected to take responsibility for getting it done. e.g. have to write down own homework; if an adult doesn?t sign your homework book that?s your fault, not theirs (I presume there was some leeway here for genuinely unsupportive parents).
  
• There seemed to be ?more? in the timetable and timetable more strictly followed
  
• Time they are expected to work independently on a task increases
  
• No afternoon play
  
• Environment less sheltered ? staff not so ?hovering?
  
• Learn more choice language (not bad language particularly, just more ?in? words!. DS has been banned from saying ?epic?)
  
  
  Things that also happened but maybe specific to DS?s school
  
• Uniform more strictly enforced
  
• Less splitting out into groups (work still differentiated but much less obviously so)
  
• More teaching by ?other? teachers and moving to different rooms
  
• I (as a parent) definitely felt I knew less about what was happening ? e.g. DS was expected to channel information rather than there being regular newsletters. Parents were discouraged from talking to teacher (leave notes in diary instead)

[Startail]

A bit more independence, Going to school and coming out without the teacher always escorting them. Less reminders about, coats lunch boxes PE kit ect. They are meant to remember to take stuff home themselves (this did not work, I was forever going in and finding things).

Work wise, not a lot different maths and English is just a progression. In fact the parents of L3 DCs often complain of too much revision and consolidation in Y3.

It depends on the school and the cohort. DD2 was in a combined Y3/Y4 class with three other bright DCs so they didn't get held back at all. DF with DCs in a single entry Y3 wished Maths especially would move forward.

In the end it makes no difference to able DCs and is vital to less able ones that they end Y3 knowing the basics.

[Runoutofideas]

Hi,
I agree with most of what has been said already, although things clearly vary between different schools. My dd1 is currently in Yr3 and she has found the work harder as everything is more differentiated so she is being "appropriately challenged" in each subject, which she hadn't been used to.
There are more lunchtime clubs and afterschool clubs run by the school teachers, which are free. Everything in the infants' was run by external people so you had to pay. (That is probably school specific).
DD says there is much less "free choice", so days are more timetabled and structured.

[Elibean]

I think it depends on the school.

At dds' school, Y3 is widely acknowledged to be a transition year between KS1 and KS2, though officially KS2. They have designated places to sit, there is more structured work, and homework, but nothing huge - the main change as far as we experienced it was that instead of being the biggest of the infants (downstairs) they became the smallest of the juniors (upstairs). So a big psychological shift, but not massive change in workload or expectations.

Y4, if anything, has been a much bigger shift in terms of personal responsibility expected from the children, and more serious work. But of course, that may be more to do with the teacher than the year group.

[Runoutofideas]

I agree with the psychological shift comment. My dd's school is a separate infants' and juniors on the same site. Different head teachers, different building etc. We had tears the first week that "it feels like being back in reception. The Yr6s think we are babies". It didn't really help that in yr 2 they'd been bigged up as the oldest, responsible ones. Took a bit of getting used to, but she's fine now.

[redskyatnight]

We didn't get the psychological shift thing - DS was just glad to be in with the big children (juniors) rather than the babies (infants). As ever, different children see it differently.

I also suspect it depends on how your child got on at infants. DS thought infants was babyish and was sick of it by the end. Moving to juniors was very positive and he never looked back.. DD (currently Y2) loves the infants, the teachers and is going to be sad to leave. I suspect we may have tears and wanting to go back from her.

[MirandaWest]

DS is in year 4 and found changing to year 3 was no problem. They go in through a different entrance, have lockers (although no keys ) and don't have afternoon playtime. There's a bit more work than year 2 probably but nothing too dramatic.

DD is in year 2 and doesn't seem concerned about the move to year 3. I may be a bit sad that my days on the infant playground are numbered though...

[simpson]

I think there is quite a difference between yr2 and 3.

The children are expected to work by themselves more and have set times in the day to read to themselves (which they didn't have in yr2).

They seem to be pushed quite a bit more academically (but not overly so) and not have more responsibility ie in yr2 the teacher would write their homework down but in yr3 they are expected to remember and write it down themselves, and to fill in their reading journals themselves (as apposed to their parents doing it in yr2). They regularly do power point presentations to KS1 kids.

DS was so ready for more in yr2 so he has stepped up to the challenge well

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

Simpson

[ipadquietly]

Do many schools have 'free flow' in Y2, without designated places to sit? How much 'free choice' are children getting? How does that fit in with the Y2 curriculum?

[simpson]

Hiya Mixedmama, how are you??

[mrz]

In the school where I teach there isn't really a great deal of difference between Y2 & Y3.. Our Y2 children are expected to work independently (as are Y1)

[Willsmum79]

Agree Mrz. I teach Y2 and in terms of independence there is no difference. In fact, the only difference is the curriculum content and Y3 get 10 minutes less lunchtime and no 'choosing time' which is dwindling in Y2. Y3 still have a TA and still have guided sessions with an adult. Our children are expected to be more responsible for remembering homework and PE kits and there is a dentention at playtime if you forget. Slightly more homework - still have spellings, daily readers, Big Math 'Learn Its' to learn with specific Literacy and Numeracy tasks on a weekly basis. Like with all year groups, every year children are expected to be more mature and responsible than the year below.

[simpson]

By independence I mean that in numeracy for example the child will be expected to choose which strategy to use themselves to work out the answer. Whereas in yr2 the lesson would be about a particular strategy which the child would demonstrate on their own, if that makes sense.

DD in reception is expected to work independently to a certain extent.

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

This all makes sense. He is very excited and is not apprehensive, they seem to be being prepared well.

[mrz]

I would expect that in Y2 if not in Y1 simpson

[simpson]

But in yr1 they would not have been taught all the strategies needed surely.

Numeracy seems pretty basic in yr1.

They certainly couldn't multiply 0.25 x 8 (which DS was doing the other day).

[mrz]

That isn't a strategy simpson that is a mathematical concept

[simpson]

Oh sorry then that's what I mean for yr3. Choosing what concept to use. I know DS's teacher says he finds it hard (the choosing of the concept) not the actual work...

[mrz]

Decimals are a concept
The method of calculating is a strategy
Children in Y1 wouldn't normally be be taught decimals
but they would be expected to talk about the method (strategy) they used to get an answer.

Obviously the maths gets more difficult as they progress

[simpson]

Right, I get you now.

DS's teacher said to me last week that by the end of yr3 a child should be able to select which method of calculating the particular problem themselves.

I guess as you say, the numeracy work is harder so can sometimes throw them a bit...

[ipadquietly]

It's just a natural progression - the numeracy work gets harder, as the children develop the commensurate skills to deal with it. It's no different from moving from YR-Y1 or Y1 to Y2.

[mrz]

Say the Y1 question was
2X8

the child would be expected to choose a method to find the answr and
they night draw two lots of 8 dots and count how many altogether
they might count on 8 lots of 2
they might add 8 +8 (2 lots of 8)
they may use times table knowledge

the actual calculation is easier because of age/stage but they are still independently expected to decide how to work out the calculation

[Wellthen]

I wonder if Simpson means that in KS1 the children may be more likely to do a lesson on adding, subtraction etc,- iput on the strategy and then have a go yourselves - whereas in KS2 more lessons will be mixed so children may come across different types of questions in the same lesson and therefore have to chose their method without the input?

Not that strategy specific lessons dont happen in KS2 and mixed lessons dont happen in KS1, just a thought.