Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What age/year at school, would you put my Dc ar?

332 replies

Nonstoprain · 20/01/2025 15:37

Looking at this?

What age/year at school, would you put my Dc ar?
OP posts:
mynameiscalypso · 20/01/2025 21:16

I don't think it's fair to say that it's poor in comparison to her age group if she's being taught in a different way. Yes, the handwriting is worse than my son's but he started learning how to write when he was at nursery so he'll have had way more practice and been taught how to form letters. I wouldn't worry too much and just let her keep doing things for fun. There's time enough when she starts school.

Original poster
Nonstoprain · 20/01/2025 21:15

*Is her own

*She sometimes writes for fun at home, not school

OP posts:
Original poster
Nonstoprain · 20/01/2025 21:13

Thanks all, been at work and just reading through all comments.

Dd is 6, she wrote this at home, could use own pen, paper etc, I just wanted to see her writing.

Her friend is called Gabriel

The picture is hers and all writing and spelling lm her own

To a Pp who commented about the bitten nails…it’s my hand 😂

So, I wanted to see how she compares to others, we live abroad, so doesn’t start formal learning until September.

I’ve read to her since she was a baby and taught her sounds etc when younger. She’s always known her letters, but writing is the one thing I’ve not actively taught her, as she will learn quite differently in September, when they teach it and I didn’t want to confuse. I’m thinking I should intervene a little and work on where to put capitals and where to use lower case and work on presentation? Should I or leave it to the teachers in September? She only writes her name and the copied date at school, she writes sometimes for fun at school.
Her reading age is 9.5, it’s just her writing, it’s poor in comparison to others in her age group, isn’t it?

OP posts:
DinosaurMunch · 20/01/2025 21:09

Marianus · 20/01/2025 17:20

As a TA, I find that most children enter reception knowing how to write their own name so I think your DD's class is unusual. Most tend to learn at nursery, if not at home.

Show quote history

Maybe. There are a lot of boys in the class and most of the girls are summer born so that possibly makes a difference. It's not a super middle class pushy demographic either. My daughter was barely 4 when she started school and had no interest in writing anything. My son is 3.5, starting school in September and isn't even interested in holding a pencil yet. The idea of him writing a sentence about his weekend is inconceivable. I'm sure the nursery do try to teach them to write their names but they're just too young

Switcher · 20/01/2025 21:05

This is so irritating.

moleeye · 20/01/2025 21:00

Reception

DinosaurMunch · 20/01/2025 21:00

stillljh · 20/01/2025 18:32

Reception. The drawing on the left also looks like a reception child did it.
Saw and went might have been taught in class at some point. They might even be on display on the wall.
The child might have asked for beach and copied it from the board.
It depends on when the writing was done. Did your child do this at home or at school?

I taught reception, although that was 15 years ago so maybe standards have changed. A lot of children could write like that by the end of reception.

It's January though so not the end of reception. These children have only been in school 1 term.

FrodisCapering · 20/01/2025 20:56

This reply has been withdrawn

Post withdrawn at author's request

bluevioletsky · 20/01/2025 20:55

I'd agree with PP who say the stick figure looks a lot more advanced than the writing. The drawing is better than my (dyslexic) son would ever have managed, the writing looks similar to him age about 6-7 I would think. Now uses technology for exams etc as a teenager and is very capable (but still can't draw at all and has awful handwriting).

Rycbar · 20/01/2025 20:55

I’m a reception teacher as I wouldn’t be expecting children to be doing this at this point in the year so I would say Year 1.

timeforachange999 · 20/01/2025 20:54

Why does the child have to have a SEN if older than year 1? Loads of kids (particularly boys) are slow to learn to write, especially when they were taught using cursive writing Surely they can’t all have SEN?
This was DS’s writing half way through year 1. In year 4 Covid lockdowns it was apparent that either he’d never been taught which letters had horizontal joins and which had vertical joins or it had completely passed over his head. His writing is still terrible now in year 9, especially if he’s rushing. All through primary we were told don’t worry some children are just slower to learn to write. In secondary they just throw them a laptop for exams if needed.

What age/year at school, would you put my Dc ar?
BusyCaz · 20/01/2025 20:53

These annoy me, why does it matter what everyone thinks? I have a 5 yr old grandson that writes like that but also a 9 year old grandaughter. They are all different.

NoveltySock · 20/01/2025 20:52

Still in the preparatory writing stage according to Kroll, in which they are learning to form letters which is between 2-6 years old. Having analysed a lot of examples of writing development, this would usually feature in the examples from around 4 to 5 years old.

LondonLawyer · 20/01/2025 20:52

Aged about 5-6, could be 7?

netflixfan · 20/01/2025 20:51

Come on then how old are they?

User79853257976 · 20/01/2025 20:49

Reception

gmgnts · 20/01/2025 20:45

Come back OP!

boysmuminherts · 20/01/2025 20:40

It's very strange how they know capital letters and put them in the middle of sentences. My DS1 wrote like that in y1 but DS2 more like nursery age. Especially the large form is more younger child. (Edited for typo)

JENN1802hh · 20/01/2025 20:39

Reception. Maybe an older nursery child.

Sugargliderwombat · 20/01/2025 20:33

I think not writing inside the lines is a red herring. Can they do that if asked?

Id say a child of 6-7 but have written this in a rush or through play. OR a 4 year old who has taken great care but just has poor pencil control.

It's odd in that there are finger spaces and full stops but then other elements seem very young, such as upper and lower case and then putting the full stop in a random place.

Another possibility is a 4 year old who actually had some help with this.

RuthW · 20/01/2025 20:33

Reception

Notaboutthebass · 20/01/2025 20:32

6

babyaorb · 20/01/2025 20:32

Nonstoprain · 20/01/2025 15:37

Looking at this?

Before I read on, I would say 4-5 with the writing but for some reason I think maybe a 6 year old who hasn't had the best teaching or much time or genuinely is struggling.

I know many kids struggle with writing/ reading but excel in other areas.

If there are SEN then obviously it's each to their own.

Blondeshavemorefun · 20/01/2025 20:27

Almost 5hrs later

taps fingers

Temporaryname158 · 20/01/2025 20:27

So what’s the answer, how old are they?

Swipe left for the next trending thread