My DD is 5 and currently in year 1. I felt mixed emotions this year as the law changed and parents can now delay reception if they feel the child isn't ready as I feel it is the right thing to do but that it wasn't an option for us - it was hold her back for a year, fine but they would go straight into year 1.
So my DD went into reception just 4 weeks after her 4th birthday and I There was a big difference between her and the others in my opinion - she was much smaller, spoke a lot more babyish. Some of the other children were kind to her but not in a friends way - more like they were looking after her. I heard one boy saying to his mum 'aah look there is Jasmine - she is a baby but she is growing now'. She got invited to about 6 parties in reception and ran around happily but nobody played with her in particular. She liked to make friends but never seemed bothered if she didn't. She learnt her sounds, could write some letters and numbers but nothing else. You would spell out C A T and ask her what the word was and she would say 'dog'.
In year 1, no party invitations so far. She can read simple words like mum, dad, cat, dog but nothing longer. The teacher laughed when we discussed her reading and said they are working with her to actually look at the words on the page rather than guess the words based off the picture. She is on the lowest ability table. You can read her letters but her words are ineligible. The teacher told me in October that she has a small group of close friends but when I ask her about her day, she has always played by herself. She told me the other day what a great laugh she had playing hide and seek. But when I asked if she had been the finder or hider, she laughed and said she was both as she counted to 10 and then found herself as she was playing alone. Today I asked her if she had anyone to play with at lunchtime and she said that none of the others would play with her and that she was by herself everyday. She was quite friendly with 2 children at latter reception but she never mentions them anymore and if I ask, she just says they are silly now - although she did say she didn't have any friends in reception but the teacher said she did and was very kind. But the interests she has, the others say are babyish. For example, she is obsessed with paw patrol and says some of the others tell her it is only for babies.
I don't feel she has any SEN issues, I have a child that does and she is so different - I just feel that she belongs in the year below. Can I insist on her repeating year 1 and would there be any social implications on her at this age if the school let me? Or would it be better for her to go back into reception now? I am considering moving her school if it would mean she could repeat the year despite having other children at the school.