to think there's no point having a play based Reception if Y1 is going to be sit down learning from Day 1?

[PeoniesandTulips]

Very frustrated- DD is really struggling with the jump to Y1.

In Reception there was so much choice and free flow, but now there is sitting down at a table. There weren't even enough seats for all of the children last year. They only sat down if they wanted to, whereas now they only work at tables. I t have been speaking to her teacher frequently and I think she has her hands tied with the amount of things to get through.

I just feel DD was totally unprepared for Y1. Surely, if they knew Y1 was going to be like this, the Reception class should have prepared them?!

last term of reception should have gradually led to this, with the first term of year one carrying on the gradual transition to sit down learning. That's what the schools round here do.

Yes, they should have done. In my experience, reception tends to start introducing more sit-down-and-work time in the summer term for exactly this reason.

Yes, either end of Reception should be different or (my preference), beginning of y1 should be.

DD1 has just started Y1. They're still doing some child led play to ease them in, but this will all be phased out by the end of term 2 (maybe term1 depending on how they cope).

I think this is a bigger jump than starting reception nowadays.

I think this is a bigger jump than starting reception nowadays.

So do I, and that's just not fair on the children.

Reception, despite having a free play element, also has a lot of routine, and structured learning, in order to prepare them for year 1.

Year 1 at my child's school does have increased playtime in the first term to help the transition.

I remember my DD finding the jump to Y1 quite hard last year. She was tired for the first few weeks. She soon got stuck into the learning though as the topics engaged her. She ended up having a great year.
They still have a bit of free play first thing in the morning and at the end of the day.

That must be hard for the children. My experience was the first term slowly transitioned from reception play to sit down learning.

YANBU. My youngest 2 have just started year one and they struggle with 'working all day' as my others also have. Unfortunately the year one teacher in their school is very strict and shouty too which doesn't help. They have only just turned 5, I think they should still be doing more play-based learning personally.

It's such a shame for these little children to have to do this so young. DS2 is in Y2 as of now. It's waaay more formal even than when DD was in that class 3 years ago. YrR to Y1 was a gentler transition that you are describing, with a little more formal learning introduced at the end of Reception and Y1 still relatively chilled out - sit down mornings and more play based afternoons.

Go see the teacher, she will understand and can help you and DD to come up with some strategies

I kind of agree. As others have said, last term of Reception should be more formal and first term of Year 1 should still have plenty of play based learning, but unfortunately, pressures to meet targets and government and LEA expectations and initiatives, mean what schools would like to happen and what does happen, aren't always the same thing.

YABU. There are big jumps most years. Some years are more significant than others, reception to year 2 is big, less do 1-2, less do as you go through the years.
But, there is, as there should be, normally, some adjusting and transitioning, in the last term, to prepare the children.

In fact, not just in the final term: in each year, there is some settling in and then they raise it, gently throughout the year.

I don't see why there has to be play OR formal learning. Why can't they meet in the middle?

It's silly things like answering questions- because they worked in small groups last year, they didn't need to raise their hand. Now they do need to raise their hand, but they're expected to do it overnight!

The demands are higher now. The year 2 SATs are significantly more difficult now.
Many people agree that maybe the UK should be more like other countries, where they don't even start school till 7,8,9, or that the UK should be more play based.
But it's not. So, if you don't like it move, or fight the cause, or put up with it, because I suspect it's not going to change any time soon.