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Original poster

School books in reception

39 replies

silverstarling1 · 23/05/2018 19:47

So my DS is 4 and in reception, just wondering how many school books your DCs get/got at that age?

He currently has a yellow book for phonics homework- hand in Wednesday, collect Friday, an orange book for word blending and spelling- practice every night and put in bag every day, a pink book for weekend learning activities- hand in Monday collect Friday, a reading diary to write in every night and put in bag every day, and a blue maths book- hand in tuesdays, collect Friday... and also a reading book which is swapped every week.

I just feel this is FAR too much at 4-5 years old, and even the teachers have told me they think it’s rather a lot at a young age but they have to follow the guidelines.

OP posts:
Ummmmgogo · 23/05/2018 19:49

wow that's so excessive! we had a reading book per week and a diary to fill in in the holidays. and we had to read bedtime stories if possible.

Sirzy · 23/05/2018 19:50

That’s bonkers!

In reception ds had one optional task a week and reading

43percentburnt · 23/05/2018 19:51

A reading book which is changed three times a week and a reading log. The aim is to read 4/5 times a week to an adult. Plus writing on average once a month.

Yours seems loads. I doubt we would fit it in despite dh being a sahd!

babybythesea · 23/05/2018 19:52

DD has just turned 5 and is also in reception.
She has one book. A reading book. Gets changed whenever she finishes it. Well, 2 I suppose actually. A reading diary to record her reading!
No maths book. No separate phonics book or spelling book. Sometimes a game might come home which is linked to practising phonics. And a word tin for practising 'tricky' words. But it's all reading related. Nothing else.

dementedpixie · 23/05/2018 19:53

Do you mean jotters rather than reading books? What particular guideline are they following? Do schools not set their own homework tasks?

FittonTower · 23/05/2018 19:56

My dd is in reception and can read if she likes. There's a reading log book thingy that i fill in when i remember, i forget a lot! We also don't do tonnes of home reading because both me and her dad work full time so by the time I've collected her and her brother from after school club and nursery etc and fed and bathed etc its pretty late and she's shattered. School are happy with what we do, lots of homework would be too much at her age.

Zadocthepriest · 23/05/2018 19:58

What 'guidelines?? I am a governor at an Outstanding school and class R 'helper' and our children are just asked to 'share' books, ideally every evening, nothing else at all.

Your plan must cause chaos especially for children who share their time between two households.

superking · 23/05/2018 20:01

DS gets a reading book which is changed 3x a week. A phonics book which takes about 10-15 minutes a week. I'd say on average we spend half an hour a week on homework.

Original poster
silverstarling1 · 23/05/2018 20:01

The reading book and reading diary are sort of connected, the reading book is like a typical picture book with words “Ben and his cat” type, and the diary we have to write in every night about how they have done reading the book to us, apparently “if we miss a few nights it’s fine” but still.. feeling like there’s far too much pressure, I can barely remember which book gets handed in when.. the teachers are lovely but when I forgot to hand his phonics book in today DS came home saying “we MUST remember our phonics book it’s very important” obviously copying what a teacher has said

OP posts:
UrgentScurryfunge · 23/05/2018 20:02

A reading book with reading record and some common exception words to learn by sight.

We aim to read about 4-5 nights per week. Tiredness is a big factor. He fell asleep on the way home from an activity the other night. There's no point in pushing a battle.

In y2, it's continued regular reading and a homework task most weeks. I think most have spellings to learn, but DS is on a targeted programme and goes in early some days instead.

Original poster
silverstarling1 · 23/05/2018 20:03

Zadocthepriest I wasn’t sure if every uk school had the same guidelines or every one was different, I know it is a problem because DS only reads confidently with me so DH reading with him doesn’t really achieve anything and if he stays at grandparents for the night he doesn’t read or do homework there either

OP posts:
Joinourclub · 23/05/2018 20:06

That's bonkers. We get 2 or 3 books a week to read, and there is a reading diary to record them in. We also get one sheet of spellings a week.

Tiredmum100 · 23/05/2018 20:06

My son is six, he had his first lot of home work last night. My other child is 4 and has never had home work. It does sound a bit much! I don't think I'd be able to keep up with all that plus their after school activities and my job!

flower11 · 23/05/2018 20:07

My dd is in reception. There's no way I'd manage to do all that with her. Two days a week she is at after school club till 5.30 then another night she has swimming. We get 2 books a week to read and log and phonics home work on Friday which is things like play word bingo. Look at shop signs, nothing that has to be done or documented. That's far too much homework for little ones.

Original poster
silverstarling1 · 23/05/2018 20:08

I know it’s hectic remembering everything on the set days.. I’m not an organised person at the best of times!

OP posts:
Shoutylady · 23/05/2018 20:12

We just had one to mark down reading aloud and a rough book they could basically scribble/practice writing but no need to hand in. That’s a lot!

Buxbaum · 23/05/2018 20:14

Spellings in Reception is unusual. Good phonics practice usually focuses on securing sounds in YR and beginning spellings in Y1.

Like PP we get reading books - two band 2 (red) ORT each weekend and one in the week. No other regular homework. Ad hoc topic related tasks - e.g. a diary to track the progress of a growing bean.

livingthegoodlife · 23/05/2018 20:18

we get reading book changed twice a week. spellings once a week. that's it. yours sounds crazy and difficult to remember.

slbhill42 · 23/05/2018 20:26

it is a problem because DS only reads confidently with me so DH reading with him doesn’t really achieve anything

I have to differ on this. If he only reads confidently with you then he needs to start reading with other people. You risk school telling you he can't read when you know he can. Been there, done that with my shy good reader.

It does seem an insane amount of homework. Bear in mind there are probably no consequences if it's not done - might not be the ideal solution but it's an option.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 23/05/2018 20:32

It would be poor practice to leave spelling until year 1. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to send home spellings in either year though.

It does seem excessive OP. Reading book + diary are almost universal in Reception. Some might also send home another piece of homework a week.

It would seem an obvious option to combine the word blending/spelling/phonics homework into one single piece. And do what everywhere else does and have it all collected on the same day.

minipie · 23/05/2018 20:32

We get a reading book twice a week, plus a phonics worksheet and a maths worksheet. Reading is to be done same night, worksheets we can take up to a week. The worksheets take about 10 min each apart from that stupid game with the coins which was impossible

Private school

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/05/2018 20:41

My daughter has 2 reading books every day, with the reading diary to go with.
One activity book a week
One worksheet a week
One spelling sheet a week
One writing book a week

It seems a lot worst than it really is. In practice, they read every night - it doesn't take long, 10 or 15mn. When mine come late from clubs through the week, we just read in bed together.

We try to make her write over the weekend at some point, only 5-10 if she's not in the mood, but she is free to write more whenever she feels like it.

We read the spelling every couple of nights quickly, and practice the words once or twice a week when there's time.

It seems like "homeworks" at that age are more an attempt to encourage families to read. If your kids read regularly and see you do the same, I wouldn't be too stressed about the whole thing

FullOfJellyBeans · 23/05/2018 20:42

Wow, mine both had a reading book home twice a week in reception and that was it.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 23/05/2018 20:47

DS is on year one and has a reading log which we write in maybe twice a week, they can swap books whenever they like. They get given spellings to learn on a Friday with a test the following Friday and a work sheet on a Friday too. The worksheet isn’t really monitored it’s optional but DS likes to do them, lots on the class don’t. Worksheet an be maths, writing or a task. Every term they have a sheet of ‘challenges’ which are again optional and generally fun - this term it’s things like write a list of your grandparents favourite toys and make a weather chart for a week. I like the optional nature of them as DS can them choose to do it when he wants to rather than it becoming a chore.

Amummyatlast · 23/05/2018 21:31

That sounds like a huge amount. DD (4) gets her reading book (which she changes daily because she likes to read) and since a few weeks ago we now get a weekend book with a small piece of homework in it.

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