To expect my reception age child to be doing at least a bit of 'work'?

[Hmmmmminteresting]

I may have this wrong as he is my first born. But dc is in reception, prior to this he was at nursery post lockdown till end of Aug.
I wouldnt say he is particularly clever, but he enjoyed learning. He was very good at phonics, numbers and rhyming. He could do basic adding and subtraction up to 30 eg. He could do 27 take away 4 etc. Since he has started school he does nothing, they just play.
Don't get me wrong I am all for them doing this and would much rather they play than sat all day 'working'. But they are literally doing nothing. He keeps telling me its boring. I feel like he has taken 5 steps back.
I asked his teacher briefly if he was correct and she said yes, it's a transition from nursery to year 1 so its focused on play and not school work. I didnt push further but I've come away feeling really deflated.

Aibu to expect them to teach them something?!

it's just the current trend to go at the pace of the slowest

Not in my school, no.

@Bluewavescrashing

Are you in England OP?

I am

@Hmmmmminteresting it is a massive step for parents when their children go from a nursery into school for the first time. I remember it well with my eldest. I went from knowing about every toilet break and every little thing he did, to him just coming out of school at the end of the day and if I asked him what he'd done the response would be 'nothing', 'I can't remember' or 'played' 😂

At this age their learning is mainly through play. There will be carpet time most likely where they may go through numbers, or letters (through song for example), but they will then be in little groups 'playing'. Each activity will have been well planned and will have an objective, though for the children it's just playing.

If you are concerned I am sure the teacher would be happy to talk things through with you but it may be worth googling the early years foundation phase curriculum (I'm in Wales so don't want to link the wrong thing!) so you can have a read about how they do learn.

Former reception teacher here. The play is learning. I think you're missing the whole point of reception!

It's just the current trend to go at the pace of the slowest.
you'd be surprised.

They might look like they are playing all day, but the learn a surprising amount. They do learn at different pace, but it's usually pushy parents who are not satisfied with a child happy and settled at school, with friends, routine but expect a full sitting down teaching.

My youngest has a birthday early summer. She got a hand written birthday card by every single classmate (bare 2) when they came to her birthday party.

Most of us find that they are too young for the academic stuff, they do learn, but they would be so much better starting later. Who cares if a 4 year old can't read the FT or know his timetables?

Talking from personal experience, my DS now Year 2 didn't get much formal learning in reception. It's play based and I think the target is to spend 50% time outside. That said he learnt all his phonics and progressed very well with the reading programme. Maths was too basic for his level but his teacher provided resources for him to explore larger numbers through play.

See it as an introduction to school, learning the routine of school and socialising with a whole new group of children.

My son was much happier in Year 1, his teacher said he was the type of child that didn't really need reception, he was ready for formal learning at a desk, but that's not the format of reception these days.

I'd take a step back and let him settle for now. From memory I don't think our school sent reading books until after Oct half term and then they got sent weekly. They have to start the whole class at the beginning with phonics, so many schools won't send a book straight away.

I'd suggest finding out which phonics scheme they use and starting him on learning some sounds (sounds NOT letter names). Recognising and telling you what sound words start and end with, and practising segmenting words verbally into the constituent sounds.

I'm a TA in reception and we've only just finished our transition period. We've spent the last 3 weeks getting the children used to being in school, the rules and expectations, making sure they're okay emotionally, doing baseline assessments.

Next week we start phonics and numbers. There's a process we follow to make sure they achieve every aspect of every early learning goal (there are 16 if I remember correctly). We didn't start adding and subtracting until after Christmas last year.

You DC will be pushed when the teachers have a firm understanding of their ability and please don't forget there are approximately 29 other children in the class as well.

Reception is a tonne of work that makes a stable foundation for the rest of their learning. The teachers know what they're doing, trust me

In the nicest possible way I think you are over reacting and expecting far too much too soon, your child is 4 and has many, many years in education.

Teachers and children are only just back after six months and in very difficult circumstances and it's only the first few weeks of term.

Address any issues at parents evening and let him and the teaching staff settle and get to know each other.

“Play Is The Work of the Child” Maria Montessori

How good are your sons social skills? The school I work in (private school) often sees very able children but often they have v poor social skills with their peers and at that age it is crucial to their development. It is also really important that the children have the core strength, gross and fine motor skills needed to write, sit at a table and concentrate. Spending time
In these early reception weeks and months focusing on these skills will be so beneficial. Who cares if they read at 4 yrs 2
Months or 5yrs 9 months...

My reception child is bringing home reading books almost every day so yeah they’re definitely doing “work” every day there.

This is what the beginning of Reception is all about. They are meant to play. They have probably been learning lots of non academic stuff to like lining up quietly to go into lunch, knowing to stop and stand still when the whistle goes, remembering to put your hand up and ask when you need to go for a wee, how to sit on the mat and not play with the hair of this person sat next to them....
As for the non word book. This is the start of understanding a story. Figuring out what is actually going on. You look at the pictures and say what is happening in the picture? What might happen on the next page? Some children learn to read but don't really follow the 'plot' - they are just reading the words and not putting them in context.

We are the same as you although not in the UK soour kids are 5 and 7 and the 7yr old is yr 1. His maths and reading is boring for the little one, so basically a joke for him.
Not sure how long we cn keep interested in doing extra at home and not helped by his teachers telling that school should just be be easy and fun! No mention that maybe you shoul actually learn something or work at some point. I really don't get it long term, so many kids fail when they have to start actually learning stuff.

@LynnThese4reSEXPEOPLE

We have just started Reception. So far we've had a reading book, a themed book bag and a literacy/numeracy pack up. I am expected to read with DS 3 x a week and work through cursive writing and a counting folder. Our school is quite intense!

I'm soooo glad my children didn't attend your school. What a traumatic start to education... my children were allowed to learn through play in a gentle and nurturing environment. My DD was awarded a full academic scholarship to one of the best girls schools in the U.K. and my DS a music scholarship to a brilliant co Ed boarding school. Neither were ever put under lots of pressure.

I am in the funny position of teaching my own reception aged child ( not in uk) . Yesterday I heard DH ask her what she had done in school. She replied "nothing we just played". I know we did, sorting and matching activities in maths, bingo using words in a second language and a go fish game based on rhyming for our phonological awareness time.
I'm so glad I spent so long preparing those activities but really I am glad she sees all that important foundation work as play!

Why don’t you ask the teacher for a book with basic words in and see how you get on. Mine did have books at that stage. It was a tiny class and they got a new book daily.

One of mine could read fluently before starting school, not down to me she just could, the teacher wouldn't let her have books with words because she had to do what the others did. It was heartbreaking to see how it changed her and she used to say the teacher hated her. We had to take her out of school and she had 4 years at home.

Not teacher bashing, two of mine are teachers, but they aren't all angels. Her brothers all had lovely reception teachers so I could see something wasn't right.

@Bluewavescrashing

As an outsider it looks like messing about but everything they do when they play is valuable for learning. Reaching up to gran ropes = building shoulder strength to get ready for writing. Crawling about building with bricks = getting strong enough to sit on a chair long enough to write a sentence. Etc.

Trust. The. Teachers.

Well said. I really think parents need to have this nicely explained to them. I know I didn't understand this when my two were younger. But when it was explained it made such sense.

They are still settling in until atleast October half term.

@Hmmmmminteresting

I can assure you there is no bragging involved. Until somebody said upthread that it sounded advanced I didnt realise. I have no comparison and he's been doing adding and subtraction for about a year. He was 4 in Jan. Genuinely didnt mean it to come across that way i thought that was basic for his age. We have had 1 book sent home with no words in it, had to google that to see that was normal. I'm very reassured that this is normal then, I just hope that his passion for the academic stuff doesn't disappear if he is finding it boring. He has lots of friends there and is settled. He has been there almost a month.

Im glad I asked, I will lay off his teacher

I understand you. Play is an essential part of growing and learning but I would have expected some reading, writing and simple sums at four. Most kids can do that a little bit by that age. Maybe they will be introduced next term.

As long as he is happy; make sure you read with him at home and keep up the numbers.

When I was in reception over twenty years ago now, we used to do learning in the morning and play in the afternoon. When I became a teaching assistant in my early twenties, I found that the learning was mostly play based and that learning good socialisation skills was prioritised over basic sums/spellings. Tbh I think EYFS learning has gone backwards over the years.

@teddybeans thats really useful to know, I wish we would get told this kind of stuff because it is more than possible that our school may be doing something similar.
We literally get zero communication unless it is telling parents off for parking in dodgy places or which class got the best attendance that week!

@Bluewavescrashing

it's just the current trend to go at the pace of the slowest

Not in my school, no.

Not in my school, either. High expectations for all children, regardless of ability or needs.

Learning isn't a race, ffs.

Too much too young is likely to have a negative rather than positive effect on their lifelong learning. Be patient. Trust the teachers.

I remember struggling with the lack of input from the teacher daily in reception as I was used to nursery telling you EVERYTHING. You just have to trust that they're doing fine unless you hear otherwise.

I also remember the books with no words and thinking what's the point but it is to get the children used to holding a book and looking at the picture to work out the story. I was no hothouser but had always read with my children, played games etc but unfortunately not all children will have had that input and the teachers have to start everyone in the same way.

Its early days still for a reception child they're still learning "the rules" which are different in school to nursery etc and the social side is a big thing. I was never worried about academics at this stage but more is he settled making friends etc

Despite being in nursery until gone 8-5 from a baby he still found school very tiring in that first term and for the first few primary years behaviour always dropped before the end of each term/ half term. I'm expecting similar this year after his first term in senior school! It goes so quick...

Just keep an eye and do bits at home if you want but the school know how to introduce learning appropriately. I did speak to them at certain points during all the primary years if he was suffering in anyway either socially or with work, for example he got despondent and demoralised with reading at one point, as he hadn't had his level changed for ages, he had been overlooked and when assessed jumped up 3 levels which improved his morale and confidence
So occasionally school doesn't get it right but I found that addressing anything with school is all in the way you phrase it. So not going in all guns blazing but.speaking from a position of asking what they think is best for your child. Mutual respect gets you a long way...

I think at that age children call anything they find fun 'playing'.
DS is 4 and loves numbers, can do basic sums etc. (He's not so keen on letters at all and can't hold a pencil correctly - we're in Scotland so he starts school next year at 5).
He often asks to play 'numbers' where he'll order his number flash cards, count beads out to match the numbers then do sums with them etc. He thinks this is playing just as much as playing at the park with his friends is.
He also would actually say something is 'boring' if he doesn't really understand it or finds it difficult. So letters are boring apparently, even though he loves me reading to him and asks what things say on signs etc. If I try to point out how to recognise letters he sighs and says it's 'boring'.