Is the Reception to Year 1 change really that bad?

[ButteredRadishes]

My DD has struggled in reception during the first term, but now enjoys it a lot. The school identified some issues, suspected hyperactivity etc... and are making reasonable adjustments for ner... keep getting worried that come Year 1, she's going to be forced to sit in a chair all day, no playing, no self expression etc

😭😭😭😭

F

They still play in y1 but it builds in more formal style of learning. Generally dc are ready but my middle child wasn’t. She was August baby though. I made after school time super chilled - no clubs, tv was allowed to help downtime then fun play, dinner, bath and bed.

My son has thrived in Year 1.
December born and on the spectrum (diagnosed).

It really depends on the school she's at - some year 1 classes are play based and others are completely formal. If she struggles it may be a good idea to ask for a meeting with the sendco and see if she needs support identified before she moves into y1.

Yes. My dd hated it. She loved reception and loved the work of year 1. They did work all morning and ‘played’ all afternoon. She couldn’t work out why she couldn’t do work all day. She didn’t like the ‘playing’.

Basically, it’s stepped up and they do proper work as well as play. Some find it difficult.

Our transition was gentle and totally appropriate. They’re only 5, it’s not going to be desks in a row, total silence and Latin verbs 😄

I’m sure the school will be skilled at handling the transition and will have a plan in place to help. We did a meet the new teacher afternoon, time in the new classroom and gentle easing into the new school year when it came. Not too much learning in the first few days, more fun and pastoral activities

I think that typically, the first term in Y1 is challenging for many children. I teach in Reception and have taught in Y1 and it really is quite a change in style. Lots of children miss the child initiated play which they have so much of in Reception.
I love the advice from the poster above about keeping after schools very chilled for a while. Usually by October half term, your average child will be in the swing of things and not so wiped out after a long, very structured day.
Some Y1 teachers have an element of continuous provision in their classroom so hopefully your daughter will still get some self initiated play time. But try not to worry, I’m sure she’ll soon adjust.

My DS found the first term of year one tough. He really missed the free play and outdoor time they had in reception. Settled into year one after Christmas and really came on with his reading and writing and started to find the lessons enjoyable.

Honestly, if that’s really what you’re after, it was a bit of a shock. DD is finishing year 1 now and has mostly really enjoyed it but the first few weeks were rough.

She’d adored Reception, never once hesitant to go to school, but quite a few of the kids were upset going in to Year 1 for several weeks and as soon as she saw anyone else kicking off she’d start saying she wanted to come home instead. I hadn’t anticipated it at all and was shocked at how many of them just went off school for a while after the summer break, I think they felt mugged off. The teacher and TAs are all lovely and the stuff they teach is interesting but there’s something very special about EYFS and I found it to be a bit of a con as did the kids.

We went from stickers for good sitting up till the last week of reception, endless praise, teddy bears picnics, loads of playing and games to sitting in the same place on the floor, more sitting at the table, packed curriculum to tackle, loads of phonics and maths and more obviously organised learning, homework etc and it was a big adjustment.

Hard to know if it’s year 1 per se or just the long summer holiday which is the longest break they’ve had since starting school but it’s positive you’re thinking ahead, I wish I had but I don’t know that I could have done anything to help.

Some Y1 teachers have an element of continuous provision in their classroom so hopefully your daughter will still get some self initiated play time

What does that mean @JulietSierra if you wouldn’t mind explaining to a clueless parent?

I don't know whether things have changed in the last few years but mine are in secondary now and I don't remember year 1 being a particularly bad transition for any of them.

My youngest is in Reception now so it'll be interesting to see how she gets on in September

My DS much preferred Yr 1, he found reception too chaotic. Since diagnosed with ADHD too.

Try not to worry

I remember this, thankfully mine managed really well but some friends dc in other schools didn’t and only got the hang of sitting learning/ listening in year 2.

it’s a massive change and schools all do it so differently. The teachers always say the biggest step is from reception to year 1 and after that any year changes are easy- I tend to agree.

Ask the school what their transition process is and what toys there are in the Y1 classroom. My friends dc school had literally no toys in the classroom as their view was it distracts children who need to sit still!

It really depends on the school. I have boys, all summer born and they all struggled with the transition to Y1, especially the oldest and youngest (both diagnosed with ADHD),

My daughter was struggling in reception but has absolutely thrived this year in year 1. She is July born and was quite delayed which the school were worrying about. She has really come along this year though and seems to have just got in to her stride and used to school life, come out of her shell and made some lovely friends. In our case it’s been brilliant.

Our school sent home booklets they’ve made for each child at the end of reception with pictures of their new teachers, their classroom, where they would enter their new classroom etc which really helped too.

My DD has suspected ADHD but no diagnosis yet. She loved Reception and found the transition to Y1 challenging. At our school, the Reception children spend a lot of their time on play activities of their choice. In Y1, there's still a small amount of free play, but most of the classroom time is spent on formal learning. The children did get regular movement breaks between activities and DD seemed to need these more than most.

DD found it challenging to sit still (especially during carpet time), to listen instead of talking, to put her hand up instead of shouting out answers and to concentrate on her writing. The teacher put her on a plan to help her. For example, she'd give DD extra reminders and visual prompts and move her to a quiet table to do her writing (framing this as a positive, rather than a punishment). DD is in Y2 now and has made progress on all of these points, although there's still some room for improvement.

I did smile inwardly when the Y1 teacher said that DD sometimes wandered around the classroom chatting to her friends when she should have been working. I have a few colleagues who have never grown out of this stage!

Continuous provision are play-based learning opportunities and equipment within a classroom that can be enhanced based on what the children are learning. Think tuff trays, role play areas, construction etc.