Reception Year Children - how has it been this first year?

[Earlybird]

For those of us with a child currently in reception - how has it been this first year at "big school"?

Are you happy with your child's academic and social progress? Are you pleased with the school, and do you feel it is the right place for your child? What were the good things, bad things, pleasant surprises, disappointments, etc.? Any thoughts about next year?

Bluebear does your DS have a visiting teacher of the deaf? My DS is hearing impaired and just finishing reception. He doesn't qualify for extra help in school but the TOD visits every couple of weeks or so and is pretty on top of making sure the staff accknowledge his problems.

No geogteach - my ds has no help whatsoever, just sits at the front of the class.
Audiology dept have not sent any reports to us - only appointment/surgery letters so we have nothing to wave at the teachers.
Senco didn't want to know.
Since he doesn't usually disrupt the class (he lets rip at 3.30 onwards) I don't think they care TBH.
Am seeking another appointment with senco next week.

Once again, sorry for the hijack folks.

cazzybabs, I'm not worried about DS making spelling errors. It's the teachers' mistakes that concern me!

DD1 has had a good first year. The most important thing for me is that, despite being one of only three or four children who hadn't come through the attached nursery, she made a small, firm set of friends quickly and easily and gets on with all the children in her class. DD1 has adapted to the routine, the discipline, the petty-fogging rules (this is a Catholic prep school!), the uniform, the school dinners, the gym kit, the ballet class and the expectations without turning a hair. On the academic side, she has worked really hard at learning to read and is clearly enjoying it.

On the downside, I wouldn't say that she has been inspired by school; she has a rather endearing 'workman-like' attitude about it - she would prefer to be at home playing with DD2, but school is what she does and she does it well. DD1 has had three teachers this year (the class teacher was ill for the first term with a temp teacher covering, returned for the second term and then on maternity leave for the third term with another temp teacher covering). Frankly I've been uninspired by all three teachers and I'm wondering if DD1 might find next year more inspirational with the lovely and hopefully permanent Y1 teacher.

My first year has been much tougher. It took me much longer to make friends (I've got two now!) and I couldn't and still can't adjust to the school's attitude that the parents can't possibly be interested in anything more intellectually taxing than which cakes to make for the next cake sale, that all change is to be stoutly resisted and that educational excellence can be expressed in a bloody boater. I also haven't really adjusted to the new maturity that a year at school has given DD1 or just how damn first an academic year passes.

My little boy goes to school happily and has rocketed academically but has not made any mates this year. I thought reception was all about making mates - alot of the other posters here say their kids are popular - makes me sad for my ds. He does ok for party invites. I can only think of a couple of parties he didn`t get invited to but inspite of asking around 12 kids here for tea at various times we get very few return matches.No special buddies in the playground that he talks of and not part of a gang either. Do you think it'll come in Y1?

No one going to tell me that my DS isn't unusual?
[sad for son being odd emoticon].

Figleaf - that must be very tough, my biggest worry for DS1 (just finishing reception) was that he wouldn't be popular and find the social side of things difficult. Especially as he is one of the youngest.

Maybe, you should concentrate on one or two kids who he seems to like and whose mum you like . Some children don't do groups and from what I can see the boys just run around in a big gang, chasing, fighting and shouting. Its not so much a question of being popular but being robust and not crying when they fall over.

We are happy with DS1, he has made friends, seems popular. Academically, he is fine though not to keen to learn at home. Teacher says he likes to do well. He is so tired though, absolutely hanging in rags and we don't break up until 29th July.

Figleaf - I don't think it's odd at all. I can think of three friends of mine whose children didn't make a special friend in reception (and one who hasn't yet in Yr 1 either) My nephew (now 20) was like this throughout school until he got to the 6th form! Now, as an adult, he is extremely popular with a huge number of mates! My sister used to feel sad for him because he never brought friends home, but soon realised that it was his choice to be generally friendly rather than have any particular 'best friends'.

My DS is coming to the end of Reception. He does have a best friend, but it's a boy who he's known since they were babies. He's pretty indifferent to everyone else, to be honest, though he describes most of his class as his friends. I think he would be similar to your son if he hadn't known this other boy for a long time. It just takes some children longer - probably means they've got better judgement and are more independent!!

4 and half days left for DS4 - he has loved recpetion. to be fair he's dreamed of being old enough to go to school since he could think, he's always nicking DS3's cap to pretend he's in juniors his report was fabulous - DH thought they had named the wrong boy
He's reading well, and has covered quite a lot of Y1 maths work, has loads of friends and so forth. Think he may be a bit miffed in Y1 by the reduction in toys in the classroom, but he had a day in there last week, did some work on pirates and says he will finish it off in september. The Y1 teacher he has got is great anyway so not too anxious.

Figleaf my DS1 doesn't have a special friend either - I'm hoping it's something that will develop next year. He's had various boys over to play but it's not always reciprocated - I don't know to what extent it's the laziness of the parent/nanny rather than the other child's willingness (I know one nanny who doesn't seem to like the hassle of hosting playdates).

DS1's school is already signing up the after-school clubs and instrument lessons for the next school year. I really want DS1 to learn the piano but feel he's too young to concentrate. He really wants to learn the flute (another of the options, which included guitar, violin & cello. I'm ashamed to say I didn't mention the violin & cello to him). I've signed him up for cookery (sorry, Food Technology) though.