Reception Year at School

[Goooooood]

Hello, Is anyone aware if it would be acceptable to keep a child in at break time if they are not joining in at class time?

It is nice you are so concerned about your grandchild but you really must leave it up to the parents to deal with any problems that arise with school and their daughter.

I think "that parent" is quite common, but "that granny" must be rare?

The confusion might be as Reception age children follow the same curriculum as Nursery children - it's called EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage). However, being a year older, and also being in a school environment, a lot of what Reception is about, is getting ready for school. Part of that is accepting you need to get with what you've been asked, as there are a high ratio of children to adults, and there is not the capacity in the day to wait until each individual child fancies doing whatever it is they have been asked to do.

My response to Starlight 2345 is that 'it's complicated' and not what I would want.

In response to BackforGood, yes I think she is going to need time to adjust and I am aware of the issues in school as I worked for an educational charity, so therefore with teachers, for a good few years and am also therefore aware of the pitfalls of problems not being dealt properly which in turn can lead to learning issues.

I am sure the issues are being dealt with by the class teacher as they know their job and have come across these issues many many times. The whole class needs to adjust and your granddaughter is probably one of 30 and it is early days. To be realistic she may have said she was kept in all of play when infact it may have been a couple of minutes. Children have to learn their place in class and follow the routines put in place by the teacher.

I see its an a continuation of what they have learnt in nursery but a lot of it is getting used to the routines, the parts of the day where they have to join in is non negotiable.

I think you see your granddaughter refusal as a good thing and whereas creativity/individualism etc is refusing to join in activities at school is going to be frowned upon

I get a huge sense of disapproval with your daughter in law and son - its a difficult one as if there is social services involvement and concerns then yes but if its just you not approving you have to step back

I really just wanted advice from parents on how things are in school now for real to help balance the negative comments I heard for many years where I worked. Just to clarify, my granddaughter only made a comment along the lines of "if you don't join in you can't have break time" which I found worrying that this was on her mind on a Sunday while playing in the park. It may not have happened to her but just concerned me.

Ime it is Golden Time which is reduced first. Teachers want their breaks too, so would not be their initial choice. Just because your dgd mentioned it doesn't necessarily mean it has happened to her or even any of her class members. It could just be something she has overheard in the playground or an older class.

What concerns you though, the school she is at, her behaviour is being modified?

Reception is about understanding and following school routines

Yes I thought it could be something she has just overheard and I have no problems with her behaviour being modified as her parents would not have either but would be surprised to find it was necessary as she is normally well behaved. It is an Academy though and I wondered if they are able to have different rules to Council run schools.

It might not be her behaviour though. DS started school with a little girl who did just that - and he told me what the consequences were for her

Quartz2208, yes you may be right. Thank you all for your help and advice.

It would have been useful if you had clarified this from the start?

Academies are free of LA control so often set their own expectations.
As someone who taught reception for many years I disagree with some of the things you’ve been told. Reception builds on nursery and follows the same curriculum so shouldn’t be hugely different from a nursery class (except different staffing ratios).
IMHE it’s unusual for reception classes to have break times as most operate free flow to outdoor provision for most of the day and play being a significant part of the curriculum. Yes children are expected to follow rules and behave appropriately just as they are in nursery.
It’s important children do learn to join in and take part in activities but I’m not sure punishing a child is going to help encourage them to. Some children just need more time to feel confident in a new setting.