should my 4yr skip reception yr and move straight to yr 1?

[happystarr]

My 4 yr girl turns 5 in Nov. She is currently in pre-school, but the teachers have asked if they can move her straight to year 1 in Sept and miss out the reception year all together as she is advanced for her age. She can do simple adding and subtraction, knows the alphebet and all the numbers, can name all the 2D and many 3D shapes.... etc, which is apparently the kind of lessons they start learning in year 1.

I have concerns though that she will miss something important from reception year and I don't want to push her too fast.

Have any other parents done this or can any primary teachers out there offer any advice?

Thank you all.

it would be very unusual if she was actually allowed to do this, taking a child out of their year group just doesn't happen nowadays.

she may be able to join yr1 for some parts of the learning, this is what my ds1 did.

Personally, I wouldn't have done this. It's great that she is doing so well but there is the issue of missing valuable social time with peers, where they can play and interact freely with each other through child initiated learning. IME things become a bit more formal in Y1 and there may not be many of those opportunities.

My DD (Y1) didn't start learning those things in Y1, she started them in Reception. What about phonics and that kind of thing, all things learnt in reception and continued throughout Y1.

If you are concerned, I would definately not even consider moving her straight into Y1 no matter how advanced she was. Any reception teacher worth their salt will be able to provide differentiation for her if she is bored, not stimulated etc.

Agree with Chasing Squirrels too. DD now goes to Y4 for reading as she is quite good at it and she was visiting Y1 when she was in reception for phonics/literacy times.

Mm, interesting. I agree that it's v unusual to put children, however bright, in a different year group - in my school, an extremely bright lad in Year 1 has his own column on the lesson plans, and is taken for extension work by the Head and another teacher. So his needs are pretty well met with him still being part of his chronological year group. In many ways I think this is the ideal way of doing things, but it depends how good the school is at intervention for extension work.

Re: "it's the kind of lessons they start learning in year 1"

No it isn't. All of what your DD is doing is classic Year R/ Foundation stage stuff. It will be packaged in play, but it is what DD is covering this year. Even if she has done it all already she may be less advanced in other areas, e.g. socially, emotionally, physically, etc.

The most important learning experience in Year R is the getting used to the routines and ways of school. If she goes into Y1 she will be expected to settle very quickly instead of spending the first half term settling in with her friends.

Why the hurry?

I would say no. Reception is a lovely way to get to know routines and is so much more than 'academic' learning. Year 1 moves at a much faster pace. She will be at least 2 months younger than the youngest in the class and tbh those things she can do you learn in reception not year 1 so she wouldn't be 'ahead' more 'behind'.

Any good teacher will differentiate and she will probably find herself with Y1 children for some work. Most schools do this, particularly smaller ones.

My DD's school has a mixed YR/Y1 class, and the children all work at their own level.

I wouldn't do it.

My DD was reading at 2 1/2 but reception is just about starting to learn to read...

isn't just about.....

I believe (based on my MN research!) that secondary schools will not accept children who are younger than their peer group so, if this is really what the school has in mind, it might end in your daughter having to repeat Y6.

My daughter was very like yours at pre-school, but I still think that Reception was beneficial for her.

I did what is being suggested in the OP, as did my sister, as did my DP.

I changed school three years later and was made to go back to the class of my chronological peer group. My DP stayed a year ahead until he was 14, and then repeated a year. My sister left school a year early, at 17.

I cannot really see any advantage to jumping a year so young.

thank you so much for all your great comments!

She is my eldest child so I am not familiar with the new education system yet. I had previous reservations about her moving up as I dont want her to be pushed too fast and end up being moved back down after friends have been made!

And after the teachers spoke to me about this I felt like I had ruined the start of my childs eductaion by encouraging her to learn these things at home through games. But your comments have put my mind at ease!

Thank you!

Can she read independently yet? If she is already reading books beyond the level other bright children might be expected to read by the end of reception, then it might make sense to go straight to year one.

But you only mention knowing the alphabet, numbers etc - plenty of children know all that by the start of reception, so unless the peer group she would be joining in reception is particularly slow, I can't see that she would stand out that much.

I can't imagine that arriving in year one with no school experience and not reading as well as most of the rest of the year would work well.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with moving up a year in general if the child really is ready and would fit in with the new class - I was moved up a year in primary and it was definitely the best thing for me, though a lot depends on the child's confidence, and even things like size (ie not being smaller by far than the new classmates).

It just seems odd to suggest doing it right from the start, without seeing how the child does in a school environment. Unless what they are talking about is a mixed reception/year 1 class? Some schools just because of numbers have to run some mixed age classes, and in that case they may select a few of the more 'advanced' reception children to join a majority year 1 class.

TrowelandError, I think you are right about high schools. My DN was moved up a year in junior school, then changed schools for the last year of Juniors when the rest of his class moved up to high school.

happystarr, you DD doesn't sound that ahead of most children. DS2 had several children in his reception class who could do the same as your DD....my DS1 certainly could.

DS1 needed reception though; to learn how to play and interact with others in the class. He found it tough, and was much happier once he pent all day sitting behind a desk reading and writing, but I wouldn't have wanted him to miss out on reception.

I ahve heard of private schools asking parents if they would like older, children to move up a year to even numbers out, and make space in the year below.

Is it a private school?

My eldest is very young in the school year and although bright enough to cope, found it socially much tougher. What I wouldn't give to have been able to had his time again and have him held back a year. So, keep your DD in her right year group by age: much better to be older and brighter in the year than to be a year ahead and be younger and socially insecure.

Got it right with the other DCs!

My DD could do all those things in pre-school, but she doesn't seem outstandingly bright (no offence - but if you see what I mean!)

Would whole-heartedly try to keep her in her year group. Knowing the secondary system, she will not be at an advantage taking public exams early, in fact her little bit of extra maturity will be more beneficial.

Good luck whatever the final decision.

We had a similar issue with our eldest.

He was a September baby, so only missed being in the year above by 2 weeks. He was obviously fairly clever, and there was talk that we should "put him up a year".

However, I left him where he was because:

• he wasn't enormously confident, and certainly wasn't as emotionally mature as children a year older than him
• I wasn't convinced that he would be able to go to secondary school a year early, and I thought it would be better to be a bit bored in Reception than have to do Year 6 twice
• I was worried that he might have just peaked early and would then plateau and struggle with the harder work

He is now in Year 2. Most of the work that he does is actually Year 3 level, in reading he is Year 4 level. But he is also very confident, is interested in sport and music as well as academic stuff (which I don't think he would have had the courage to do when he was 4). I am completely convinced that I made the right decision.

As for being able to do Year 1 work, my DD has not long turned 4 and today she picked up DS2 (who is in Year 1)'s adding and subtracting homework and could do it all very easily. She knows all of her 2D and lots of 3D shapes, can count well, knows her alphabet and has started to read and write. But I wouldn't dream of starting her anywhere other than Reception.

Thanks again to everyone! I think I have all but decided to let her take her natural educational course through reception year. My feeling is that if it wasn't important... it wouldnt be there! lol.

She is very tall for her age (size 6-7 clothes!) and very confident, probably in part due to her size! But although she can read some words, she can not yet get her head around letters that sound different when combined with others - i.e. when you put 'g' and 'h' together!!

No offence was taken nonnomum - like I said, I am not overly familiar with the schooling system yet so I just sort of trust what the teachers tell me!

But you have all convinced me that I should trust my own instincts and let her grow up at her own pace.

Yay - and, we probably all agree - childhood's too short - they grow up too quickly as it is!

Happystar, your DD sounds very much like my DD - October birthday, big, bright, confident, and could do lots of things before reception, but I think it was very useful for her to do that year. If someone offered to move her up a year now (age 7, yr2 but in a mixed age class with some children nearly two years younger, and so getting a bit bored and frustrated) I would probably say yes. Not an option where we are, however...

As for your DD, I would say see how reception goes, stay in touch with her teachers, and if she does seem to be progressing faster than everyone else, talk to them about her spending a few sessions a week with older children, or possibly skipping a year later on.

I skipped the equivalent of year three, which worked fine for me, but that was after I moved to a private school, so I had no problem progressing through to secondary a year early, doing A-levels at 17 and so on. I have heard it can cause problems in the state sector.