2 terms of reception

[cornonthecob]

Because the school staggers intake dc won't start reception until January, all but less than a handful of his nursery class have already started reception regardless of birth month ( some different schools). We have been assured holding back a term won't affect our dc but seeing the new intake of nursery children still settling in parents going in with them, tears etc I wonder if missing out on a term of reception is really a good thing? I understand they won't stagger intake into year 1 so feel nervous dc will struggle.

Have just seen a post on parenting re: words brought home to lean from reception 3 weeks in and got me worried!

Nursery teacher and head have told us not to worry & it's still all learning through play that I appreciate but find hard to comprehend how being held back in this formative time is positive?

Dc knows the alphabet, numbers, write name, tell the time ( at o clock only!)

So, has this happened to your dc and has it affected them?

Sorry to be so long. TIA!

Just to add the whole settling in period (short days etc) for nursery and reception looks done as drop off & pick up v busy!

Dc has to make new friends now & again in January with a new teacher surely that's disruptive?

I find it an unusual situation, but one that many many parents would like. How old will DS when he starts?

I assume there will be a whole half or third of a class starting when he does, so he wont be arriving alone

Very hard one isnt it? Is his nursery an on site one?

He won't suffer at all. Just chill.

My youngest started in Jan, my oldest 2 started in Sep. Made no diff at all. - Well except that my youngest is the only one that is doing well at school.

Honestly, he's not 'missing out' on anything. If he already knows all his alphabet and numbers he will be absolutely fine.

Hi Corn, my DD school does this. Half of the group went in September and she joined in the January. The Sept ones did a full academic year in reception but she only did the two terms.

The school had a nursery and most of the groups were in it so they all joined up again eventually.

The decision over who went when was purely done on birthdays, so the older ones went first then the younger ones.

To be honest I don't like it. The first group had obviously had longer to work on phonetic etc and were more advanced than the second gorup. The staff said by the end of year one they are all about the same standard. However I felt that at the end of reception it was clear who had done the full year and who hadn't.

They didn't actually get homework in reception at our school just a reading book.

DD now in year 2 and if I am honest I still feel she is a bit behind. This may be just because she is struggling a bit or maybe because of the way the intake is done.

I think it probably depends on the school and the teacher/s. We also have split intake here, so DS (6)with an Oct birthday had a whole year but DD (4) with an Aug birthday will only have 2 terms when she starts in Jan.

In our school, the Sept intake teacher is a bit more formal and likes worksheets etc where the Jan intake teacher is more beanbags and singing, iykwim. I think this will/has worked well with my DC as it suits their respective learning styles.

An important point to mention though is that Reception is mainly about socialisation to the school and learning how to cope in the big school environmnent, including the playground. Most of the stuff DS learned academically in Reception I taught him.

Thats a terrible exaggeration actually about me teaching DS most stuff, and does his teacher a disservice.

They did a great job with him, its just that the academic side wasn't the most vital thing in Reception for us.

My DD only had one term in reception and is doing fine. She is now in year 2 and it is impossible to know which child in her year had 3,2 or 1 term in reception.

It's only a few weeks out of years at school, after all.

My ds started in jan as that was the way they did it then (but have now changed as was a bit of a rubbish system). The older children benefitted from being older, having an extra term of reception and having a term with only 15 kids in a class. Seemed a bit mad. At beginning of y1 all but one child on the 'top' table were of this older lot. However by the end of y1 it was half and half older and younger kids so I think it does even out. i do think, though, if they're going to have these ability tables (which I'm unsure about) there should be some recognition of potential and how much of reception they did.
I panicked about the older kids doing phonics so I watched Fun with Phonics with ds so he did know basics when he arrived. Whole class had to do them all from scratch again but that benefitted older ones again as was drummed in.
Anyway, I can really sympathise but at the same time I do look back and think I was a bit mad to have worried. It does all work out...