Can someone talk to me about EYFS and what my daughter should be doing please.

[Janefeelsold]

DD is 4.5 and currently in the nursery class attached to the school she will go to. She is one of the older ones as her birthday is September 2nd. She seems very able and is starting to read. but in nursery they will not do the phonic stuff and they have told me she will start it fresh in Reception.

Thing is she is ready for it now as she is both mature and able. What I don't understand is on the government website is states that all children, regardless of age should be working at their level. which obviously my daughter isn't.

What I also don't understand is why children just 2 or 3 wks older than her are deemed ready even though some may not be, but she's got to wait until September and then by schools own admission start at 'a'.

She is my eldest so maybe I'm being a little bit PFB but if she's ready why isn't she doing it when she would have been if she was born 2 days earlier?

It is a really frustrating, arbitrary cut-off. I'm the other end of the spectrum as my two are summer babies which does make me worry, although MNers have reassured me.

I think you should ask some questions, but if you're otherwise happy with the school I would try not to worry. Sounds like she's a bright girl and will get on fine with you teaching her. She may find the whole class learning a bit dull - or it could be a great ego-boost as she already knows it! And in EYFS it's only a small part of the day. So much is playing and small groups so it should be differentiated.

It's true that phonics isn't compulsory at this age. DD has recently started Letter of the Week at preschool, and it turns out this is the first year they've done it. They've been ofsted outstanding for years and are only trying this gentle phonics because they've had new training on it - very successful so far, but it certainly wasn't 'necessary' IYSWIM.

Yes, I feel for August babies too and I know for a fact (as I know 2 of the mums well from our NCT group) that some of the late summer babies are not coping or ready for it all yet are having to do it. It seems madness.

I guess the whole thing seems worse to me as DD1 has grown up with two of the children in Reception as we were all in the same antenatal group. Both were born in August and whilst the girl is doing ok, the little boy isn't. DD reached lots of milestones ahead of him and is generally more able so far. *I'm saying that completely objectively as I know DD2 is not as able but still doing just fine.

So it seems crazy that one child is doing phonics when he's not quite ready yet another who is more than ready isn't doing it simply because she was born a few days later.

Ok, I seem to be going around in circles in my own head here. I'm just going to see how it goes.

I have now had two large glasses of wine and have decided to follow the laid back approach. At least for tonight, anyway. I think it is always more stressful with the first and I hope to have calmed down a little by the time it's DD2's turn. Thank you for listening to me vent.

Good idea Jane. The system (like everything) is full of arbitrary cut-offs, compromises and downright stupid things. But if you dwell on these you will lose sight all the truly amazing things that go on in a nursery/primary education and which are far and away the most important thing.