Year 1!

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

I wondered if anyone else's dcs are struggling with the changes that come in y1. My dc is finding the change to playing less and more actual work upsetting.

DD is in year 1 this year. She has two older sisters, so I've been through this a couple of times before but it's a shock for a lot of them.
DD is coping quite well but has had a couple of 'I don't want to go to school anymore' days. We have played schools with her toys a lot, where she gets to be the teacher ( that's always good if you want to know exactly what's going on in school!) and talk about what she's finding hard . Her behaviour at home was terrible for the first couple of weeks but she seems be settling down now.

DD has just started Y1. She is a girly swot- very enthusiastic and is good and sitting and concentrating so as expected she has relished the more formal work in Y1.

DS hated the change to Y1. He didn't like not being able to choose what he did and was not overkeen on the sitting and listening to teacher bits.

I do think not all children are ready for the increased structure in Y1.

Southern Mine's behaviour has been awful too. It always deteriorates massively when she is tired or upset or a bit ill. Nightmare. Will try the teacher game.

redsky So you've seen it from both angles. I really felt for her this morning. She was saying the work was too hard but I think maybe she just needs a confidence boost and is reacting to not being able to play all the time. She is VERY playful!

If she likes playing then do take some time to play schools with her. I'm reading Playful Parenting atm so am trying to turn everything into a game.
It's amazing how well it works for all sorts of things!!!

I read that too, it was quite helpful. Maybe I'll read again.

DS1 hated the change to Y1 last year and has already warned DS2 (who has just started in reception) that 'there's no toys in Mars class, only pencils' :( He really didn't settle into it all until the summer term but has taken to Y2 like a duck to water :) He has also got a lot better at entertaining himself and playing with his toys all weekend long...

Do they have no toys at all?! Will have to ask her about that!

My elder is now in class 4 and IME the reception/class 1 transition is the hardest, and the more modern and child centred reception is, the harder the change is, often. The lack of choosing is often cited. My new yr 1 complained yesterday "there is an awful lot of sitting down doing work with pencils" - I forbore to comment "get used to it - the next 50 yrs will be a lot like that"!.

It does settle, don't panic that child has gone off school.

Thanks everyone for your replies. My dd in particular loves free play and doesn't like structured lessons. I used to take her to an after school activity last year but she gave it up as she "didn't enjoy being told what to do"!

Mine is struggling a bit. She's in a mixed year 1 and 2 class. She's quite bright, but I think feels very outshone by the older year 2 girls, who are also very cliquey and can be a bit mean. She struggles with personal organisation and is expected to look after herself much more. As a result she is constantly loosing things. She's also used to getting a lot more in the way of rewards (stars etc) and is the sort of child who really needs validation and feels very overlooked (it's a much bigger class size than reception). She's said several times that her new teacher doesn't like her. I'm sure it will all pan out, but she's finding it very stressful.

ds is getting on much better in year1 than reception, but he needs clear tasks and boundaries and found the free play in reception a bit over whelming - 3 tables laid out with activities and he didn't know what to pick, having one thing to do at a time is helping him, especially focussed work as he isn't distracted by others playing (he would flit from one thing to the other and not complete anything, half a picture, couple of letters etc).

He is much more tired though as opportunities for down time or to not do a task aren't available (he's one of the youngest) he's struggling with out of school activities as its too much on top of concentrating at school (he does football and swimming) He's quick to cry when things don't work or go his way and we have a flat refusal to do any kind of 'work' at home, last year he'd do nothing at school and want to 'work' at home - I guess he can only do it at one place at one time

I'm am however enjoying not having feedback like 'ds will only choose to do construction activities/play and not mark making' will if its a choice then he can choose it, if not put it way! in year 1 the structure means he has to do it - although the comment is he's still 50:50 as to whether he will and he faffs a lot, I'm hopefully that will change as the year progresses.

My son is an August born Y1 in a Y1/2 mixed class.

He is probably national average for Y1 but in his class he sits on the bottom table and looks so small compared to the Y2s- some of who are 7 already.

He's finding Y1 boring - no more things like role play corner, choosing and outdoor learning.

Like VBS, my child is really enjoying being in Y1 more than R. I know they don't have toys in there, but they seem to have a lot of fun. She has come out every single day with a huge grin on her face, even on days when she's exhausted.

She does plenty of playing at home still though tbf.

I think ds's playing at home has got better since this term started, he's happier to get absorbed in his own little role play world and I'm finding him more independent at home - this term I feel like he is 'ready' for school I just didn't feel like he ever 'got' Reception he couldn't work out if it was nursery or school

I work in a Y1 class and we have this term as a transition term, and tbh to an extent after Christmas for a bit too depending onthe class.

So we still have a lot of continous provision, just with a little more struture to it than our foundation stage. We have lots of activities out and a planning board, the children find their name, chose an activity and put their name against it - whn they change activities they return to their planning board.

This happens all morning with a lot of independent choice, but with teacher and TA based activities along side, with smaller grounds - guided reading, literacy groups, numeracy groups, and intervention programmes, etc. The children are encoruaged to become more independent and need less direct teacher involvement in their activities and have visual clues as to when they can and can't interrupt the teacher.

Type of activitie sout this week in my class are:

• sand or water table (only hve one at a time) with topic themed items inside
• home corner - for playign house
• construction area with bricks, design sheets and toy tools
• playdoh
• design and make table - has different topic related craft each day
• computers - with specified program or website on such as Purple mash or Education City
• literacy table - has cards, postcards, whiteboards and paper for practising writing; can post in postbox for home corner
• numeracy table - magnetic numbers and coins, top trumps, playing cards for snap, number tracing, numicon, etc
• investigation area - currently magnifying glasses and things to look at, small skeleton and body books
• book corner - book browser full of books with comfy seat and cushions and teddy
• paint easel - mirrors attached at moment to draw/paint self
• table top - may be whiteboards and pens, jigsaws, games, puzzles, etc.

Other tables used for either Literacy or numeracy activities; guided reading sat on carpet, interventions either at table or in quiet workroom elsewhere.

We don't have free flow between the different y1 classes like they do in foundation stage and no open access to outside either.

dd's year one class has a role play area. they have been outside to learn too. they took theirr teddies to the wildlife area. it is a shame they don't get more time outside though, a half way house between reception and year 2. I suppose it depends on whether you are september born or summer born. dd is still happy just playing.

it is not that long ago that reception children were in all day and expected to work like year ones do now.

Hulababy That's very interesting. I'd like to find out more about what they actually do in the class but will have to wait until parents evening next month as my DD is very vague.

My DS has gone into Y1 and no longer loves school

I've been assured by school that this term is the same as in reception - same structure, same kinds of activities etc but something is different enough that DS is not happy. I just can't figure out what it is.

Doe sthe schoolnot do a curriculum evening of some form at the start of term? We have one tomorrow night for Y1 parents. We discuss what goes on in year 1, how we address literacy and numeracy, how we help the children become independent learners, what the structure of the day is like, etc.

If not, ask the class teacher or TA.

Our parents see what goes on to an exttent as they come in the classroom every morning to drop children off - so they see the activities out and the work on the walls, and they see the planning board as there children chose their first activities of the day. Also I update our part of the school website all the time, every other day or so, with lots of photographs, small captions of what we are doing, who got star awards in assembly, etc. I tweet it too which links to the website.

Dd is the same. Suddenly all change. Ability groups, play as a reward instead of a thing in its own right. Spelling tests. I am a teacher and this is my first go through as a parent. I taught year one ages ago and there was significant play involved. I almost want to start a campaign to bring it back. Play is for life not just reception?

Hulababy There sort of was but it was short and covered many aspects of the school. They said they wouldn't be doing so much free play and a bit about some subjects they would be doing and how to fill in their reading book. I missed a bit as I was trying to keep my toddler quiet so everyone could hear. I'd like to know how the day is structured but don't think they went over that. I know when they have PE and lunch but I don't know when they do what in the classroom. My DD is so vague and her time perception is that of a typical 5yo I would imagine.

Hula Also we can't go into the classroom at either end of the day which is a huge shame as would live to see how it's all set up. They do put stuff on the website but not everyday.

Sleepglorioussleep Play is for life not just reception? GENIUS!

So you feel it has changed do you? How long ago were you teaching Y1?

It's definitely different to when I taught year one, although I taught year one in one school thirteen years ago. But when I was at school, I have distinct memories of year three being the point where play stopped and I can picture myself in my year two room where we rotated between activities and one in four was play. Now, it seems that dd gets to play when she's finished her work. And the ability groups that I thought nothing of as a teacher are I guess a helpful management tool, but I worry about early in year one being early to do groups. Unless there's very good assessment and movement between groups.

Both the girls i look ater love year one but then were so lucky to have their brillant reception teacher move up with them. They do more formal stuff and they are tired at the end of the day still play schools much easier to see what they have been doing that way rather than asking them as the more formal learning tends to happen in the morning. Both August born so pretty young there is an out door area with play things plus they have time tabled sessions in the foundation stage garden. What they miss the most is in reception they each had a buddy from year 6 who read to them played with them sometimes ate with them now their buddys are all in secondary school. Great excitiment hen one is spotted in the street