advice on moving into year one in sept

[whatalovelyday]

dd (in reception) said her teacher started talking about preparing for year one today. How they had to be very sensible and not moan at all and would have to mostly work on their own.

dd is not even five yet and while she likes school and has lots of nice friends she has found her reception year pretty challenging in some ways and, while i'm very happy with the school, I have felt like it's been a bit much - just the fact of having to be there so much more than anything.

I'd already started to worry a bit about year one as I've heard the formal stuff gets cranked up quite dramatically. Is this right? How much free play is there? Any???

Any advice you can give about preparing your child for what's to come would be gratefully received.

Nothing to worry about at all.

I have reception child and Year two child.

Both teachers are saying the same re better behaviour and more work/less play in the coming year, its just the teacher getting a bit frustrated.

There is plenty of play in year one (all bar about 45 mins of really having to concentrate)

Oh good, that's very reassuring. Thank you!

Sorry but they isn't 'plenty of play in Year One'. It's a shame but there is sooo much to fit its just not possible.

The school will have some kind of transition period in September, so they may have free play every afternoon for the first week for example. However they are very quickly weaned off of this because the curriculum is so jam packed.

But honestly she will be fine. Most children settle very quickly and if not the school will support your child in doing so.

Don't worry

Hmm. I just find it so unnecessary. It all feels a bit target driven. Like, I know my daughter will learn to be a fluent reader. There's no need to rush it. Especially at the expense of other things. It's too much stress!

Slightly more worried again. (She's been really difficult at home this year except during holidays when she's been lovely. Am worried that will just get worse!!!)

I think you should speak to the teacher as that is not how my reception DD's school works. I've been told that the free play is gradually phased out during the first term. She has already been told about golden time on a friday afternoon etc. That is not to say that the learning does not consist of fun activities though.

The work does definitely increase in year 1 & there is a lot less play. They basically drop the whole learning through play ethos & go onto national curriculum. It is quite a big change but it doesn't necessarily mean your child won't enjoy it. My dc2 (currently year 1,) has loved the theme work & learning about different projects. They do more drawing & lots of craft & model making, they go outside & bug hunt etc. it's not all sit down & write a report on x, but there is a lot less freely moving around the class room & flitting between activities.

I don't think you need to prepare as such, just make her aware of what is going to change. Hopefully she will enjoy learning. I like the whole theme approach, as it gives kids the chance to do things at their own level, to go off & investigate things that interest them & hopefully create a lifelong desire to learn.

Mine spent 1hr 20 mins watching Denis the Menance cartoons today, (wet breaks), 45 mins on construction toys (variety of sizes of plastic blocks including lego), 20 mins on "activate" - class excersise programme, 30mins massaging each other, 10 - 15 mins writing about half-term holidays no reading at all and year two child also learnt to draw a bar graph.

tis all a bit too easy and far too much play imo

grr about unimaginative wet play babysitting telly stuff

rest sounds ok to me, for my dd anyway. do they get any choice of activity or does everyone do same thing?

no point grrrr-ing about lunchtime wet play. Teacher is having their lunch and class of 30 x 5 year olds is being looked after by a poorly paid midday superviser. You can't blame them for sticking the TV on (although I would blame them if they didn't also get out some colouring/stencils, a box of lego, the playmobil and allow access to the class library)

One class per MDA? You'd be lucky! In my DS's primary, 14 classes, all full or over-full, most MDA's are supervising or serving in the hot dinners hall and the packed lunch hall, only 3/4 MDA's to pop in and out of the classrooms to supervise. I should know, it was wet play when I was volunteering as a (CRB checked) parent helper, and as there was an adult in the room (I.e. me), the MDA's just left me to it with a class full of 31 Y1's.

WASN'T impressed with the school with that one, when there were 2 DC in the class with severe behavioural issues, and another 3 on the Autistic Spectrum (though one of those was my own DC).

Was not the easiest hour I have spent, I can tell you! And I haven't volunteered for a full day since, only half days!

I have one child that found the transition to Y1 very hard, and one who took to it like a duck to water.
The main differences are:

• day is more formally structured
• DC are expected to do more sitting and listening (and then applying what's been said to their work)
• very little choice (the thing that upset my DS most)
• more emphasis on formal teaching in maths/English

My DD is in the same situation. Our school already upgraded carpet time since they came back from the Easter break.

She was absolute shattered each evening and with careful questions it all came out.

The teacher also talked about new classrooms and new teachers. So they know somethings will change but obviously it will be hard for her to go back after 6 weeks of Summer break.

Do they still get school milk and fruit in the morning?

Fruit is provided free in KS1 (though some schools ask you to provide your own snack). At DD's school we can optionally pay for milk (and most don't) but you should probably check your own school's policies.

I have to say that I was very worried about DS1's transition to Y1 when he went for exactly the same reasons...but he absolutely loved it and tbh it was the absolute making of him. I knew being a typical boy that the last thing he'd want to do was sit down and do "work" but he had an amazing teacher (NQ) who really managed to get the class into proper learning but in a fun way so that half the time I don't think they realised just how much work they were doing. I'll never forget the first time he came out of her class with a huge grin all over his face rabbiting on about everything he'd learnt that day.

He's now about to finish Y2 and the little boy I was worried about at the start of reception has flourished into a bright enthusiastic little boy who isn't at all worried about the transition to Y3 (we have infant and junior schools here so it's a completely different school).

Try not to worry too much about how she'll be in Y1-yes it is different but possibly not as much as you are thinking it is.

I think DD1 is finding it hard in reception as she finds all the noise and activity hard to cope with, so I am hoping year one will be much calmer and more structured, which is what the teachers have said too.

My sister is a teacher, and when she has done year one, she puts them straight into formal work, as she finds that the children find it easier to start off as they will be going on. Her children do tend to have very chaotic backgrounds though, so maybe they need the structure.

Some schools seem to start as they mean to go on in yr 1 and others have a more gentle transition.

My DD in yr 1 didn't have a transition but was fine with it. She was absolutely shattered for the first few weeks though (no tiredness at all in reception) I think from all the concentration required and the fact she couldn't just choose to sit and read a book on the settee in the book corner like she could in reception. She told me the boys kept asking to play and mrs x had all the toys locked in her cupboard. From what I can tell play like they did in reception happens for 1/2 hour on a friday pm.

I am a little reassured reading this thread. My dd is moving up to year 1 in September and as one of the youngest in the class and immature for her age she has found the actual work required in reception quite hard. A few time she came home complaining that she had to do writing for hours! (Unlikely but it felt that way to her) and she really would rather not do adding up at all.
I do worry a bit and just hope she gets a teacher as fantastic as this year.