What is your child being taught at reception?

[EllieNW3]

I would be interested to hear what your child is being taught at reception currently (reading/writing/spelling/maths)? Is the whole class being taught the same or is your child more advanced than others?

The reason why I am asking is that we are currenly living overseas (moving back to the UK this summer) and I think I made a bit of a mistake on choosing an IB school for my nearly five year old daughter. It's a long story but we didn't have much choice and the British curriculum school she was offered a place just didn't seem right and it had loads of negative reviews. When my daughter was at nursery (pre-reception) the teacher thought she was one of the most academically advanced so as my daughter was interested, she introduced her to blending words. Now at her current school the teacher has only just finished going through phonics, sorting words by starting letter and has only just introduced a spelling board for my daughter and she is supposed to be in the most advanced group. I am not as worried about maths, as she seems to know her shapes (3D as well as normal) and is confident with numbers, sorting etc etc.

As we are now moving back to the UK and we are looking for her to go to a British curriculum school I am panicking a bit. I have been teaching my daughter to read at home using the Oxford Read Write Inc (she is currently level 2) and I am focusing on the 45 high frequency words. Ideally, I wouldn't want to be doing as much teaching at home (as let's face it we would much rather be playing in the park) particularly as she already spends so much time at school. I have spoken to her teacher but I understand that they just aren't allocated enough time for teaching basic academic skills (there is a lot of focus on 'topics on inquiry'). Anyway, I could go on for ages. From my experience, whoever told me that there isn't much difference between the IB and British curriculum wasn't quite right (although I did know that IB might be a bit slower at the start, but didn't realise how massive the difference would be!).

Thank you for reading and I would really appreciate to hear your comments x

[EllieNW3]

Thank you again for everyone for your replies. I have just visited a school which has a place for my daughter and they said not to worry too much about my daughter that they will able to help her to catch up with others if she is a little behind. I loved the school
and as they won't be tested her I can relax (-:. So panic over I can actually go back to teaching her a few bits for fun (-:

[simpson]

Clay - you have hit the nail on the head I think...

She was exactly the same towards the end/last term of nursery and the behaviour disappeared over night the day she went to school all day.

[EllieNW3]

Haberdashery - you made me feel a bit more at ease. Hope I don't come across as one of these pushy parents. My DD isn't the brightest for sure but I know she would be ready to follow what is taught at British schools so hence I am teaching her at home (although I would prefer her to learn most at school) to ensure that she can settle well in her new (undecided) school.

Jibberoo - I totally agree. Where I come from we only started school at 7 and quite happily played at home until then. I love the idea of kids being allowed to be kids but am just panicking now as I am realising how much less my daughter's current school is teaching her in comparison to British schools in one of which she will be joining in September.

[ClayDavis]

Is it possible the behaviour is caused by the fact that she was having her needs met but now isn't, Simpson? My cousin had a similar problem moving into an American school after having been in Reception for 3/4 of a term. She'd taken to learning to read and maths like a duck to water and suddenly found herself back in pre-school again for 2 years. It caused huge behaviour issues.

The teacher ought to be differentiating their phonics to meet your daughters needs even without the 1:1 TA though.

[simpson]

She has homework most weeks about the book she has read (book report type things which is good.

[simpson]

I do stuff with her at home but I worry about the message it's giving DD (that she does not learn at school but learns with mummy) iyswim

Only had a brief chat with her teacher on Friday at pick up time so going to see how it goes this week (but Thursday last week was horrific an hour and 45 min tantrum - she was out of control and it's all (IMO) due to her having had a TA 121 which has suddenly stopped since Xmas (she has mentioned it every day asking when it will start again) and having to do phonics with everyone else.

[learnandsay]

simpson, can you and the teacher not create a workaround? The phonics is doable at home. And maybe some of your daughter's projects can be based around the books that she's reading. Your daughter is doing so well, and her teacher has shown so many times that she's willing to bend the rules in your daughter's favour. I think she might have reached her limit. But there's no reason why together you can't pick up where the school have forced her to leave off.

[simpson]

DD is starting to kick off about the lack of formal learning because she is ready for more (literacy wise) her behaviour in and out of school has gotten worse massively because of this and "sound time" seems to be the main sticking point (for her) as she is learning words/sounds she has known for over a year.

Her teacher is fab and tries her best but tbh DD wants more (but is not getting it ATM)

(this only applies to literacy - numeracy she is average, and yes of course she loves to dress up and play "tea parties" etc but just needs 15/20 mins a day to extend her really.

Thesecondcoming - I really think DD should be doing phonics etc with yr2 as this is the level of her reading, but the school won't entertain it sadly

[Haberdashery]

Jibberoo, the playing is learning. They're not being sat down and drilled to remember things or learn facts. They are being introduced to some interesting stuff that they may like to think about. For a child of that age, that IS learning. And it is perfectly possible to play spelling or counting or writing or reading or anything else that a child might like to know about. My DD played all the way round Tate Modern today - it was great. She set herself some 'challenges' (which is how they describe learning tasks at her school) and completed them and was delighted with her results. She learnt a lot. She didn't know she was learning stuff, she just had a lovely time playing with her mum in an interesting building with lots of stuff to look at and think about. Which is basically just like school, really, isn't it? Only the mums aren't at school.

[learnandsay]

Sorry, numbum, I'm not following you. What's your point?

[learnandsay]

I can tell you now that she will pronounce crepuscular

crepup-skullar

It's not enough of a regular word for me to worry about the mispronunciation.

[Jibberoo]

Is it just me that's freakin out per what kids are taught in reception? They're babies still (4-5yo) and should be learning to love learning through play not spelling, maths etc can someone tell me why in the uk the govt has decided that such small children should be so schooled? Or is this normal everywhere and I'm just out if touch ?

[numbum]

'no, go, want, him, his, an'...yep genius child

And L&S if you think your child has learnt nothing since being in reception maybe you should read your own thread called 'nothing special' or something like that

[learnandsay]

Good on you, teach. Psychic mumsnet strikes again. I guess agility, probably, decides and Crufts are basic words, then.

[teacherwith2kids]

I would suggest 'crepuscular'.

[learnandsay]

I'm not aware of any secret words but there might be a masonic lodge for infants in my daughter's school. You'll have to remind me to ask.

[teacherwith2kids]

Ah, no, I think not. I think normal words for 'less bright children than L&S's DD', as 'school has not taught her anything so far' so she does not need them.

(Though of course her mother is very proud that she doesn't need them, and wishes us all to know what a good job she has done in teaching her child to memorise word shapes of some basic words through 3 years of continuous effort read

[learnandsay]

no, go, want, him, his, an

my daughter listed a few.

[simpson]

What words are these??

[learnandsay]

The child in the past was a member of my family.

[numbum]

In the past I've also seen such words taken home by children to learn but what other children are doing doesn't interest you...

[learnandsay]

I'm not sure if a lock exists. I've seen the words in my daughter's classroom, they're laminated and have velcroe on the back so that they can stick to a board. In the past I've also seen such words taken home by children to learn. I guess they have to be kept somewhere.

[simpson]

I do find it odd that certain words are locked into a "special" cupboard tbh...

Having said that a couple of the things DD is having to do at school I am a bit about too...