Starting Year One

[kiwidreamer]

We had a very lovely reassuring start to Reception last September, DS has had a lovely year in a fab school but in a few weeks he starts Year One and I don't have the foggiest what to expect. I trust the school to have the education side of things under control, it will most likely be a fair adjustment for DS but such is life and he'll get there eventually, my immediate questions revolve around the mundane things such as school bag, pencil case, books for writing in etc.

When I went to school parents got a book list and had to buy a huge supply of stationary for the beginning of the school year, we were told school provided all of those needs for Reception but surely not for Y1?

Any insider info on the mysteries of Y1 would be greatly appreciated :)

If you are in the UK state system yes the writing books and pencils will be provided by the school. If it is like my school you will need nothing different. I assume you have a book bag and PE kit in Reception?
The curriculum will gradually change in Year 1 as the children transition from the Early Years Curriculum to Key Stage One of the National Curriculum (what ever that is, as some schools are planning to start / dip their toe into the New 2014 Curriculum)
It may be worth checking your school's website to see if they have last year's Year 1 curriculum posted, as many do. There is no guarantee they will teach exactly the same topics next year but it will give you an idea.
HTH

As far as I'm aware at our school (DS also going into year 1) no stationary/ pencil cases are required in KS1. Any books required are usually provided by the school throughout primary and I think secondary as well.

I have never had to buy anything for yr1 (I have a child going into yr4 and a child going into yr1).

I have been told for DD (going into yr1) that they will be working in the morning and have structured play in the afternoon for the first 3 weeks to ease them in so the lack of play is not so much of a shock.

Wow, everything is provided again, that is really fantastic. DS has a new school bag and I suppose I can splash out on a new lunch bag now I know I really don't have to fork out for books :)

ours aren't actually allowed to bring pencil cases in in KS1 as it causes too many problems!

DS was allowed to bring in his own pencils in yr3 but things got "taken" etc and the teacher put a stop to it.

Hi kiwidreamer:

Right Y1 is a transition from nursery style learning through play to more formal working as a student - but is not necessarily rolled out on day one.

You'll probably find that the children are put into groups (these usually have names like spheres, diamonds, rubies, red, orange, etc....). This is effectively streaming the children into ability groups. Small group working with a number of children at the same ability is helpful in that teachers/ TAs can work on the skills they need then with a small group of children who are struggling in that area. However, not all group work is ability reality - there may be starter tables and ad hoc groups to do things like art or science projects. Don't get too hung up on what group your child is in - what's more important is that you can see you're child is progressing (i.e. couldn't sound at words at start of term, but now can easily for one syllable words and with some help for larger words).

They will have the same number of breaks. (morning, lunch time & afternoon)

The school will provide everything although you may get requests to send in things like plastic bottles for art projects.

They will have their week regimented into specific units - reading and maths will probably happen daily, but there will be days for PE, days for history, language, music, etc...

What should be covered in Year 1:

Well we're in flux but the curriculum from 2014 is notionally this: www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/a00210036/sosletter - just select areas of national curriculum on right.

Campaign for Real Education have a plain English discussion of what should be covered each year of the primary curriculum here: www.cre.org.uk/primary_contents.html - just select area of curriculum. Bear in mind this is 'gold standard' stuff and may not be occurring in your school - however it's good to know what is possible in an ideal world.

What you should see on the ground as a parent (if all is going to plan):

learning to add and subtract with numbers at least up to 20

learning to count by 2s, 5s, 10s - maybe 3s (pre multiplication work)

developing independent reading skills - so progressively more able to sound out words

More able to write short sentences using simple punctuation (full stop or excamation point, maybe a comma) and simple connectives (ye olde conjunctions - and, but & or, maybe because).

Usually late in Year 1 children will start to get spelling words.

Useful resources:

Not sure where you're DC is at: if they're counting but not adding and only just starting to sound out:

Oxford Owl: www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ - also very useful for early reading/ maths skills

Jolly phonics workbooks can also really help - they're more like colouring books but help to deal with letter sounds - available amazon & most large newsagents/ bookshops.

If they're past that you may be ready for:

Woodlands Junior School: resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/ - especially maths & literacy zone. - Their CVC (consonant - vowel - consonant - so words like sat & cat) words zone games are very helpful: resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy.html#3

HTH

Really helpful post SellBy, thanks :) DD1 is going up to Yr1 and there have been vague mutterings about 'moving onto formal learning' but nothing more.

Equipment-wise, the only thing difference from Reception in our school is that they progress to small backpacks rather than bastard work of the devil book bags, thank goodness.

SellBy that is really interesting, thank you so much that! The school DS attends is brilliant, just been deservedly given their Outstanding status and his new Y1 teacher is very experienced but its good to have a little 'behind the scenes' look at how the next year should develop.

Gwen YY to seeing the back of those book bags, such a faff they were, DS is proud as punch of his new 'comic book hero bag' that he got for his birthday a few weeks back, will be much easier to manage the guff they send the kids home with.

There is no official policy at our school about us paying for stationary, but the kids start coming home asking me to buy them pens & other bits in about yr4-5 as demanded by their teachers.

It is going to vary from school to school ... for example the children in my Y1 class still have book bags - no back packs as they take up too much space and books end up bent or folded, so I would wait and see what your school does rather than MN. I prefer children not to bring their own pencils, crayons, erasers etc as they get upset when these get lost (as often happens).

Y1 should build on reception (considered best practice) and at least initially be very much what they are familiar with rather than a sudden "formality", but again that will vary from school to school.

As a Y1 teacher I'm quite surprised by PSBD's list ... surely reception class not Y1.

PSBD's list is just about what ours do in y1, too. The R-Y1 curriculums are combined into one "phase"

I wonder how so many MN parents are reporting their child as expected/exceeding if they haven't been taught to read & write sentences or count in twos

My yR-child can count in 2s or 5s but not reliably, I was surprised he got expected in maths, actually.
Have sat in on maths lessons half way thru y1 and it was very much number bonds to 10 & 20 stuff.
DS can write very short sentences with a huge amount of support.
So I guess that's why he's on expected.
He will be much firmer on those things at end of y1; that's why he needs to keep working on the exact same things.

Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s has been part of the reception curriculum for years hasn't it? Since at least 1999 if not before.

I think there's a lot of things (if not most of them) on PSBD's list that will probably vary from school to school. I think the only way you are really going to find out what it is like in your school is by asking them.

DD is going into yr1 and can count in 2s and 10s. She has been taught 5s as well but is not reliable at it!

She has been taught to add/subtract on a number line but has not really covered number bonds (I don't think).

She has been taught to tell the time to o'clock and half past (she could already do this) but they have not covered money yet so I guess that's another thing for yr1.

Money is definitely part of the reception curriculum as is counting on and back in 1s, 2, 5s and 10s

Use rhymes, songs and stories involving counting on and counting back in ones, twos, fives and tens.

Children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems.

They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others.

Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.

She did absolutely nothing with money. It was in her school report under "next steps"

She did counting backwards, 1 more/less than.

Sums adding to 30.

She did weight, size and a lot on position I remember.

It's definitely an expectation in reception

I don't disbelieve you in the slightest.

DD's school used the old EYFS to assess all year so I guess they missed bits of the curriculum out too

mrz Mon 12-Aug-13 09:01:27

I wonder how so many MN parents are reporting their child as expected/exceeding if they haven't been taught to read & write sentences or count in twos

That'll be because our kids go to crap, complacent schools with astonishingly low standards.

but are assessing children who haven't met the curriculum expectations as exceeding Pozzled!

Who is assessing kids who have not met the expectations as exceeding?