Reception and Y1 teachers (or those with experience of Reception/Y1), please help

[Galena]

I was wondering whether you could give me an indication of how your class 'day' goes? I was a teacher pre-DD but I only have junior experience, where there are clearly demarcated lessons, possible ability sets, etc.

DH and I have a decision to make regarding DD, and I think it would help to have an idea about the differences in YR and Y1, how the days are organised, how much time is whole class/group/individual teaching and how much play, how you differentiate if one child is at a very different place to the rest of the class, etc.

Please don't comment just to comment or complain about my reasons for asking - I am just trying to understand how infant classrooms tick. And yes, I know all infant classrooms are different, but to have a few ideas will allow me to see the common themes.

Thank you.

I know that our reception class tends to have half a day devoted to a particular topic e.g. a maths morning, or an RE afternoon etc. During that time the teacher will rotate around each group of children doing a particular activity with them. The other children can free play around other activities that are related to the theme, but in the particular areas e.g. there could be measuring jugs in the sand and water on a maths day etc.
They have a phonics lesson every day.

Hi. I am a TA and just moved up from Reception to y1. Both classes have literacy and numeracy in the mornings with other subject sinter afternoon. The main difference seems to me that Year one are expected to concentrate and stay on task longer whilst Reception have more directed "play". Hope that helps a bit ?!

When you say " a very different place" do you mean special needs? If so would she be statemented and have extra help with a one-to-one? That changes everything.

There is a full-time TA but for physical reasons.

In our school if the child in year one needs extra playtime or input we can take them out of class to do other activities. So in this way the curriculum suits the child and helps with transition from Reception to Year one.

Can you ask your teacher for a timetable? I don't know if other schools have them, but our reception class does and it is freely available.

Sorry, forgot to answer your second point.
Our school is very small (less than 15children in reception), and being in Wales we have foundation phase right through to the end of year 2. But a child who was performing very well would be moved to the year above for specific lessons. I don't know if this is the case in England as that would be a different type of teaching.

My experience is that y1 and reception are quite different. In reception there are teaching periods (like phonics which includes some writing and happens every day). There are directed activities to promote numeracy (might be a game or songs). But there is a lot of play which includes outdoor play even when the rest of the school are 'on task'. They do other things like learning about Divali by making a lamp and the school play. They don't seem to have set places to sit either on the floor or at tables.

Year1 they get a bit of extra afternoon choosing but all other free play is at play time. They have set seats for the carpet and tables (though they change frequently throughout the year). Phonics and formal numeracy happens every day and includes much more written work.

One afternoon a week (I guess for 45 mins was spent on project work). Both have pe twice a week.

They do both have a timetable and I'm sure the school would let you see one. I can only remember the reception one which was 8 or so little pictures stuck at the bottom of the board to show the children what was happening during the day. It also included things like snack, lunch and assembly.

from what I know of my daughters' school I would say it is similar to 2458motorways experience.

with regards to differentiation - I don't think there is any really. I think you know my DD1 went into reception already able to do a lot more academically than is expected at the end of reception. As far as I know she wasn't given anything different to do. I was happy for her to do phonics with everyone else although she was a fluent reader because I felt it was important to recap and make sure she really knew it all very thoroughly as well as join in with the rest of the class. She didn't do guided reading other than whole class at a very basic level, number work was just counting for a long time although she was able to do much more than that. In the summer term she got to do a bit more with a few others (slightly larger numbers) and obviously some children had to recap other things they were struggling with (they didn't move them on if they weren't ready) but they didn't actually stretch her if that makes sense. I am not sure if that is standard practice or not. I swung between thinking she should be stretched and thinking it is only reception so it doesn't matter.

I think only you know what is best for your child and should trust your instinct (I am assuming you are debating moving her to a different school)

Reception play and choose their own activities quite a lot, although most learn to read and write a bit, vaguely count, sit and listen in a group by the end of the year. (Crap) PE once a week.

Year 1 has a fixed set of targets to reach by the end of the year and each term brings a whole new set of targets to reach. Times tables, telling the time, weights and measures, number bonds. Literacy charges on with the phonics and starts to include grammar. Vague geography and history comes in. Rules are stricter about sitting still and only going to the toilet at playtime. (Crap) PE twice a week. Noone helps you cut up your dinner or put your coat on .

I was a TA in a reception class for a year, Galena, and Y2, by not Y1. In Reception the whole day was pretty much learning through play, with most of the time DC choosing from laid out activities, puzzles, dressing up etc. DC would work in small ability based groups with the teacher or TA for maybe 3/4 hour at a time in the morning on more formal learning activities, painting a pattern, or a face, counting, 'writing' or sequencing while the others were 'choosing' activities.

Most DC were heard reading 2 or 3 times a week by a TA. Guided reading done was every afternoon, in ability groups while others free played, each group once per week. Phonics sessions were held every day in the morning for 30 mins in ability based groups which might be in mixed year groups, eg lower ability Y1 in with higher ability reception etc.

A lot of the time is spent in classroom organisation, short whole class carpet sessions for learning, for registration, snack and milk time, return from break time, getting coats on, getting ready for home time. Daily (short) assemblies.

Y2 was much more formal. Carpet introductions to maths or literacy, then follow up work at desks in ability groups. No free play at all outside of break times. I guess Y1 must have a bit more play time?

Thank you all. I will chat to the teacher and ask about classroom arrangements.

Periwinkle, would you mind if I PM you?

There was definitely lots of differentiation at the school I worked at. There were 5 ability groups, different groupings for literacy and maths.

I'm a TA in a mixed reception and year one class.

In the morning we start with phonics for about 15 minutes - the year ones go with the teacher or HLTA and reception go with whoever isn't teaching Y1 - I sit on the carpet with YR and support those who need it. After phonics we do 'wake up shake up' which is a simple dance routine to music designed to get them going and ready for maths - we then do a whole class maths session on the carpet for around 10 minutes, then the Y1s go on to do a maths activity until playtime and the YR children choose one of the activities that is out. After playtime we do literacy - each week is based on a different book - there will be an activity based on the story for YR - yesterday it was finding the picture that matches the bit of story read out by a member of staff, the Y1s had to order the pictures and write a sentence about each one.
The afternoons are for science, geography, history etc -I have less experience of this as I only work mornings. They are a bit more free-flow as the Y1s get to choose for some of the afternoon. Within each year group there are differing expectations - one child in year 1 wouldn't be expected to write full sentences, but some would be expected to write more than one sentence etc.

Hi Galena:

I think it depends entirely on the teacher.

Both DDs (now Y4 & Y6) in same single form school & long-serving teachers - but DD1 had a teacher that started Y1 as a continuation of the routine in YR and then gradually 'formalised' the class after Christmas - so gently bridging the difference between YR and Y2.

DD2 found joining Y1 really traumatic because she adored the free play and ability to wander about in YR and found sitting at tables and rarely being allowed to play very hard indeed. Her teachers also worked that class really hard.

So as a parent I ended up with an interesting situation for both DDs - neither of which were ideal.

DD1 in Y1 not progressing, still not adding/ reading, unable to count to 100 (although she could in nursery) but incredibly happy. Lots of playing & singing in class. Lots of art projects.

DD2 in Y1 progressing by leaps and bounds, having actual homework with real live addition/ subtraction problems and by the end of year defintiely able to read & starting chapter books (Rainbow Magic Fairy level) but absolutely miserable (crying before school, often telling me she was ill when she clearly wasn't, very low & unhappy that year).

I'm sure there is a happy medium out there somewhere.

Hi Galena. Sorry don't have much to add but I remember your Dd's reading. I hope you sort something out that meets her abilities. Tough being so far ahead at this age.

yes of course PM me