Repeating reception

[Wobblypig]

Dd is really struggling in reception. She is only just managing easier yellow band ort books , she is scoring really poorly in her spelling tests and the teacher is always pointing out the things she can't do. Yesterday it was that she can't distinguish between a cube and a cuboid.
She is only 4 , 5 next week, our whole after school time is spent doing spellings, reading and other work set by the school. She is in 2 SEN classes at school. It is really worrying me that we are spending so much time and getting so little improvement. I really think she just isn't ready for this and will struggle even more in yr 1.
I would really like to hold her back to improve her confidence. It is an independent school, so theoretically it is possible.

Any advice, anyone done similar? Did it turn out well?

[youbethemummylion]

I apologise for not havin read the whole thread but I have read enough to be worried that this school is damaging for your DD. I would move schools before they can do more damage. If this is the pressure piled on in Reception what on earth to they do higher up the school!

[TheHappyCamper]

Someone post this link for me before - gives you a really clear idea that she is NOT behind at all! (Book bands chart)

book bands

[lougle]

Honestly, I've just double-checked DD3's reading diary/books - she's on stage 1+ (which I think is still 'pink' book band) and she's doing absolutely fine. She's making progress - she's got the ability to sound out and blend but isn't confident enough to 'have a go' straightaway, so tends to guess from the picture. Once she's got the confidence in her blending, she'll rocket.

Your DD is doing more than fine -she's really not 'behind'.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

As far as I was aware yellow band is considered above average for reading in Reception, red band is the average.

I think the school has set their expectations far too high, some children are barely reading or writing at this age.

My dd (5 this month too) has studied 2d and 3d shapes in her Reception class this year with very basic descriptions of 3d shapes, she has done doubling but not halving.

We don't have spellings, but have high frequency words to learn plus reading every day then a homework task at the weekend. I sometimes don't complete it all with her if I feel it is an excessive amount of written work, you can learn the same thing in other ways e.g. reading and number work whilst shopping.

[LawnOrnament]

If she's on yellow band books she already is reading, at a level which is appropriate for her age.

I really can't see why kids on yellow band books, particularly the summer born ones, are thought to be in need of remedial help in reception. Yellow band books at this stage in my DD's school (very MC intake) is seen as good.

Her teacher and the school have done an awful thing by making both of you feel that your daughter's development and progress this year isn't good enough.

[LIZS]

The problem is that at her age they insist on her entering kindergarten which would have been great a year ago but now she has started formal learning would be a bit of retrograde step and might frustrate her a little. She really wants to be able to read and tells me that now she has turned five she thinks things will be easier for her. Hope she is right. Sorry but the Steiner philosophy means she could have a very long wait for anything formal or structured, whenever she were to transfer. If 5 "need" SEN lessons how many are in the class/year? Our LA don't provide any EP assessment etc for those in private schools and we got charged extra for learning support.

[FinDeSemaine]

She really wants to be able to read

She CAN read. At least, she can read at least as well as a really hefty percentage of her similarly aged peers.

And your child doesn't need remedial lessons. She sounds absolutely average and absolutely fine. Being average isn't something that needs to be remedied!

[mrz]

The council services told us when we approached them that they charge the schools whether state or private. which private schools will pass on to parents.

She really wants to be able to read and tells me that now she has turned five she thinks things will be easier for her. Hope she is right.

Steiner generally begin reading instruction around the age of 7

I am not sure if SEN is just extra help, in the 70s when I went to school it would have been remedial lessons. and why does your child need "remedial lessons"?

[Wobblypig]

The council services told us when we approached them that they charge the schools whether state or private . If we chose to go outside the school then we would pay.

We are aware of Steiner but this is a diluted form and to be honest I think dd would love it. We have visited three times, last visit with dd. The problem is that at her age they insist on her entering kindergarten which would have been great a year ago but now she has started formal learning would be a bit of retrograde step and might frustrate her a little. She really wants to be able to read and tells me that now she has turned five she thinks things will be easier for her. Hope she is right.

I am not sure if SEN is just extra help, in the 70s when I went to school it would have been remedial lessons. There are 5 children in the year group in a SEN class not sure if any others are in both classes though.

[FinDeSemaine]

I still don't get why they think she has SEN. They don't actually mean SEN, do they, though - they mean average. Why should your daughter be penalised (and she will be well aware that repeating a year isn't good) for being average?

[mrz]

Yes, the school are trying to help her hence the 2 SEN classes which were started within 4 weeks of her starting in reception. inappropriate help is as bad as no help at all.

We asked the school to refer to educational psychologist given their concerns , class teacher was keen, SEN teacher was not, not sure why, possibly cost.
As the school is private there would be no cost to the school ... you would have to foot the bill.

With regard to the Steiner- have you actually looked at the Steiner philosophy?

[LIZS]

tbh she doesn't sound like she has SEN and even if they do refer for assessment you do realise you would be footing the bill don't you. Given that she sounds within the typical ability range for her age it may reveal nothing other than incompatibility in style and overhasty judgement of the teacher .

[Wobblypig]

So much to respond to, well, I suppose the point of repeating reception is that SHE would be different, having acquired some skills this year but not apparently as much as the other children. I think we would ask for the other reception teacher so not the sourpuss she has now.

Yes, the school are trying to help her hence the 2 SEN classes which were started within 4 weeks of her starting in reception.

We asked the school to refer to educational psychologist given their concerns , class teacher was keen, SEN teacher was not, not sure why, possibly cost.

It is not, at any point, a selective school.


With regard to the Steiner- influenced school, we were very impressed. The only thing we would struggle with is no iPads or DVDs as Ds loves music and dancing, and loves watching ballet or cats the musical or some such thing on youtube.

[sezamcgregor]

I don't think that keeping her back a year will do any good for her in the long run. She's a summer baby and so it's okay for her to be "behind" her peers.

It also sounds like school are supporting her.

My son was useless in reception - hardly learned anything at all. No reading, phonics were a waste of time. A year on - he's thriving! He's reading confidently and it's lovely to see him blossom like this.

You may also find that a lot clicks into place over summer holidays when some time off school lets everything sink in.

[rickinghorse]

nudge out

[rickinghorse]

Is it a selective school? (Or selective higher up). Because if so they might be trying to nudge any child they think might bring down their results.

[rickinghorse]

Also, to add: I used to read with children at a primary school. I read with the same class for three years. The children were were 'behind' at 4 were often the ones up there at the top at 7. The child who was streets ahead at four eventually levelled out and was overtaken by others, those whose interest in books grew later. Young children develop at different rates and the youngest in the class - at the age of four - are often significantly developmentally behind the older ones. It is WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY too early to conclude anything about your daughter's ability age four in Reception (unless her ability lay outside the norm, which it doesn't). This is common sense and I am appalled that your daughter's school can't recognise this. It is not good practice.

Perhaps you could , if you are concerned, take her to an educational psychologist so you could hear the second opinion of someone you might respect? If the EP does think there is a problem you will be in a good position to seek their advice to work out what to do next. But if the EP doesn't think there is a problem, and says so, it will be interesting to see how the school then reacts.

I really, really feel for your daughter. School should be fun at four. This places sound horrid.

[teacherwith2kids]

The point is that, while many schools will set daily reading books, spelling, formalish maths activities etc for some of their reception children it isn't necessarily an expectation for ALL of those children, certainly not if it requires all after school hours to complete it.

DS in Recetion borrowed books from KS2, had weekly spellings with Y2 (but had his sheet phtocopied up VAST as he found writing small very hard) and did his own thing in Maths (mainly working with negative numbers and times tables, as he was obsessed with patterns). However, the school was equaklkly happy with the progress of the child who did a lot of a lot of social play, some mark making and was really working hard at their phonics.

It is the 'making your DD feel likle a failure despite her attainment beibng wwll within the normal range for Reception' that is where the school is failing.

[AmberTheCat]

Wobblypig, you say that responses on here have reassured you that your dd's school isn't unusual. While I agree that some posters have said their Reception children are doing similar work, I don't think anyone has said that their teachers have a similar attitude to your dd's. That, I think, is the aspect that many of us have said we would be worried about, rather than the details of what your dd is being asked to do. Do you really want her to spend another year being made to feel stupid?

[LawnOrnament]

I've got a daughter the same age as yours. She's just turned 5 and is also reading yellow band books. The contrast is that her school is very pleased with her progress. She enjoys school and is having fun learning new things.

We do some light reading practice after school 4-5 times a week and then the other learning outside of school is play based or directed by her.

The problem is the school and the teacher not your daughter. Please don't make her repeat reception.

[rickinghorse]

please don't make her repeat reception.
The school sounds really grim.
The school is making her feel a failure at four. It is criminal.

Or if she will repeat reception
What will the school do differently?
Will she have a different teacher?
Have the school admitted that the problem might partly be theirs?
How are they going to address it?

Also, if your daughter is going to end up in a steiner school at six or seven I REALLY wouldn't worry about her being behind... just let her do whatever she wants till she gets there.
My friend's child just transferred out of a steiner into our school because the daughter was tired of doing CVC words at 7. She can't read or write yet, despite being bright, simply because the class are still dancing out the alphabet (a letter a week).

[Brabra]

I would change schools, it sounds pretty horrible.

[mummytime]

The basic problem with repeating a year is: that if a child didn't learn from that approach the first time, just to repeat it is like "Shouting at a deaf person".

When I help my children with something they struggle with, I try a different approach - not just repeat the same old one (maybe louder and louder in the hope they finally get it).

[Guitargirl]

There isn't - or at least there shouldn't be - any such thing as 'bottom of the class' in Reception, I don't know what the teacher was thinking of, to be honest. These are 4 and 5 year olds. And it sounds as though you are going along with it all. Stop spending every day after school doing reading and spelling and let your little girl play. If you want to improve her confidence then holding her back a year - at the age of 5 ffs(!) - is not the way to go about it.