How different is yr1 to reception

[holelottachange]

Dd starts yr1 on Wednesday and I just wondering how different it will be for her than reception class. The only thing she has told me is there is less toys. I know it will be more about learning this year but will they still mix in a bit of playing like they did in reception or will it be more serious sitting at the table to learn?

From my experience it's a bit of a step up to more like a classroom style environment but still a long way off junior classrooms which are much more like I remember. They will be doing a lot more learning so expect a bit of tiredness but a good teacher should still fit in a lot of making it fun.

It depends on the school a bit. My childrens' school builds up quite gradually so at the starts there is still a lot of toys and play all day but by the end they are sitting at desks.
Where I work they are straight away more formal in the morning and play in the afternoon but that reduces as the year goes on to.

I do remember my DS year 1 teacher say she thought it was the hardest transition in primary...My DS is going up to year 6 and so far would agree.

There is a lot more sitting down so if they can walk to school do get them to.

Each term they reduced the amount of play and upped the work . They had a lot less free time play but ease them in slow .

My children had no play in Y1. Fantastic curriculum and they learnt so much, very quickly. Didn't play much in YR either. Again, they were ready to learn in a more formal way, and they did. Depends on the school no doubt but playing in Y1 just didn't happen. However they loved school so it worked for them.

DD has just finished Yr1.

There was still a little bit of play but nowhere near as much as in Reception. The Yr1 class had a role-play area and another one set up with toys based on their topic, but they were only allowed to use it when the teacher told them that it was their turn.

There was more sitting at the table but they also still did a lot of fun stuff. The teacher was very good at easing them all into the transition between Reception and Yr1, so it wasn't really a shock for anyone.

DD has just gone into Y2. Y1 was definitely much more about sitting at desks. DD was ready for this and it was fine, but some parents said their children struggled a bit in the first term.

One thing the school did which seems like a good idea is send a small number of children into Reception in the afternoons, for a bit of 'play', which some of them still needed.

I'm a Y1 teacher and it really does depend on the school and the needs of the children. Did you not meet your child's new teacher or ask to visit Y1 when you found out which class teacher she had been allocated? Doing this means you don't have the questions or anxieties that come with the 'fear of the unknown'.

My friend is Y1 and her class don't have any continuous provision (free flow play in areas with activities planned) in the morning but do in an afternoon. Her school's intake is world's apart from mine though!

My classroom has some of the continuous provision that the Reception classes provide. Outdoor play is missing as they get a formal morning breaktime. It allows for a smooth transition from play-based learning to a more formal learning environment. That transition can take half a term to implement to the whole year - it depends on the cohort. My school is in an area of high deprivation but surrounded by private housing (which confuses people as being 'leafy') so our cohort differs widely in terms of academic ability, needs, welfare etc.

Last year's Y1 class were more able and independent than the previous year. Less SEN, less S&L issues and play-based learning ended at the end of the Autumn term. The class previous to this were the complete opposite! We had to continue play-based learning until the Spring half term (end of May) as there were so many SEN and severe and complex behavioural challenges.

You will know best for your school if you make an appointment to see the class teacher and have a chat.

Gosh I think this is so sad. They are still so little and could still learn loads through playing.
When I was training there was a big push on making ks1 more like eyfs with continuous provision, role play areas etc. I guess things have changed back again.

School dependant but i always see Yr1 as them actually starting school. Still lots of play but the start of more formal learning. Both of mine were ready for it. Outstanding but non pushy creative eclective city school

Bubbles is that state or private?
Ours is creative and vibrant and still play in yr 1 abeit less.

DD2 has just gone up to yr1. We meet the teacher tomorrow but I notice over the holidays they’ve built a fabulous outdoor play area for yr1 that’s a smaller version of the one they have for reception so I’m glad it doesn’t sound like they’re tied to the desks just yet. Time will tell though. I can’t remember what it was like for dd1 and she’s not that much older