What are they expected to know for reception?

[PumpkinPie2016]

I have a 4 year old boy who will be 5 in late Nov. He is currently at preschool and starts school in September.

I am just wondering what they are expected to know/do by the time they start school? He is my only child so I have nothing to go off.

So far he can recognise and spell his own name. Knows all his letter sounds and the alphabet. Can recognise letters in different contexts e.g. on street signs and lives playing eye spy - he's pretty accurate with it.

He can spell some simple words e.g. dog, car.

He can write most letters although some are a bit deformed. He can hold a pencil but sometimes has to be reminded to hold it properly.

He can count.

Can dress himself - mostly - sometimes struggles with zips/socks.

Can use the toilet and feed himself.

Enjoys playing with others.

He is a very active little boy and loves being outside and swimming. He also loved playing pretend games. He enjoys stories too.

Is there anything else? His first nursery wasn't great so I moved him after Christmas and his current place is really good.

Just stressing about him starting school

Pumpkin, you have nothing to worry about. He is more than school ready. My 3rd son is currently in reception and the expectation is that they are toilet-trained, can make a decent stab at putting on coats and shoes, and can sit down and listen when they start. There was a huge range of basic reading/writing/counting at the start but what you describe is much more than what’s expected. He’ll be fine. Don’t fret!

Don’t panic! He’ll be fine.

I was going to say the same - the most important things are that he can dress himself, go to the toilet and feed himself. Recognising and writing his name is helpful, as is being able to take turns and share. Everything else is a bonus! He sounds more than ready.

My 3year old DD is 4 next month and starts school in September. She can nearly count to 20, write the first letter of her name and has just started recognising other letters and numbers. I wouldn't panic, school is designed to teach them.

He’ll be fine! My DD is starting in September and she knows quite a few of the letters and numbers but isn’t particularly interested in sitting down learning. Let them enjoy being little and learning about the world.

My son started school unable to read (he did know his letters) and within a term was one of the top readers in the class, which makes me much more relaxed this time!

Don't worry. Your dc will be fine for starting school. We've had kids (no SEN) start school not knowing any colours or the numbers past 2 (yet one of them could tell me the plot line of the Hills Have Eyes 🤔). Your dc will be fine and is certainly ready to start school.

Thank you so much for all of your reassurances his pre school.send home a letter to practise each week and although I do try, he is often too tired or just not interested lol he seems to get on ok doing it there with them so hopefully that bodes well.

He is ok with listening to instructions - he has swimming lessons and seems to be able to follow what the teacher says and he is doing well with it.

I think the main reason I am stressing is because his first (private) nursery moved him up to preschool when he as still 2 and then complained that he couldn't sit and listen for 20 mins/ wouldn't join in phonics they really made me feel like there was something wrong with him which is why I moved him to a new preschool. They have been great and although they do activities which require listening/practice phonics etc they do short bursts and he seems more ready now.

It helps if they can:

1. Know their name (and surname). Being able to recognise it in written form helps them identify their own peg and items with their name tape on.
2. Use the toilet and wash hands independently
3. Put a coat on by themselves and zip or button it up
4. Get changed into PE kit and back into uniform.
5. Understand that hitting and kicking are unkind and that sharing and taking turns are Good Things.
6. Be able to follow simple two-step instructions like “sit down, fingers on lips”. “Stand up, line up by the door”, “red table go to the reading corner, yellow table come to the carpet”.

He can do more than my DS, who is 4, 5 in July and has been in reception since Sept!

You should be getting an informal school evening and they usually state what they expect prior to coming to school

I don't see anything you need worry about!

there's no pre requirements in DS's reception, so he started like a blank piece of paper, knew nothing about number or letter. School did a fantastic job in teaching, by end of reception, his reading level was at ort level 8.

So I don't think any parents should worry about that. Just leave that to the school, they are more experienced in getting the little ones started.

@Korg number 6... Would they actually say it like that, quote for quote?

They wouldn’t say all three at once, but teachers will often give children this age 2-step instructions. Most of them would include the word “please”!

He sounds fine OP! My DD is starting in September as well, and she can do most of the things your DS can (especially the letters - I'm so sick of I Spy!).

The fact that your DS can dress himself is great - my DD struggles massively with this so we're going to spend the Summer practising it, especially PE kit on and off!

I bloody love watching Reception come out of school on a PE day - "fallen through a jumble sale" is about right, and it's just beautiful. Each parent says "did you have PE today?" and each child is astonished by their powers of deduction, but jumpers are back to front or inside out (or both) and polo shirts inside out and skirts on at 90° and shorts back to front and so on and ooh I just love it.

Awww this is making me all nostalgic for the days when DS (now 7) used to come trotting out in year R with his trousers and jumper on back to front

Even children with brilliant coordination seem incapable of spotting a school badge on the front of a jumper, or the zip on bottoms. I love it though because they've tried and they've done it themselves and it's a step along the road.

Like drawing people with five fingers all sticking out. LOVE that stage.

He'll be fine.
I had a similar panic with my august born who went into reception having just turned 4 last year.
I was told that they wanted them potty trained and able to take coats on and off! And broadly able to dress/undress for pe.

My son could read and write his name and some letters but that was it.
He has made massive progress with reading and writing since starting.

My DD is May born and can't do most of that. We're working on it.

She can actually dress and undress herself (though she has a tantrum if things go on backwards - but I suspect only if I'm there to have a tantrum in front of). But they wear their PE kit all day on PE day so that doesn't help!

We're going to be keeping her home one day a week next term we think, in order to work on her 2-step instructions.
And we are already talking to the SENCO about her toileting but we do have another appointment with the continence nurse. She can wipe after a wee, when she can be bothered, and wash her hands, ditto. Again I suspect the "not bothering" is mainly for me.

She can recognise her name IF it's on her nursery tray so I think once she sees it on her peg she'll grasp that.

She can recognise a few letters but not all of them, and she can't really form any letters.

She can count to 10 but she can't reliably count objects that high (for some reason she likes to put in an extra number after she's pointed to all of them!)

She can put her coat on but not zip it up, but she can do buttons most of the time.

And she rarely hits or kicks unless it's her brother and he's just looked at her funny.

She can recognise her name IF it's on her nursery tray so I think once she sees it on her peg she'll grasp that.

Ours also have a picture on, and they don't move them around, so she'll know it's near the door (say) and has a cat on it, so that narrows it down a lot.

Yes I think ours do too!

At nursery she can actually recognise it on the tray even if the tray isn't in the rack so I suspect she's going by initial letter and length - which is better than nothing!

We can actually start working on zips now and we're using Teach your Monster to Read except that it has moved on to blending and she isn't firm at all on the letters taught so far plus isn't ready for blending. So we may switch to another app.