What are you doing with your Reception/ going into Y1 child over the summer?

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Normally our school will set some activities over the summer but haven’t this year. What are other parents doing learning wise with their children who have just finished Reception? I’m trying to do some reading each day with them but wondering if that is enough.

@MGMidget we didn't get a formal report but we got a letter from the teachers written to our child. They said his attitude to reading was phenomenal and that he had made excellent progress. Having said that he absolutely doesn't read independently and I do have to bribe him a bit! He's ok when he does read - on the Oxford Reading tree he is on level 6 or orange band. I don't know any children of 5 in real life that sit down and read to themselves for 45 mins so I wouldn't worry!

MGMidget my dd is Summer born and just going into year 1. We didn't get an end of year report but had just had a parents evening in March a couple of weeks before lock down,there we were told that she is exactly where she should be in some areas an d exceeding in most. She is nowhere near independent reading, if by that you mean sitting with a book without any help and being ok to read it. She can usually read the phonics sounds and tricky words she's been taught but can struggle with unfamiliar words, even quite short ones(she can do all cvc words though). She seems to lack confidence and will often say 'I can't do it' immediately when faced with some sentences to read, even if she can. She can write very neatly and clearly but only very infrequently writes her own ideas and words down (compared to my ds who will write lots and nd lots of very imaginative things but very messily). Dds teacher showed me some of her work and she had drawn a picture of a plant and written 'My plant gros in the sun. It has leevs.' Her teacher was happy with that. She can add two small numbers together, so could do 3 + 4 but could not do 13 + 4, she can half six but not 12.

Oh, thanks! Mine may be similar on maths but probably not as good as yours on reading or writing, altough writing was coming along before the summer hols. So I probably still do need to work at it (sadly busy working) but maybe she's not as behind as I thought!

Summer born child going into year 1. We've done nothing structured at all.

He's read some school reading books occasionally, but we read together every night. Bit of painting, LOTS of eye spy, LOTS of random sums (spoken, not written) he's very keen on letters and numbers.

We have been trying to experience things we missed during lockdown, so are swimming weekly, beach, woods, learning to ride his bike, nature trail/hunt etc.

Yes, sorry MGMidget, I slightly regret starting this thread now. I’m not sure what I was expecting to be honest in terms of replies. My 5 year old definitely doesn’t read independently for 45 minutes...

Had the people who didn't get a report already had one in the year? It's a legal requirement for the school to provide one, and COVID regulations didn't change it - obviously it could only be provided for the time they had the kids.

And oilyvoir had the best advice, you don't need academic work, things which build knowledge is best, the technical skills will come, independent reading at the end of reception is certainly far exceeding the expected level.

Ok, thank you for that sirfred.

I forgot to say in reply to the questions about reports, we had two for the academic year- one brief one to replace the cancelled parents’ evening in the spring and one at the end of the year which was much more detailed.

Slightly dreading Y1 and the challenges it is going to bring with “catching up” whilst also re-settling the children.

I have a spring boy. He had a total break for 4 weeks and is now doing a bit of phonics each day. Level wise he is a mixed picture (they rarely fit neatly in my experience as a teacher!). Some of the harder diagraphs haven’t stuck (the usual suspects air, er) from phase 3 but phase 4 is solid, so he will leap from phase 3 to phase 5 at some point. Certainly not reading independently and zero interest in writing without being prompted. I encourage lots of map making, drawing, colouring etc to build the prerequisite skills. All fairly normal in my experience (taught reception and yr 1 for many years). Only posting so that the self selecting examples above don’t scare unsuspecting parents