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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

So ... do Reception children get 'streamed' or not?

90 replies

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 19:24

Dd's reception teacher doesn't speak about why they're in the groups they're in. But the mums say that they're being 'streamed' according to ability.

What do you guys think?

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Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 21:39

I haven't asked the Reception teacher but someone else did and she denied it. I think. I better check my facts hadn't I?

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Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 21:40

Theresa that's how it is in dd's class, one colour group for all activities etc. She's currently in 'red group' and (she says) the teacher said today that she was going to swap all the people in yellow group into red group and vice versa.

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ScaryMonsterStories · 08/10/2007 21:47

But if teh whole of yellow group becomes red group and the whole of red group becomes yellow group nothing has actualy chaged WRT to class streaming because the groups are still fundamentally in the same groups - except they have a new name - red 'label' rather than a yellow 'label.

Thisisascareyplaice · 08/10/2007 21:54

have you got parent's evening coming up any time soon?

Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 22:02

I know, it does seem weird. I should brace myself and just ask the teacher shouldn't I? It's always so busy though and we're banned from asking questions when she's 'on the door'.

I guess there'll be a parent's evening at some point won't there? Are they every term?

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seeker · 08/10/2007 22:12

Just remembered, dd's reception teacherused to change the table "colours" every so often so thatthe more switched on amongst the children didn't connect the colour with high or low ability!

But please everyone remember - this is reception. In lots of countries they wouldn;t even be in proper school yet. They should be playing with sand, not being streamed into ability groups!

I think most schools do proper "streaming" as opposed to "setting " for particular activities in year 3.

Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 22:20

Oh I agree. It seems nutty to be streaming at this age and goodness knows how they do it! I've been slightly loathe to think that the groups are anything to do with ability but it seems from what most people say that they are.

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newgirl · 08/10/2007 22:24

i dont think my dd was streamed in reception although i know for sure that they were moved around so chatty ones were shared around! also the children with extra needs sat on the table nearest the teacher.

are they streamed in year one does anyone know?

aintnomountainhighenough · 08/10/2007 22:31

This thread really caught my eye. My DD has just started reception and when she came home and told me what group she was in and I found out who else was in that group - I was sure they had streamed them. However recently they moved a couple of children around and when a parent asked why they had done this and what was the reasoning behind the groupings the teacher said that she didn't have to justify what they did .

I don't actually agree that it is too early to group the children. Some of the children in my DDs class are still quite babyish whilst others much more self sufficient and clearly have covered more stuff (e.g know phonics/can read). I am going to a parents evening soon and I will be asking how and why they set the groups. Whilst reception is supposed to be learning through play my attitude is that my DD is now at school, she is ready to learn, I want her to be stretched not to muck about etc. Therefore I would prefer it if she were working with children of a similar ability.

If I were you - I would just ask!

Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 22:36

I think I will ask.

I don't think there's either 'being stretched' or 'mucking about' as the two opposites.

I want dd to spend some time advancing her social skills (she's dreadfully reserved and shy) and enjoying her time in Reception. I'd hate it if she had to work hard / be challenged for the whole day. I like to think that she has moments to relax.

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handlemecarefully · 08/10/2007 22:40

Yes I am seriously pissed off peturbed by the use of 'mucking about' as a descriptor for the reception children who are - at this particular point in time not at the same stage as some of the other children

aintnomountainhighenough · 08/10/2007 22:49

OK perhaps 'muck about' is a little harsh however whilst I want her to have fun there are a couple of children in her class who are very very disruptive. They shout, scribble all over the work sheets, don't do the tasks set when they are working in pairs etc. My dd just isn't like this and she doesn't like shouting, she wants to have fun trying to do the task set. I don't think it is unreasonable for me as a parent to prefer her to be teamed with a child who also wants to get on with it.

Handleme you seem to be implying that I believe the children mucking about are not at the same stage as the other children. Actually as we all know this isn't always the case all types of children muck about regardless of what stage they are at.

Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 22:50

I would be a bit disappointed if dd didn't do a bit of 'mucking about' every day. It's all part of education if you ask me!

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Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 22:52

I can see your point aintnomountain, dd finds the very chaotic children a bit difficult too. But I don't think dd gets asked to do things in pairs, does your dd?

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Original poster

imaginaryfriend · 08/10/2007 22:53

Plus, come to think of it, the brightest boy in dd's class is also the most disruptive. Dd tells me he spends half the day in time out. But he reads better than all the other boys and is, if there is such a thing, in the 'top' group.

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handlemecarefully · 08/10/2007 22:55

Ok thanks for the clarification aintnomountain.....I've no problem with that

hotcrossbunny · 08/10/2007 23:00

Hmmm. Could it be these children 'mucking about' are just not ready for formal schooling yet? AFAIK reception is supposed to be following the same stuff as at nursery. Why this need for 'formal schooling' at so young an age?
My dd is 4, quite a mature 4, but still a baby really. There are some teeny tinies in her class who look like startled rabbits, some bolshy over exuberant puppy like children who will settle down as the year progresses, and some advanced readers/mature ready to learn children all mixed up together.
I am so pleased with dds school because she has not noticed much of a difference between school and nursery. I haven't a clue if they are streamed, I'm sure they are, but as long as she is happy and learning at her own rate then I'm not worried. She is getting lots of running around time, phonics, art, numbers, stories, and is learning to read. All in four weeks!
I've no idea if the other children are doing all that - I presume they are - they certainly all skip in happily each morning.

handlemecarefully · 08/10/2007 23:05

I can't see my youngest (ds) being ready for Reception next September. He is a total baby.

Didn't inspire confidence when somebody recently couldn't conceal her surprise that he is 3.5 (obviously appears much younger than that!)

aintnomountainhighenough · 08/10/2007 23:08

Yes imaginaryfriend they do some work in groups and some in pairs. I do agree with others about formal education. My dd is coping very well with school and I was adamant that she was ready. Now she is there I can see that it really is too early and wish they started later. I realise of course that I could have kept her out until 5 however I did feel as a parent under a bit of pressure to get her into school I suppose.

prettybird · 08/10/2007 23:22

There is "setting" in ds's school from P1 (the Scottish equivalent of reception), in that once the teacher has established the relative capabilities there a split into (different) groups for langauge time and number time.

These groups are very flexible - in fact, in P2, ds was moved "down" from the "top" group to the middle group (after 6 weeks extra one-to-one tuition from the depute head, who leads literacy in the school) after consultation with us and in order to maintain his confidence.

Yet for number time, he was moved up to one of the grups in the P2/3 class.

I think setting is a good thing and allows children to work at the best level for them. It does help if you have sufficient resources to allow such small group working.

In P3 we do now have a problem, as having finally "clicked" with reading, he is not being stretched by the middle group, but hasn't covered the work that the top group has been doing.

The groups are given "neutral" names like Apples, Bananas and Pear, or Violins, Flutes and Trupmets - but the kids knwo what they really mean.

handlemecarefully · 08/10/2007 23:27

"The groups are given "neutral" names like Apples, Bananas and Pear, or Violins, Flutes and Trupmets - but the kids knwo what they really mean. "

Oh dear, that's not so great then!

A child in apples (assuming it is the least 'able' group) could then believe that they are not capable of x,y,z and thus - at such a tender age - it could become a self fulfilling prophecy ?

WendyWeber · 08/10/2007 23:33

My kids' school had colour groups in Reception - in the whole of KS1 in fact IIRC - but I think they were mixed up by ability within the groups, in Reception at least (all 4 had the same very wise very experienced R teacher who was a whizz at disguising what was going on )

prettybird · 08/10/2007 23:47

Actually, it might jsut be how well our school handles it, or it might just be that at this age they are not so sensitive to the differences, but ds was genuinely not bothered when he was moved "down" a reading group - he is generally extremely competitive.

Clary · 08/10/2007 23:54

Not at our school. Grouped in tables but just for convenience, no grading of ability involved.

Table groups by ability in Yr 1 here.

dinny is that in FS2? Advanced spelling and reading all the books in the library??

prettybird · 09/10/2007 00:01

...but come to think of it, P1 is closer to Y1 in terms of educationa ethos - kids are 6 to 18 months older than English kids, 'cos the different cut-off dates, combined with the fact that in Scotland yuo are genuinely* allowed to keep a child back for a year, with them simply starting P1 a year later.

So in Scotland, P1 is the start of formal schooling and like Y1, is not so play based.

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