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

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

Primary education

Are 2 terms in Reception enough?

16 replies

indiemummy · 04/03/2008 10:04

Just found out that ds (July birthday), who started reception in Jan 08, will be moving up to Year 1 in Sept 08. I assumed he would get a full year in Reception and now I feel he is missing out. He won't get the long autumn term in reception.

Do you think this is fine? There is not much I can do about it I don't think. But reception is more about play, and I think Y1 is more academic. Seems a bit unfair.

I have to go out in a minute but will be back again later, I would love to know what MNers think...

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meemar · 04/03/2008 10:08

My DS1 is August born and also started in Jan. I think it's fine. The alternative would have been him starting school last september and many feel this is a bit young for a summer baby.

Did he have the Autumn term in pre-school?

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peanutbear · 04/03/2008 10:08

my Ds is an August baby they dont do christmas intakes where we live so he strted in the September 2 weeks after his 4th birthday

He will be fine if all his friends are moving to yr 1 he wont want to be left behind but I understand your feelings on it I have an october baby too and he will be so much more prepared for school etc

p.s I expect I will be shouted at for this but Yr1 didnt seem that different to me than reeption

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ROSEgarden · 04/03/2008 10:09

id be the same as you i think, but at a recent training session on EYFS(early years foundation study) which all childcarers and schools have to comply to, they are ensuring all children are less pressurised at this age and even in year one and two, have a very similar environment to that in nursery/reception(ie: play area/activities etc and not just work books and hard graft)

so will he be 6 when he goes up then?

if theyre anything like my dd's school they will already work out who is youngest or who may need a bit more help(because of their age or ability) and will offer more help to these children..hope so anyway

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ZoeC · 04/03/2008 10:10

I have always thought reception years are like that with staggered intake. They have switched to one intake here, so they all get the full year. The downside of which is that some are only just barely 4 when they start full-time school. Previously, the ones who started later would have a shorter time in Reception.

Realistically, they couldn't keep the years split forever - it would mean he would go up to year 1 in January 2009 whereas some of the class would have gone up in September 2008 - I would imagine he would rather stay with the friends he has in his class and go up with them. The school should be used to differing ages and have ways of dealing with this so you could maybe ask about this and see if that reassures you.

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sillyquestion · 04/03/2008 10:10

I wish they had done a Christmas intake at our school .. I think it's a bonus! Had a very difficult September start with an August boy who wasn't ready. Good luck.

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Mercy · 04/03/2008 10:12

Most of the first term of Yr1 is similar to Reception as peanutbear says (or is in dd's school anyway)

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VanillaPumpkin · 04/03/2008 10:14

This is completely normal. The teachers will be used to it. My dd is the same. I was glad we had two intakes here as the idea of her having started in the Sep was awful. It was bad enough in Jan.
How is he getting on? Has he settled well or is he struggling a little?
I do feel we are lucky as dd is enjoying the academic bits they do and the shockingly large amounts of worksheets that come home. I know there are others who don't though but I have faith in our teachers...
I do think a lot depends on the teacher. DD1 is now happy and ready for school even though she seems far too small to me to even be there.....

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theITgirl · 04/03/2008 10:24

We have this as well. Both my children are spring/summerbabies so started in January.

DS now in year 2. Has struggled with his school work and is probably looking at a 2c maybe 2b at his SATS for the end of year (so just below average). I feel that longer in Reception would have helped with his phonics as he tends to read and recognise whole words rather than work them out. However his concentration has also been poor, so may not have made any difference. Even worse, he could have been put off school altogether.

DD has just started Nursery (& is ahead of DS at the same age). I think she will cope whatever happens.

TBH, I would have preferred only 2 terms in Nursery & the full year in Reception.

But I wouldn't worry as year 1 was a lot of playing and it is only in year 2 that it is actually like work.

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angelstar · 04/03/2008 14:57

I'm sure it will be ok. My dd has a may birthday and she only had one term in reception. It was a short term too as Easter was late. At the time I thought it was a little unfair but she has done ok.

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indiemummy · 04/03/2008 15:58

Thank you for the responses. Ds is getting on fine. I think he would have been ready to start reception in Sept when he was just 4 (and like theITgirl I would have preferred that), but he stayed in the nursery attached to the school.

I am sure he will get on fine in Y1. He will have just turned 5. He is bright and friendly and sort of seems to enjoy school. (Actually there are a million other issues with the school which are making me worry generally, but they are for another thread!!)

They keep some children back in reception for the autumn term, the ones they think are not ready, but they want ds to move up as they think he is ready. So not all his friends will be moving up with him. (This may not be a bad thing!)

I am reassured that Y1 is still all about play. OK feel better now.

Thanks again!

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VanillaPumpkin · 04/03/2008 16:47

My friends dd started reception in Sep last year and in Jan was moved to year 1 . Her dd and mine are three months apart and I cannot imagine that for my dd even though she is really quite able. That would make me sad. I don't know if she will stay in year one for next year too or what??? It was because of their numbers. Both local schools full to bursting. To be fair she is coping just fine.

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mrz · 04/03/2008 21:04

Year 1 classes are encouraged to work more like reception during the autumn term (not all do) ask the school about their transition policy.
www.nfer.ac.uk/research-areas/pims-data/summaries/a-study-of-the-transition-from-the-foundation-stag e-to-key-stage-1.cfm

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leosdad · 05/03/2008 14:54

Not long ago (my DS1 for example) the summer born children would only get one term as they started at easter. Easter was v late that year so he started last week of april so basically got about ten weeks of reception.

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leosdad · 05/03/2008 14:56

ps I don't think it caused a great problem, although on the plus side he realised that school was for reading and writing etc while those who had been in reception for the whole year missed the sand and water play etc

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DiscoDizzy · 05/03/2008 14:57

In our school us as parents have been forewarned that the reception children will find it VERY different when they go into year 1. Work work work.

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VirginiaWoolf · 05/03/2008 20:36

leosdad - that system (summer borns start at Easter) is still in place in some parts of the country - where we live, for example!

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