How common is it for children to repeat reception?

[givemedirections]

As it says on the title really. Child in question has severe autism and apparently they can’t meet his needs in Year 1 - but he can’t stay in reception forever? So what eventually happens?

I don’t know what would eventually happen. But I would encourage you to listen to what the school are advising. They know how your child is at school, what he needs in terms of learning and coping in school, and if they think they can help him best by having him in reception for another year then I would take this.
Talk to the school about how best to help him with encouragement at home …. Listening to stories? Sitting down when requested? Asking for what he needs? Putting on or taking off his own coat? Taking turns? playing with blocks or toys which help understanding of basic numbers?
Also next year talk to the school about applying for the help /support your child needs going forward and going through the processes so the school can secure funding.

What’s concerning is that they aren’t being truthful with the Lea - they have told them he’s going into Y1 but this isn’t true. I can’t understand why they’d tell a downright lie if it’s genuinely in his best interests they could surely justify this and we don’t feel at all comfortable with it. He already has an EHCP so funding should be secured.

When was the EHCP last reviewed? What support is in the EHCP are the minute? Do you think DS can have his needs met in the Y1 classroom? What makes the school think the Y1 class isn’t suitable?

Have you followed up verbal conversations with emails so you have a paper trail as evidence? Useful when people are telling different things to different people.

Could the school be claiming DS is in Y1, but they will educate him alongside the reception class? Rather than him being classed as in reception?

I think it was last reviewed fairly recently (it is a nephew sorry so some details might be missed.)

Generally they are saying that he won’t cope in y1 but given he has a lifelong condition they have to make some adaptations and adjustments eventually. It’s a worry.

Is this a mainstream school?

If he has an EHCP then they need to be telling the local authority that they can’t meet his needs, if that truly is the case. It’s up to the local authority to secure the provision in the EHCP. However when schools usually do and say that they think it’s best to keep them down a year it’s usually because they’re not receiving appropriate advice about how to meet needs in the class they should be in. The evidence shows that keeping children out of year group doesn’t lead to better progress, and as you say, he may need that play-based provision for a really long time, they can’t just keep him in Reception forever.

I do know one little boy with autism who was officially in the correct year throughout infant school but actually spent his days in the Reception classroom. I think mum was fine with it as he couldn't have coped with the more formal Year 1 and 2 setups. He got a place in an SEN school for starting Year 3.

Also, some children do benefit from an extra year in a play based class and then are more ready the next year. If he's not ready after another year I imagine an SEN school might be considered by the school.

The support, adaptations and adjustments required should be in the EHCP. If they aren’t, DN’s parents need to appeal. If the AR was held recently, they will either have the right of appeal now or will do shortly.

DN’s parents need to ask why exactly the school feels they are unable to meet DN’s needs in Y1. And if the annual review was recently held, why this wasn’t discussed then.

Do DN’s parents wish for DN to remain in mainstream or have they thought about a special school?

This was my DS, he was way behind his peers developmentally from the start and we got him a place in a SEN school in year 3 after a real battle with his mainstream school and many, many exclusions. I wish I'd got him moved earlier. He has just left that SEN school in year 11 and is going to mainstream college in September. The SEN school was the making of him but placed are hard won. If you'd have told me back in year 3 that he would be ok and would "catch up" I'd have laughed in your face.

It can be very isolating being a child with very high needs due to ASD being placed in a class where their peers are working in a completely different way,
We have some children like this, tried to meet their needs in Y1 with no success so they went back into EYFS and thrived! The LA know mainstream can’t meet their needs but are stalling on special school placement as they’re all full.
A child’s needs are not necessarily linked to their chronological age, this sounds like the case here.

Children don't repeat years anymore. They will move through each yerlt groups but just will struggle.

Not necessarily the case. It's the headteacher's decision whether a child can move cohorts to repeat a year. It does happen sometimes, usually in situations where there is SEN.

I wish people wouldn't state things as facts on these boards when they are not facts...

It may be that the child needs a more gradual transition to Y1. It could be that the intention is for them to rejoin their original class, but when they are ready to, which could be at any point during the year.

@LegoHouse274 Absolutely - well said!

I should have said, I work in a school in reception year. I'm placed in a class with a boy with severe autism, and a girl who is non verbal and can't sit still, read or write. Both have not met the standards needed for year 1, but they are going to year 1. The school will have someone for each class as its common these days to have children with special needs. Your child will never pass the standard to each level but they will accomplish their own little things set for them.

We have a child moving into year 2 but she needs the provision found in an EYFS set up, she needs access to free play, continuous access to outdoor space, continuous provision, fine and gross motor skill provision, very short teacher directed activities. So she will spend the majority of the day in the EYFS classroom because it is impossible to provide all this in the year 2 classroom. ( whether year 2 should be as "formal" as it is at this age is for another debate!) We cannot meet her needs in the year 2 class but we are continually told there are no year 2 places in specialist provision and parental preference is mainstream so she remains with us, ( she is still in nappies, has delayed verbal skills, reduced mobility etc ) because where else would she go? So yes, technically she will be in Year 2 in September, but actually she will repeat EYFS. And probably will continue to do so until someone decides otherwise.

My friends daughter repeated year R and then did year 1 with the second year R cohort before moving to a SEN school with was her parents choice entirely, not one the school pushed her to.

She has global delay/cerebral palsy/epilepsy to name but a few. They wanted to give mainstream a really good go but ultimately decided it was in their daughters best interests to move as the gap between her and other children was widening - she is thriving in her current school!

I wouldn't automatically assume they're lying to the LA as such. It's likely that he'll remain on role in Year 1, but be spending his days in Reception where they can better meet his needs.

When you say severe autism, are we talking non-verbal? Violent? Incontinent? Obviously autism is a massive spectrum but when you use the word severe I'm guessing there are factors in place here which mean the school genuinely can't meet his needs in a Year 1 classroom, especially if they're quite formal without continuous provision.

Is he waiting on a place at a special school? Obviously these places are currently highly sought after as there are no where enough to meet demand but if he's on waiting lists and it's looking likely he'll gain a place by Year 2 this might feel like the best solution to tide him over until special provision becomes available.

The lack of specialist provision for SEN children is a nationalal disgrace. I hope the new government make this a priority within education as so many children and families are currently being let down and it's not necessary the fault of mainstream schools, they genuinely can't meet certain needs.

I know a child who did this throughout the whole of primary school. Spent 1-2 hours in the actual class then back into reception. He was quite physically small for his age too though. He had multiple health conditions and a 1-1. At the end of primary school, he went to a SEN school. It was a very small village primary school, the kids all knew him and looked out for him.

Being educated outside of a child’s chronological year group can be included in the EHCP even if the HT doesn’t agree. This can include where a child will repeat a year and then move up alongside the out of chronological year group.

In my son’s year there was a child with a lot of delays who was technically the year above, and moved into his. She moved into a SEN school for year 3.

In my daughter’s year there is a child who was the year above. He joined them for year 1, when he should have been in year 2, and for year 2 he officially became part of their year group. They have just finished year 3, and while his parents are trying to secure him a place in a sen school they aren’t having any luck, so he’s sticking with my daughters year for now.

so yes, children do repeat years. And yes, they can still swap year groups. And it’s happened in both my children’s year groups, so can’t be that unusual!

Well - they are lying because they are saying he’s in year 1 and they are keeping him in reception. It’s that which doesn’t sit comfortably because it suggests they don’t want to make the adaptations in year 1 for him. If they genuinely felt it was in his best interests (and it well might be) they’d be honest about it, surely?

@BrumToTheRescue eventually I think a special school will be the only option. I am not sure why it isn’t happening yet to be totally upfront with you. I’m just a bit concerned the school aren’t being truthful and upfront about things.

Commenters have stated that he can be on the roll as year one, but spend all his time in reception.

There is no lying or denying of support going on. The support they are offering is to keep him in reception.

Well - they are lying because they are saying he’s in year 1 and they are keeping him in reception.

As I and others have explained, this could be DN officially being in Y1 but spending the day in reception/being educated alongside the reception class, so it isn’t necessary a lie.

Do DN’s parents want a special school? Not all do.

Yes, in rare cases they do. Just because it hasn't happened at a school you've worked at, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.