Any other new Year 3s struggling?

[mynameiscalypso]

DS has just gone into Year 3 and seems to be struggling more with the transition than any other year. We have tears in the morning and in the evening sometime, mainly about him feeling ‘nervous’ although he doesn’t know what about (ie he’s anxious).

In KS1, they had vertical classes based on age and so he’s generally been in a smaller class (25/26) and in a different class to the older children in his year as he’s a summer birthday. They’re all together now as one big Year 3 class (35+) and he seems to be floundering. I’m not too worried academically (he was GD across the board at the end of Year 2) and he seems to have a really nice group of friends but I think the increased homework, ‘proper’ lessons and relative strictness of the teacher is upsetting him. The whole class lost a ‘point’ today for being too noisy even if, like my DS, they weren’t talking and were following instructions. Nothing like that has happened before to him.

Can other Year 3 parents relate? Is it a big step up for them? He became far more resilient in Year 2 and I worry that his new-found confidence is slipping away. Should I be doing something other than telling him how much I love him and how proud of him I am?

Apparently the biggest academic change is going from y2 to y3 - they say it’s bigger than nursery to reception.

I would ask for a call with his teacher to see what they can offer.

Is the teacher strict and fair or just a bit mean? The change in alot of pupils in Y3 at our school was not great. The assembly a couple of months in was a marked change from the kids trying their best and singing their hearts out the previous term. They looked frightened! The teacher told them if anyone made a mistake (not misbehaved, a mistake), the whole class would be punished. My son cried in bed the night before his birthday as she’d made him feel so crap about his handwriting and told him he’d end up failing his SATs (in three years time) even though he was exceeding. It became known as the “xxxxxx effect”. I’m obviously not going to write her name, hence the xxxxs! I don’t know how much was transition and how much was her.

@MrsAutumnsThat certainly resonates, even the amount of homework they have seems to have doubled from last year. I do think a chat with the teacher might help. We have parents evening later this term but I don’t want DS to be unhappy until then.

@DrivethymeIt’s a good question. My sense is that she is stricter than previous teachers but in a sensible and fair way. There are, as there always are, a few very noisy and badly behaved children so I think there’s definitely an element of being extra firm at the start of term so they realise what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour as they get older. My interactions with her have been very positive and DS seems to like her so I think she’s on the right side but it’s probably a bit early to tell for sure.

That’s positive. A chat with her will probably help then.

My DC moved to junior school for year 3, but moved up with their class from year 2, so I don't know how much of this was differences between schools and how much was year 3.

DD struggled with the transition. She is bright, so they work wasn't particularly hard but she found there was much 'more' of it and less 'breaks'. By breaks I mean easier bits of the lesson, rather than proper breaks. The expectations in terms of volume of writing etc massively increased. DS has just started year 3 and is finding the same. He has a lovely teacher, so that's not an issue. It took DD most of the first term to settle, but then she did. (Year 6 now and happy enough at school.) Hope your DS feels happier soon.

Thank you for sharing your experience - I hope your DS settles soon as well. It sounds like it’s unusual and the point about there being less breaks in the intensity really resonates from what DS tells me. Much less building things with Lego for example!

I think we’ve found it much easier than some of the other transitions as we had a very strict teacher in year 2 and one of the most chilled and experienced ones for year 3. I think a lot will depend on the individual teacher as much as the stage but it does also sound like your y2 to y3 is a much bigger gap than mine has been with class shifts.