Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

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

1 2

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

Primary education

What can your reception aged child do?

41 replies

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 02/12/2008 13:00

DD1's teachers told me she was behind and I'm trying to work out if she is behind the average uk child or just in her super high acheiving school as she seems to be able to do quite a bit and her school is renouned for being pushy.

She can read simple words but gets stuck with 'th' sounds she knows all of her keywords apart from those with the 'th' sounds in them.

She can recognise most, if not all of her letters and identify the sounds they make, although she had a bit of trouble with 'h' last night. She can write over half of her letters and write and spell simple words and her own name.

She recognises all her numbers and can count but gets a bit confused with 'tens' numbers i.e. she will count 27, 28, 29, 21 but when you make her go back she gets it right.

She recognises all of her shapes and can tell you without looking how many edges and corners there are on a square, triangle, circle, rectangle and semi circle.

I am just being sensative in not wanting to believe that my child is not behind or does this seem okay for a child who is not even 5 yet? Because it does to me

OP posts:

Thanks

Share

Report

TotalChaos · 02/12/2008 13:04

DS probably can't do as much as that (doesn't write any words other than his name, and don't know if he could count edges on shapes). Teachers don't seem to have any concerns.

Thanks

needmorecoffee · 02/12/2008 13:04

dd dosn't know any letters but can count to 5. Not sure about shapes.
Your dd sounds fine and the school sounds pushy.

Thanks

Piffle · 02/12/2008 13:05

sounds quite good really
Is it just the phonics they are talking about?
In reception with dd they only started phonics in February!

Thanks

notnowbernard · 02/12/2008 13:06

Agree re pushy school

Your dd can prob do more than mine judging by that list (just 5) and teacher reckons she is doing fine

Thanks

mankyscotslass · 02/12/2008 13:08

She sounds fine to me. DD is in reception, she is writing simple phonetically spelled sentences, knows all her basic sounds and blends, and is reading stage 2 ORT with only a little help. Number wise I am not sure where she is up to really. I think she is probably about the same as your daughter though.
Teacher seems happy though, and says she is doing very well.
I am a bit at your teacher saying your DD is behind actually. That's a shocking statement less than a full term into reception, which is supposed to be play orientated. Our school is also high achieving, but is very focused on learning through play at this stage.
I would not be very happy with the teacher or the school if I was you.

Thanks

eekamoose · 02/12/2008 13:08

My son is in reception and already five.

From the information you've given above, I would say that ds can do about the same amount as your dd. No one has suggested to me that he's "behind" at all!

Having said that, our school is very focused on learning through play in reception (which I am pleased about) and we haven't yet had our parents evening this term, so I don't really know if he is doing well or not.

Thanks

NCRedBreastedBirdy · 02/12/2008 13:11

Well she can do more than my dd who is in reception and concidered "advanced" (whatever that means). So I agree you seem to have a pushy school. What exactly are they suggesting you do and wha level would they like her to be at?

Do you think perhaps she is not doin things in school that she can do at home?

Thanks

francagoestohollywood · 02/12/2008 13:12

It seems more than ok. I'm really at the pedagogic foundations of the british school system. Even the concept of being "behind". At 4.5

Thanks

ANTagony · 02/12/2008 13:14

Do you think that the school/ teacher needs to have a few children they highlight as having additional needs to justify extra funding for classroom assistants etc?

Just a thought but school politics can be terrible.

Thanks

francagoestohollywood · 02/12/2008 13:20

It? I meant that your dd sounds more than fine.

Thanks

OrmIrian · 02/12/2008 13:21

Sound Ok to me.

My lad is in yr 1 and probably only a little further on than that.

Thanks

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 02/12/2008 13:28

maybe at school politics they do seem to have a lot of ta's.

Also I think it maybe a little that she is doing things here that she won't do at school even though he can as they say she cannot put her own tights on but manages just fine here and has done since she was two.

They say that she is at a level two/three out of 8. The average is four/5 they would like her to be at level 6/7. 8 is gifted and talented.

I know she is doing phoncis there but only really simple ones like two 's' only one sound o and o are ooooo etc. and she can do them.

There are more things that she can do but it was spelling, letters, writing, reading and shapes they said she was behind on. Counting and adding/subtracting they say she is okay at.

From what I can gather they do learning before lunch and free play after lunch. They learn a new letter and phonics sound each day and do bits of simple maths and work with shapes. Is that a lot?

OP posts:

Thanks

stitch · 02/12/2008 13:29

make me hot coffee for breakfast
iron dh's shirts
clean out bathroom with bleach!!!

all kids are different. they learn at differetn rates. depending on boy/girl, month born, charsacter personality. all different

Thanks

madhairday · 02/12/2008 13:36

She sounds fine. I was a reception teacher and I would say she would be advanced in the class if anything. Learning a new sound a day sounds a bit much to me, I would do a new sound a week and really make sure they learn it. Also would never call a reception child 'behind' . Reception is all about beginning to learn, hopefully more about play and socialising and learning how to be in school. I would say you have no need to worry - pushy school. My ds is in reception and they have lovely days full of fun and play, learning results from this. Does she seem happy? that's the main thing I think.

Thanks

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 02/12/2008 13:42

Yes she seems happy there and has a good group of friends. Her teachers said that there is a group of five girls inc her who like to play 'offices' in the IT corner during free time and they are happy that she has settled in but one thing they did say is that she is shy dd1 is anything but shy. She is the polar opposite of shy infact. She is loud and bolshy and will chat to perfect strangers for hours about all kinds of things. The teaman knows all about her dancing, what she is in the play, what her friends are called. As do the cashiers in Tesco. People in the street I have never clapped eyes on before know her name because she asked them if they would be her friend when she saw them at x place.

That suggests to me that she may not have settled in aswell as the school think. Her teachers didn't even know that she did dancing because she never talks to them about it, yet the teaman who only talks to her once a fortnight for five mins before school knows which parts she has in this years play

OP posts:

Thanks

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 02/12/2008 14:14

Would it be worth a meeting with the school do you think re her "shyness" and her ability to do all her letters, words etc at home? Or do they think they will just think I am a pushy mum who can't accpet that her child is not a star?

They didn't have a lot of time at the parents eve to discuss it fully with me, but were v shocked when I told them just how confident dd1 was.

OP posts:

Thanks

madhairday · 02/12/2008 15:40

It's often the case that children who are v confident at home and even out and about seem shy at school, esp in the first year - it's almost like it is such a big thing that they are pretty overawed by it all - not that they don't like it, but that they become quieter in that environment - I lost count of the number of parents who looked at me in shock when I told them their child was quiet in class! Saying that though, if the teacher is worth her salt she will always be happy to meet with you about any concerns - it's not about being pushy, simply about making sure she is OK and finding out how you can help her at home - if you approach it like this teh teacher I'm sure will be happy to chat with you - don't leave it if you are concerned.

Thanks

mummyofboys · 02/12/2008 15:56

Is she in a private School? I ask because you made a comment about what 'level' she is at ....

Thanks

ThePellyandMe · 02/12/2008 16:01

Your dd sounds much more advanced than DS2 4.5.

He knows his sounds and is able to read simple cvc words and the odd 4 letter word, writing he struggles with.

I'm not worried at all and as far as I am aware neither is the school.

Thanks

Oblomov · 02/12/2008 16:03

Ds is 4.10
He can't do most of what your dd can.
His teacher said he was doing fine, very bright, and particularly good with numbers.
Thus, I don't know what to make of your post

Thanks

wideratthehips · 02/12/2008 20:50

blimey if my ds was at this school he would be sitting in the corner with a big pointy hat with a 'D' on it.

he can write his name

count up and down (to about thirty) recognises all double numbers

add and subtract up to about 12

can draw a spider, a flower and an apple

thats about it

Thanks

Fennel · 02/12/2008 20:59

I don't think my 4.5 year old can do any of that. She hasn't actually started reception yet, she starts in January, but she's the age of many in reception already.

She can count, I suppose, up to about 30. And recognises a few numbers. maybe the shapes, I don't know. She can't read any words.

She can draw quite nicely. And she has excellent social skills and can ride a bike and scoot and do monkey bars.

Noone has remotely suggested she's behind, I don't think the others of her age who are going to reception in our school are much different.

Thanks

cece · 02/12/2008 21:02

Your DD can do much more than my DS and he is 5 already!

I think it is a bit early to be saying she is 'behind' tbh. They all develop at thier own rate.

Put it this way I am not worried at all about DS and his learning.

Thanks

MollieO · 02/12/2008 21:50

My ds's class does learning in the morning and play after lunch. He knows his letters, shapes, colours, can count up to 50, read simple three and four letter words and do joined up cursive writing for three letter words and his name. At parents evening I was told he was at the stage they expect him to be. Which I assume he is neither behind nor ahead - whatever that means at this age. He is nearly 4.5 and his school is definitely not pushy (can't imagine anything worse especially at this young age).

What exactly does your dd's school expect her to be doing at 4?

Thanks

Hulababy · 02/12/2008 21:54

DD is at a pretty academic prep school. Many of the children in the current reception class can not do a lot of what your DD can do. Some of the Y1 cannot either.

IMO your DD is definitely not behind at all. Infact I would think she was ahead of the "average" for this age.

Thanks

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.