Transition from reception to year 1 - what were the key differences for your dc?

[gleegeekgleek]

I know there has been much talk of schools making year 1 more play based like reception but what are the main differences?

DS only started to hate school in Yr1 when they left play-based learning behind.

I guess in practice it means a lot more fixed format activity "This is what we are all doing now" as opposed to "Here's a variety of things to do, and you can just read a book quietly if none of that appeals to you right now".

I badly wish DS could have had play-based learning for longer, but for accident of birth (June birthday) he might have done. His siblings got nearly a year more of play-based.

On our school it was a huge shock.

They sit at proper hexagonal tables. No free play time, just golden time on a Friday which they lose if they haven't behaved.

Reading books every day though mine enjoy reading so that was a good thing.

They stopped seeming so little .

There weren't any problems for DS at all. We are lucky that his school has made a deliberate effort to make the curriculum in year 1 more play based, but he is the sort that seems to quite like formal learning.

We have excellent transition arrangements /policy between reception and year 1 which work very well. Year 1 is play based learning all year.

Reading fab's posts I am realising how lucky DS is that they have basically free play first thing in the morning until about 10 o clock, every day. There are different activities that differnt groups do each day (including guided reading with their teacher) during this time, but the role play area is one activity, playing with water and sand etc another one, computer another one. They still do lots of written work but it fits in well.

DS's year 1 is still pretty play based but the main thing he has found hard is the loss of "choice" - one person's "fun" activity is another's nightmare!

At first he also found the concept of having to sit still and listen and absorb what the teacher very difficult. The teacher explains what they will do next so no option to zone out - the "sitting and listening" bits in Reception were much shorter and not linked to the exercise they go on to do.

Wow there's a lot of variety by the sounds of it.
I've no idea how play based it will be at ds' school. I've noticed they've been doing a bit more writing this term.

Ds might like more structure anyway but then I think he will miss the choice to just go and play on the bikes sometimes too

Hi, great post, my ds is in reception and I have heard year 1 is more academic. They seem to be starting to get them more ready as ds says more and more they didn't do activities that much today and suddeny they must have stopped helping them get dressed after pe as ds comes out shorts back to front etc! I do worry that he will start disliking it in year 1!!

Year 1 still v play based in DS's school...he still really likes school...sure they have to sit at tables and "do work" some of the time

On the positive there are a lot more extra curricular activities and clubs open to y1 and 2 than there are for the reception kids