Missing reception year

[Claribel]

I'm toying with the idea of keeping my August born daughter on at her preschool (where she is very happy) for an extra year, so that she will effectively miss reception at school and go straight in to year 1. I see this as having a couple of advantages: perhaps spaces will become available at better schools when not starting at the most popular time and also we are likely to be moving out of London at some point during that first year of her being at school so rather than settle her into one school here and then move her, we could delay the whole 'starting school' date until we are relocated.

I would really appreciate anyone's views on this plan and any experiences you or friends might have had.

Also, is it worth applying to our 6 dream schools this year, just on the off chance we got offered one, or once we register for the system does that jeopardise our ability to delay?

Thanks in advance

[Renata Hamvas]

Definitely do apply, you can always delay, also your plans may change and you may not leave London. You can not hold a place a whole year, but until Easter. You may find if you keep your daughter in nursery a full year that no places come up in your local schools for year 1. If you know at Easter you are moving out of London, then you could turn down the place you have deferred.

Renata

[JessM]

My son is an August boy (11th) so last year when he was in reception he was the youngest in the whole school. I was quite worried about this! (In fact I was worried from when I found out my due date..!)

When he started reception last September, the teacher was very aware of issues with the range of ages in her class and planned accordingly. She had seen it all before many times I suppose! They also did a very slow staggered start to the year, which I think helped him a lot, and after lunch they had a lie-down rest listening to story CDs every day until xmas. Even though he had dropped daytime naps just before he was 2 this really helped him - sometimes he actually slept. He definitely started reception behind some of the older ones on things like pencil grip and concentration span, but like I say the teacher was very sympathetic and he probably got quite a lot of extra attention along with the other summer-born kids. He probably was still behind by the end of the year but it wasn't nearly so glaring when you looked at the "art-work" on the walls! (When he started he had only just begun to draw things that were recognisable as a person/house/whatever and there were some - mainly the girls - who were obviously streets ahead developmentally.)

So, now he is in year 1 and finding it much harder to adjust that when he started school last year. The curriculum is very different. In reception, nearly everything was done through play, much like it is in nursery. He had the illusion of choice of activity and there was almost no written work (except in English obviously!) In year one it seems to be much more a "formal" education - they have an assigned seat and they all work on the same type of thing. He complains there's no playing.

I say this because I think if you miss out reception entirely it might be a horrible shock for your little one to start in year 1. Reception is deliberately a transition between play-based learning and more formal "work," they gradually increased the amount of sitting down working time throughout reception and even so it has been a shock to my son. (Judging by what his friends' parents say, it's a shock for all of them!) I'm glad he's getting the shock (if he has to - debatable I suppose as we are always told the Europeans start school much later and get better results) in an environment he is completely secure in, with other children he knows etc. The year 1 teacher is also taking the age differences into account I'm sure. If you keep your daughter at home/at nursery etc she might not get this managed transition that there is at school.

I found it hard "letting go" of my boy just after his 4th birthday and sending him to school did seem to suddenly mean he wanted to watch Star Wars rather than CBeebies, but I am glad I did. He loved reception, I'm sure he will love year 1 given a couple more weeks to settle in!

Anyway, that's my perspective!

PS Even if you do mainly put "dream schools" down on your list make sure you put your nearest one down as 6th choice. Otherwise you may not get any of your 6, and then they will just offer you your nearest school which is not oversubscribed and in all likelihood it will be miles away as well as rubbish! Most schools round East Dulwich are oversubscribed, I had a friend that was offered one on the other side of Peckham because she didn't put down their nearest school (in Camberwell not ED but same system).

Really good luck

x

Jess

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

My daughter is August born and went to a different primary school in her reception year. She experienced quite bad bullying when she joined her new school in year 1 as friendships/alliances had already been formed. My advice is not to keep her out for the year if you are going to stay in the same area.

[intexasatthe moment]

Every child and parent is different - and I supose to a lesser extent teacher and school .

But I wish I had delayed my summer born son's school start .

He was always aware that he was behind the others ( perhaps he would have felt the same starting in year 1 ) and he continued to lack confidence ( academically ) into his secondary school years .

[susyp]

My daughter has just started Reception and she is mid July born. I think that JessM has a lot of very good advice in her posting. I am not so worried about her being behind but definitely I have noticed a big jump from nursery to Reception in terms of how much responsibility etc they are taking. I posted before in a different thread about how they were left alone at lunch and she got lost on her way back to her classroom. I raised this at at meeting yesterday and they did do lunch quite differently. But it also demonstrates quite well how important Reception is as a transition point. At nursery stage there is no way this would have happened. In the future they will be finding their own way back to the classroom etc, what I tried to change was that they didn't have to do this on day 1 of going to the school hall for lunch! It's also very different in that I now have to leave her at the classroom gate - in nursery I used to go and in and get her settled at an activity before leaving. I do think it is quite important to go to Reception and I have definitely heard from teachers and parents in Year 1 that there is very little "play" based learning, in fact the children in one class requested some toys as they were missing them so much.

susypx

[Carbonara]

I think it's really important that children are introduced to Primary School through Reception class, though delaying until Easter could suit some children.

The Foundation stage is different to KS1. More learning through play, teachers and TAs geared up to helping with life skills and the school system. From Nursery to yr 1 would be a very big jump.

Also, applications for yr 1 could be even harder than in Reception, as you are relying on someone leaving.

Many primaries (not necessarily just the 'dream' ones) have excellent induction processes. It's very common to offer a home visit for the teacher to come and get to know your child and answer any concerns you might have, some have staggered starts so that only a small number of children start each day so that the staff can look after them, and they can start with half days.

Don't cut off your options - children who do not seem ready when you have to do the application can suddenly seem ready by the start date.

Go and visit all schools likely to offer you a place and see how you feel.

[alice32]

Just to give the other side of the coin....

My son is an August boy (17th) and while I was a bit sad to see him going off to school so soon after his 4th birthday, he has never had any problems with being the youngest in his class - academically or emotionally. Obviously, it all really depends on the child and the school - but I don't think you should assume your daughter will find it hard just because she'll be one of the youngest in her class. My son was ready, and loved the structure and learning. The Reception year really is very gentle. Personally, I think going into Year 1, without having had the experience of Reception, would be a big shock to a child coming from preschool. As well as the basics in phonics, reading and numbers, the children learn about school life - the rules, how to sit and be quiet and how to forge friendship bonds with classmates. I think it's a really important transition.

[Skegness]

Don't do it! Year 1 is the terrible year of doom where they stop playing and start having to sit bdown and work- horrors! My boys were in shock for months. Reception is fab- lots of learning through play while you get used to the school routines.

[mrs f]

can you not keep him back a year & start him in reception when he is five if you are really worried?

[susyp]

I think it can be a slight advantage being younger with regard to the staggered starts - my daughter did 7 1/2 days before she went full time - whereas the autumn/winter born children only did 2 - and I think while the full day was a shock for them all - it was definitely harder for the ones who hadn't had as many half days.

susypx

[gwod]

Definately apply now, Its a really long time before she actually would attend school (a quarter of her life so far!)and though she may seem completely unprpepared now, things may be completely different next september. And dont forget, although she will be young for the year, there will be others her age and probably younger...and the boys seem younger still. I think she would have more difficult issues to cope with in the long run if you held her back now.

In my experience of my four (one summer born) reception was a magical time that they thouroughly enjoyed and look back on with warm nostalgia, and they are still close ( even the teenagers) to some of the friends they made at that early stage.

[Mellors]

My daughter has just started school aged 4 - she's the 30th August so the very youngest you could be bar one day.

I was terribly worried about it, but in fact she is ok. She is very tired, so we are taking it easy on any other post school/weekend activities, and watching more Scooby Doo than we would normally. Lots of 6pm bed times as well :)

Her teachers have also agreed that she can go part time if it becomes a problem, so we may, in the run up to half term/Christmas take her out on Thursdays and/or Fridays. Have you considered that as an option?

They have been wonderful though. They deal with this all the time and are very sensitive at coping with the children at their level and making sure they are settling in ok. They were also very good at dealing with my anxieties!

I really notice the difference between the "play" in Reception and my son's current Year 1 class where they now have to do proper work and get homework. I agree with those who say it would be too big a shock to miss Reception altogether.