How to prepare your child for primary education

When children move from Reception into Year 1 it marks an important transition period in their education. I say period, as this transition must take place over time. For our children it is not simply the day they begin in Year 1. Towards the end of Reception children are already being introduced to routines and expectations that will be part of their Year 1 experience. This includes longer carpet sessions and more sustained periods of writing. We also have the introduction of CCAs that expose the children to a longer day and the skills associated with co-curricular activities. A core difference between Reception and Year 1 is the curriculum, as they move from the Early Year Foundation Stage to the English National Curriculum in maths and literacy. The structure of the latter is quite different. They change from a play-based learning approach to more formal learning with continuous provision. Continuous provision is a key element of Year 1. It allows children to continue to play and explore independently in the classroom but they do so with greater structure. Role play, sand, water and construction all remain but teachers clearly define what is to be learnt in these areas, so moving away from the child-led approach in Early Years. A Year 1 classroom should have obvious elements of a Reception classroom, especially in the first term. These should become less defined as the year progresses. Expectations in Year 1 remain high across the curriculum. Children will now have separate phonics and literacy sessions tailored to their prior learning. This reflects the amount of reading and writing the children need to undertake daily. Daily maths lessons are also longer in Year 1. All others subjects are taught through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). Children are expected to be independent in their preparation for the day and not wait to be instructed at every stage. At home, reading continues to be the most important daily activity. However, children will also get weekly homework in both phonics and maths. Assessment for Year 1 also looks a little different from the Early Years, though reporting levels remain the same. Children are continually assessed against end of year objectives (where they should be by the end of Year 1 in reading, writing and maths). Unlike Early Years they cannot be assessed against objectives from the years above or below, though we are mindful of this when assessing higher or lower ability children. They also have workbooks for individual subjects. It is worth mentioning that some children do find this transition period challenging. The children themselves are aware that this is an important change in their lives. In the first few weeks some can find it an emotional time or struggle with new routines and increasing independence. It is important to remember that with any new beginnings such feelings and behaviour are not unusual and do not last a long time. If you are worried about your child in this period please speak with the class teacher as they can offer advice and support where needed. Finally if you have any other questions about your child’s transition into Year 1, please do not hesitate to ask. Emma Button Head of Pre-Prep