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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 ( co-curriculum activities ) 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 playbased learning approach to more formal learning with continuous
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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 ).
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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 .
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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 . |
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