SmileyPR Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Hi everyone, I read somewhere that the British government or one of its agencies is reconsidering the age of children entering Year 1... more specifically, those who become 5 just during the summer holiday (July-Aug.). I need to find this information the soonest possible. Do you have any idea where this was said? I have a case of a pair of twins. One of them 'might' be prepared to go to Y1, but her sister is definitively not developmentally ready for this transition. The father doesn't want them to be separated and wants this 2nd one to go to Y1. She will not be able to manage the work of Y1; she hardly can handle ours . They never become 5 during Reception. Even the mum had asked me in Oct if it had been right for the girls to be in my class, since she knew about our goals. The girls were already responding low by then and I told her that, in my opinion, they should have waited one more year for Reception. Her previous Nursery teacher had recommended this as well. Have a nice week and thanks in advance for your kind and prompt reply . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 (edited) This is a tricky area isn't it? I do think it depends upon the child, as you say. We've been consulted in our Borough regarding school entry times - but I'm not sure if there's a national consultation. I would imagine it will be on the DSCF (or is it the DCSF - I can never remember) website.... Maz Edited April 16, 2008 by HappyMaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Hi Smiley - Someone was just saying to me the other day that they hadn't seen you posting for a while. Nice to see you back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyPR Posted April 14, 2008 Author Share Posted April 14, 2008 Hi Steve, Yes, I have been having problems with my PC and ended up buying a MacBook to be sure I could keep doing my school work . So I have had to learn a new OS, but I like it. Then I was sick for several weeks with a sort of an allergic sinusitis. Apart of that, helping out to prepare the music for a spiritual retreat for next month. One thing here and one thing there, a bit busy lately. Oh, and not saying about school... haha. Anyway, I am so glad to be back again and hope to patiently catch up. I also hope everyone is well and that the forum has been running smoothly. Have a nice week ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyPR Posted April 14, 2008 Author Share Posted April 14, 2008 (edited) Thanks Maz! I thought of that option, but wasn't sure and my mind is so lazy lately... haha. No, I don't find the information. I thought I had received it via an e-mail newsletter. I should have kept it, but I am trying to keep my e-mail boxes with the minimal and it seems I went too far . We'll see. Anyway, thanks! Edited April 14, 2008 by SmileyPR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Thanks Maz! I thought of that option, but wasn't sure and my mind is so lazy lately... haha. I'm sure someone will know exactly where to look! maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 What people/schools conviniently forget is that children do not need to be in school until the term after they are 5- and many children come in too early when really they still need pre school provision. I have kept back children who I felt would not be able to cope in year 1- and have justified this using FSP scores and observations and setting the children an IEP. One child came back into our pre schoool reception class after half a term in year1/2- he wasn't coping or progressing in there but after another year in FS he is now in the year1/2 class and has moved on and is working well within year 1 expectations. Another child I was very worried about being in year1/2- but he really surprised us and he only needed to be in with us for half a term while spending time in year 1/2. However I am lucky that my head supports this- many schools can ignore this but I do think you have to do whats right for the child- if you can justify your reasons I personally cannot see the problem with keeping a child back. Perhaps you could keep both children in for say a term and have one twin go into year 1 for certain things and see how she copes? perhaps she could go in for a maths session for 20 minutes and then maybe a literacy session- a little bit at a time whne appropriate. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 The bit about looking at summer born children is in the next round of govt plans for education - is it called building children's futures? Something like that. It is about making yr 1 more appropriate for summer borns and I think from memory looking at the needs of summer born chn vis a vis when they start or go up. I've got it on my desk at work but haven't commited much to memory. It is about summer borns though ( april - august is what our LA defines as summer born). Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Building brighter futures http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/childr...ive_Summary.pdf Para 17. Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hi, I assume when others talk about 'keeping children back', they mean they will spend their Year 1 year in the Reception class, then join Year 2 as normal? I only ask because I usually have a few Yr1s in my YR class (hence a mixed R/1), but though they need the FS way of working, they are still Y1s, and they go back to chronological age group for Y2. I have also taught a child with complex SEN who was 'held back' a year before starting school. I taught him in YR and he was one of my Y1s last year. Age-wise he should be a Y3 now, but will always be a year behind - when he started we were told to just keep telling authority that he is a year behind and eventually they accept it, but I assume that when others 'hold back' children, they are not actually keeping them down a year? Feel free to ignore this if it makes no sense! Am very tired so it may well not, but just wondered...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyPR Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 (edited) Parr. 17 a smoother transition from play-based learning in the early years into primary school, particularly to help summer-born children who can be at a disadvantage when they enter primary school. (Parr. 35) Every child ready for success in school, with at least 90 per cent developing well across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile by age 5; The thing is the girls never become 5 during our Reception school year (Sept - June). They will do so at the end of July. Looking at the Curriculum Guidence for the FS (p. 7), there it stated that children born in August would join Y1. It is okay with me if the child would show good results in the Profile, but the eldest twin surely doesn't and her sibling is not responding to that 90% stated in this new document. Thanks, Catma, for the web link. I will have this on hand when we meet. Anyway, I hope I can still find that other article where they are considering the fact of having children become 5 during the 1st or 2nd term of Reception. Or maybe I was dreaming ? Jester and Purplemagic: No, I wouldn't consider it holding or keeping them back... but letting them develop at their own rate. If they were achieving well, okay... I would not keep them in my class, even if they were just 4 . I have had cases that we told parents to keep them in R and they accepted, having good results later on. I also had another case where the mum opposed and then the girl ended up repeated Y1. Age wise nor her maturity were for going to Y2. She did Y1 again and it went well because it was age appropriate . Edited April 15, 2008 by SmileyPR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Smiley - just wanted to add that I totally agree that a foundation environment can work wonders for some children (well, it obviously does for Reception, but I mean for Year 1s!) whether it be for academic or emotional reasons - we have seen it work well, with children scoring 'low' on FSP at end of YR achieving well beyond our expectations for them at KS1 - having set targets at beginning of Y1, as opposed to using FSP data to set end of KS1 targets, which we do not do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 The thing is the girls never become 5 during our Reception school year (Sept - June). They will do so at the end of July. Looking at the Curriculum Guidence for the FS (p. 7), there it stated that children born in August would join Y1. It is okay with me if the child would show good results in the Profile, but the eldest twin surely doesn't and her sibling is not responding to that 90% stated in this new document. School year runs from Sept 1st to aug 31st so any child who is 5 in that academic year, regardless of when the summer term finishes would be part of the cohort going to year 1 in the following sept. The 90% would be the target for children attaining 78+ points in their FSP or 6+ across all areas of learning and is currently at LA level rather than school/pupil level so I don't think that is something to worytoo much about in this case. Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyPR Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks for the explanations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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