A mother from Sussex has described the transition her daughter is going through from reception to year 1 as "wild," saying the change has been tough for the child, who used to be all smiles.
Amelia, a mum of two, said her daughter has not been enjoying the move up to year 1 this September. Reception children, typically aged four to five, often learn through play, but Amelia said the "goalposts completely change" in year 1.
Shift in behaviour
Amelia said her daughter used to come out of school "running, so happy, with a smile on her face" and was "on cloud nine because she loved it." Now, she said she has noticed a massive shift in her daughter's behaviour, with the child walking out "slowly" with her face "down" and behaving "more irritable."
"She doesn't really wanna talk about school, she only seems to be playing with one friend, she used to have a big group of friends, but they've mixed all the classes up so she's only got one friend in her class," she explained.
Learning through play
Amelia said her daughter has told her they "don't play" anymore, and they learn by sitting down all day and being taught by the teacher. While they still have playtime and break times, learning is not through play, according to Amelia's daughter.
"I just can't help but think, one, that's not natural for a five-year-old, or a six-year-old, or even a seven-year-old, I don't think. But also, what is that teaching them really? Surely we should be teaching our children that learning is fun," she argued.
Amelia said that if children thought "gaining knowledge" was fun, they would be more receptive to it. "And the way to do that is by learning through play," she said. "Teaching them that learning is sitting down with a paper and pen, listening to a teacher, doing numbers and words over and over again, that's not gonna make them interested in learning."
School expectations
Amelia said that at a meet the teacher event, parents were told their child is supposed to be "independent" because it's "proper school," and that parents shouldn't "baby" their children. This did not sit right with her, as she exclaimed on TikTok: "They're five!"
She also said the school had told her not to wave at her child when they come through the gates, but she said she would still be doing that because it made her daughter feel "secure." Amelia said this was making her wonder whether school was even right for her daughter anymore, saying that if she were in a position to homeschool, she would "seriously consider it."
In the comments, one woman who used to be a teacher said she left in April after following her class from reception to year 1, saying the expectations of the children are "insane." Another mum said year 1 used to be a gentle transition, but those times are "long gone thanks to the government's obsession with league tables and results." A third commenter reassured that not every school is like this, noting her school ensures year 1 still has continuous provision throughout the day, with learning increasing gradually over the next two terms.
