My little one has just gone to her first day at school

[London Calling]

Well pre-school and its only for 9.00-11.30

but her excitment and sheer happyness was amazing, so mum and dads, when and why does it change,

 

[beorhthelm]

it changes when it stops being about finger painting and starts being about who died in 1684.

 

[Starry]

Both my school aged children still really enjoy going so am not sure when it changes. My son actually complains when he does not get homework. My daughter is still young enough (she is in her last year at preprep) for it still be all about social things and seeing her friends with the occasional bit of writing and reading thrown in.

Glad she enjoyed her first day

 

[supaseagull]

it changes when it stops being about finger painting and starts being about who died in 1684.

...got another 8 years to go then

 

[Dave the OAP]

my wife is a reception class teachers assistant and sees all your little darlings from day 1.

She recons within a week the teachers and assistants can tell what sort of child they will turn out to be when they leave school.

....and in 15 odd years, she has very rarely been wrong!

She loves her job, even if you wouldnt believe some of the circumstances some of the children come into school with, and some of the people they have to deal with in the so called "caring community"

 

[Scoffers]

my wife is a reception class teachers assistant and sees all your little darlings from day 1.

She recons within a week the teachers and assistants can tell what sort of child they will turn out to be when they leave school.

....and in 15 odd years, she has very rarely been wrong!

She loves her job, even if you wouldnt believe some of the circumstances some of the children come into school with, and some of the people they have to deal with in the so called "caring community"

Well I can't comment on your wife's particular experiences, but isn't it dangerous to label someone so early on, people do change?

 

[London Calling]

my wife is a reception class teachers assistant and sees all your little darlings from day 1.

She recons within a week the teachers and assistants can tell what sort of child they will turn out to be when they leave school.

....and in 15 odd years, she has very rarely been wrong!

She loves her job, even if you wouldnt believe some of the circumstances some of the children come into school with, and some of the people they have to deal with in the so called "caring community"

So how is my Beatsy going to turn out?

 

[Goodfella]

my wife is a reception class teachers assistant and sees all your little darlings from day 1.

She recons within a week the teachers and assistants can tell what sort of child they will turn out to be when they leave school.

....and in 15 odd years, she has very rarely been wrong!

She loves her job, even if you wouldnt believe some of the circumstances some of the children come into school with, and some of the people they have to deal with in the so called "caring community"

I'm sorry Dave, but that is absolute rubbish, especially after 1 week. I have been helping out at the local school for the last 20 years, mainly in reception and year 1 as a classroom assistant, and alot of them grow up to be completely different to what you think they will, even within a year or two they can change dramatically.

 

[empire]

Both my school aged children still really enjoy going so am not sure when it changes. My son actually complains when he does not get homework. My daughter is still young enough (she is in her last year at preprep) for it still be all about social things and seeing her friends with the occasional bit of writing and reading thrown in.

Glad she enjoyed her first day

as above,have a ten and 8 year old at school now,both pretty much on track,2 others left and on the right path

 

[Dave the OAP]

I'm sorry Dave, but that is absolute rubbish, especially after 1 week. I have been helping out at the local school for the last 20 years, mainly in reception and year 1 as a classroom assistant, and alot of them grow up to be completely different to what you think they will, even within a year or two they can change dramatically.

Ok mate, i will tell her her experience is absolute rubbish then.

 

[Perry Milkins]

Ok mate, i will tell her her experience is absolute rubbish then.

I would not say it to her face..send her an email...

 

[London Calling]

To support Dave here, I use to work with a Council Youth services, they also stated that the system could identify "deliquents" kids falling out of the school system etc from the age of 7 if not earlier!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Glad your littl'un enjoyed it - Mrs Kraay is a pre-school teacher and sees all these first days, with the tears and excitement in equal measure!

My own lads are 9 and 7 and both love school still. I think the rebellion starts a bit later!

 

[Dave the OAP]

Well I can't comment on your wife's particular experiences, but isn't it dangerous to label someone so early on, people do change?

To be honest in a perverse way its actually beneficial....most kids these days may need extra help, reading, socialising etc etc and when kids come into reception the only real knowledge the school has is from the playgroup /nursery they have come from, assuming they have a good relationship with the people who run them. Fortunately our school has very good local links therefore we get reports on kids. Local authorities are getting worse and worse in attaching staements to kids and therefore the more the teacher can build a case, the better for the child in the long run.

School funding is patchy to say the least and getting Special Needs funding really difficult.

It would help if parents took some responsibility for their kids schooling, but these days schools are just one huge creche with things like breakfast clubs and after school clubs, some kids can be dropped off at 8 o/clock and not picked up till 5...

 

[Bozza]

she is in her last year at preprep

What on earth is preprep? I'm still struggling with this whole year 1...12 (or whatever) that exists nowadays that didn't when I was a wee nipper.

 

[London Calling]

what surprised me greatly. was the amount of notes being taken by both teachers, to the point the kids were doing their own play thing and I became head reader etc

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Surprised they bothered with note taking on her first day, but at my wife's place they do take a lot of notes, to produce reports on each kid's progress. Its all positive though and for the benefit of the parents and future teachers to know what stage of development the children are at in different areas.

 

[Starry]

What on earth is preprep? I'm still struggling with this whole year 1...12 (or whatever) that exists nowadays that didn't when I was a wee nipper.

Erm. I don't know what year 1-12 is and how that compares, pre-prep is ages 4-7 (the first three years of school) and then she will move up to the preparatory school for ages 7-13.

If year 1 is the first year then I guess she is in year 3 (ages 6/7)

 

[John Bumlick]

I'm sorry Dave, but that is absolute rubbish

dave the gaffer in talking bollocks shocker.

and, yes, i know there's more than one way to read that...

 

[Scoffers]

To be honest in a perverse way its actually beneficial....most kids these days may need extra help, reading, socialising etc etc and when kids come into reception the only real knowledge the school has is from the playgroup /nursery they have come from, assuming they have a good relationship with the people who run them. Fortunately our school has very good local links therefore we get reports on kids. Local authorities are getting worse and worse in attaching staements to kids and therefore the more the teacher can build a case, the better for the child in the long run.

School funding is patchy to say the least and getting Special Needs funding really difficult.

It would help if parents took some responsibility for their kids schooling, but these days schools are just one huge creche with things like breakfast clubs and after school clubs, some kids can be dropped off at 8 o/clock and not picked up till 5...

Interesting, not thought of it that way before, I can see some sense in that!

I have twins making the transition from PlaySchool to junior school next September, so I'm interesting in such matters!