The School Days // Starting Year 1

So, we’ve been back to school for a couple of weeks now and so far Year 1 has been quite different for Ava. Not that she’ll tell me anything about her days, but from I what I can gather, and from what I’ve seen myself it has been pretty different.

Last year in reception in the mornings we queued up with them outside their classroom and went in with them to hang their stuff up and deposit them at their classroom, and the same thing at the end of the day for most of the year, until we left them outside to go in with their teachers in the mornings in the last term. This year we only queue outside, which is fine, but it’s a bit weird because we haven’t even seen their classroom or been introduced properly to their teacher. It’s a bit rubbish because I was speaking to my friend (and Ava’s friends mum) and she didn’t even know which her daughter’s teacher was because there were a few female teachers around the doorway every day! It seems a bit daft to me that we haven’t been introduced in some way.

I’m not massively worried but I would have liked to have at least seen A’s classroom and where she spends her days. Once I’ve kissed her goodbye and she’s disappeared inside, I have no idea what she does for most of the day!

Ava really didn’t want to go back to school and she really enjoyed the six week holidays. She kept looking all sad and then saying it was school again soon, and then was so happy when I told her she still had weeks off yet. She struggled for the first few days and was so upset on the very first day back; it was horrible. But it’s been getting better since, thank goodness.

The hardest thing for her (and from other kids going into Year 1 too, from what I’ve heard) is the huge difference in their daily routine. They have gone from being free to run around and play for the majority of the day, to sitting down at a desk all day and doing a lot more actual work. It seems quite a big jump and it’s one she’s struggling with a bit. For the first few days all she would say to me is that it’s boring, which she’d never said about school before!

It’s a big change for them so suddenly and I do feel like it could perhaps be done a bit more gradually, although I don’t really know how. It’s worse because a lot of them have been split up from their best friends so they’re having to find their place in the class again, and haven’t necessarily got someone they know well and are comfortable with, to help them get used to the changes.

It just all feels a bit harsh at such a young age and even harder when you don’t really know much about their days or who they sit with or anything that could help you discuss it with them and reassure them.

A has mostly been okay though, and started to settle into the school days a bit more again – well she had until she picked up a sickness bug at the start of the week and has now been off every day since! But hopefully once she’s back she will continue to get used to the more structured days and continue to have a good year.