The jump from reception class to year 1 – and the sudden lack of play that comes with it – is “criminal”, a former deputy headteacher has claimed. Most children start reception full-time after their fourth birthday, and go into year 1 after they turn five. In a post on Instagram,Ruth Lue-Quee, now an educational consultant, shared a scenario that has resonated with a lot of parents: “Can we talk about how criminal (yes I’m using that word) the ‘jump’ from reception to year 1 is in most settings...”“Imagine this,” she continued in the social media post. “You’ve just turned five. You’ve just begun to find your feet in school. You enjoy learning, playing and exploring, then suddenly... You’re thrown into year 1.“There is no space for movement – only tables and chairs. There is no time to play – only working in books ... And so you wonder where the play went; where the time to explore went ... but you learn to do as you’re told, consume don’t question, sit still at a table (even though it pains you) and that love of learning you once had; that you were developing through play, time outside and continuous provision, diminishes.”The fo