teaching FS2 and KS1

[8reasonstohide]

What is it like teaching Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in the same classroom?

I am giving some consideration for a job that has been advertised in a neighbouring authority. It will half my commute from 1 hour to 29 minutes according to Google maps!

I teach Y1 on a 0.6 contract and after 15 years teaching full time, I miss having the responsibility and dare I say it, the decision making. Because I have returned mid-year after maternity leave, I feel like a spare part and a supply teacher. I cannot go to SLT with my concerns and to 'off-load' because unfortunately my HT is not very approachable, which is another reason and a very long story, why I am wanting to leave my current job.

Would appreciate some constructive advice!

[toomuchicecream]

Bloody hard work I would imagine! I taught a mixed 1/2 class for 2 years and it nearly finished me. The needs of the 2 year groups are so different and so I often planned for each year group separately. This time last year I was planning 27 morning lessons a week but only delivering 10-12 of them myself. Add in FS to the mix and it gets even more complicated.

However, with the right space/access to the outside and right TA support and right resources and right number of children, I would imagine your experience would be very different to mine!

[8reasonstohide]

I did Y1/2 a while ago but luckily I had class sizes of between 18 and 24 and less of the Y2s so mainly Y1s. Back then (before workload got stupidly worse) I actually found it okay BUT I have never taught Reception and have wanted to for the past 4 years. I won't get any experience in my current school - Reception teachers NEVER move out and those that have, went to other schools and we have recruited experienced FS teachers.
Wondering how teachers plan and teach for the range of abilities from FS to Y2!

[bumbleclat]

I teach mixed R/yr1/2 I love it!
I have 2 full time TAs and 1 part time so it's easy to group them and give quality time to all over a term.
It is exhausting but I love it.

[SitsOnFence]

Not a teacher, but I interviewed lots of teachers of mixed year group classes last year, as part of a piece of research into resilience outcomes for children in single year versus mixed year classes.

From the teachers' perspectives, the biggest factor determining the 'workability' of mixed year classes was class size. I only spoke to teachers of 2-year mixed classes, but those with small classes (one had just 13 children!) had only positive things to say about it. This changed when classes started to exceed about 20 children... The same was true for teachers of single year classes, but the thresholds were higher.