Is it standard practice for reception children to watch TV in class

[Aladdinsmagiccarpet]

Just that really. Every now and again dc comes home and says they've been watching TV in class. It's a two form entry , so sometimes both classes will watch something together and sometimes they'll just watch stuff in their respective classes. The other day dc was saying they watched Smeds and Smoos, and then something else together with the other class and then came back to their own class and watched three episodes of Peter Rabbit 🤔 I was quite astonished to hear that tbh. Surely they should be doing their early learning curriculum ? Is this normal practice now for Reception students?

Peter rabbit maybe it was tv to do with Easter or something. Only one I know of is things like phonic videos

Mixkle, what a very narrow view of what constitutes education you have!

Our school does this a lot in the early terms at pick up. It distracts the children a bit so those going to after school club don't get upset when they aren't picked up.

Other times they have TV in school it's either as a reward, because there is some sort of cover or they are mixing classes to allow for parents evening etc.

I teach reception, we sometimes watch things like Do You Know? With Maddy (this is actually a really good show when it links to our topic), I have used number blocks (normally as a finisher for a maths lesson and not just a random episode, again related. Not everyday or week by any stretch.) Likewise, clips from random shows that match our topic.

Sometimes at the end of the day, yes, when me and the TA are scrambling to get everything ready for home or just need ten minutes to hear the last few readers of the week between us, I will put on a story - so a video of a book being read instead of me reading it. My class also quite like the Old Bear episodes (they’re quite calming) and there’s a great person who reads aloud the Winnie the Witch books. We also do Cosmic Kids Yoga.

I have explained to parents that when the children have been watching Bing / Peter Rabbit / Octonauts etc - it’s been wet play. Or end of term treat.

OMG Dramatic much?

I'm 40, we watched tv sometimes back then - the magic pencil was one we saw regularly.

I've gone on to get a degree and a good job so it doesn't always result in degeneracy

We'd been to church today for our end of term Easter service. We had a random half an hour when we got back before lunch time so we watched The Highway Rat. We would have gone outside in our outdoor area but it was pouring down and the children were already soaked from the walk back to school. That is the sort of thing we use it for. Or wet playtime. We do watch numberblocks a lot though as it directly supports our maths curriculum.

Oh, I'm not so sure it's bad. After all, it made punctuation rules easier to commit to long term memory;

'I'm an apostrophe, come and take a look at me.I'm not a comma, I'm not a full stop - don't put me at the end; I go at the top.'

It's only been embedded in my brain for 44 years, along with the brains of many, many other 70s and 80s children lucky enough to have the big TV wheeled in for Words and Pictures.

@NeverDropYourMooncup
I think it might be
'Here's how to use an apostrophe
to shorten what you say to me
I'm not a comma, I'm not a full stop
Don't put me at the bottom, I go at the top'

Thankyou for the memory - Words & Pictures was fab, as was Look & Read 😊

My foster son used to watch something called Number Jack's and it terrified him. He used to have nightmares about a number coming to get him. We had to ask if he could not have to watch it.

It's been normal for years - do you not remember the massive tv getting wheeled in when you were at school, OP?

Glad to see it's not just our school but also a bit unsure about it. DS had never seen a full movie until he started school and has now seen Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Mulan, Ratatouille... I can't put anything on without him saying he's watched it at school. But then perhaps he's just 10 minutes and he just thinks he's seen the full movie.

I get that it must be impossible for teachers with so many kids and that they can't be learning all day, butif it's about keeping them happy wouldn't they at that age be equally happy to just play with their friends? Or is it because they would run riot so it's best if they're "hypnotised" by a screen? We only had TV at school the day before the Christmas holidays so it's quite weird to me.

Yeah number blocks is part of the mastering number scheme.

It's a really good way of calming them down at the end of the day ready in time for home.

It can be used to bring books to life.

It's sometimes used as an end of term treat.

Mine do at breaktimes and lunch is it is raining

That's the second verse!

I am really old, we were read to for the last 30 minutes of everyday at primary school right up to yr 6. Things like the Hobbit, Lord of the flies(I know!), Narnia. It's better when the pictures are in your head. We were also encouraged to draw at the same time. It was a lovely relaxing end to the day.

I think it depends how often and how much. An occasional episode of Come Outside that ties in with what you’re learning is absolutely fine, or a treat watching a film at the end of term. Extended periods of watching television every day I wouldn’t be happy with. Five episodes of cartoons is too much in a day in my opinion.

And there are ways to get downtime without watching several episodes of a TV show. We used to all have our heads down on the desk and then as we got older quiet reading time after lunch but I don’t see that in schools now. I don’t think my kids do silent independent reading.

You do realise that teachers used to have more than 30 reception children in a class on their own...and get them ready for hometime. Back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth...

My bet is a member of teaching staff is off and they have TAs looking after the class.

@BlackeyedSusan tbf 30 years ago I don't remember a single class that had the level of additional support needs (learning and behavioural) in a mainstream school that we currently have in mine and I'm sure many across the UK. We have 4 non verbal, one in nappies, some having frequent toilet accidents, care experienced dc, those living with trauma and chaotic home lives that reflects in their behaviour a few with asd diagnosis and more referred or awaiting referral for asd/adhd.

30 years ago more children were still placed in Special schools. They are now in mainstream education and require additional support.

There were fewer non SEN children entering school in nappies then though.

Only recently started looking at little ones’ TV after a long time. Some of it is really good now and our nursery aged grandchild loves Number locks, etc.

We don't have swathes of nappied children started school. In all my time I have only ever encountered five and all were in nappies for a reason - one was awaiting surgery to correct a bladder problem, one had a disability, and the other three went on to be diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions.

The number of non-disabled/non-SEN children starting school in nappies is small and the vast majority of them will be awaiting assessments.

Yes it's normal, I was in reception in 78 and it was normal then aswell, they used to bring in a big TV on wheels. It's for educational purposes and happens all though school, my year 10 watched Romero and Juliet last month and watch news daily, they did similar in primary with news round. You need to get used to it because it won't change

It does happen though.