to think cancelling PE and lacking IT isn't on?

[AnnieJanuary]

I asked about it today, and confirmed my suspicion that my son's Reception class doesn't do any sort of computer work - at nursery he would play educational matching/counting games and learned to use a trackerball and a mouse - and it 'isn't something we have time for'. Today we get a letter home saying they're cancelling PE too, so that the time can be used 'for reading'. They've actually cancelled all but one PE session since the start of term anyway, but now it's off 'until further notice.'

I thought IT and PE were parts of the curriculum, even in Reception? That children were supposed to experience various topics and learning styles and areas, not just reading and writing? Yes, reading, vital and all that, but there's surely more to school than just reading!

Obviously we do computers and exercise at home and at weekends so it's not like he's deprived or anything, but he gets extra enthusiastic about things in school the way he doesn't and won't at home, and I feel it's a shame he's missing out on the skills he was learning in nursery (computers) and on things like team sports and learning basic rules of sports with his friends. They have a small yard to run around in but I'm not sure he goes out much - his shoes, coat and uniform come home immaculate.

Or is this a common Reception thing now? Read read read and do the rest later?

They can't, AFAIK cancel PE

I think real-world experience is more important that IT at this age, so I can't share in your concern about this, though

My DC didn't have formal PE in Reception (well they did, but by the time everyone had got changed and they'd allowed time for everyone to change back, there was only about 5 minutes of actual lesson.
They did have lots of opportunities for outside and physical play (so were probably more active than in Y1, when they did their strictly timetabled 2 hours of PE).

They also didn't have formal computing, but access to computers (sometimes adult led) was freely available every day.

Remember that Reception is mainly child led - your child may have access to these activities but be choosing not to do them (DD never went near a computer in Reception, DS had to be surgically disconnected from them - same school).

I did ask the teacher about the computers, but she said they didn't have them. As other schools I visited had had them in foundation I was surprised - I thought they must have just been put away the day I visited or something.

It's not like that in reception here: they do 3 sessions of pe a week, one in the big hall, one outdoors and one a dance session that they leave uniform on for, just take shoes and socks off. They can play on the computers and interactive whiteboards when they get time to choose their own activities and they get occasional turns on ipads when the teacher books them.

I did see a school where year R is all about the reading (and is well regarded) but it wasn't what I wanted to choose.