To think reception classrooms shouldn't have 30 chairs with desks...

[SexDrugsProfiteroles]

Watched 'b is for book' on the bbc last night, and it made me think about early years practice.

Out of interest, how many of you have children in a reception class where they sit down at desks with books daily for work tasks?

A few years ago a class I worked in introduced writing books for reception, a big thing then but enjoyed very much in small groups by a number. Some hated it though! The room had lots of play areas, a few table for putting bits on, tables used for regular small group work (phonics/ counting activities with an adult). Large areas were forts/ book corners with cushions/ lego areas.....free play basically reigned. We'd call 5/6 at a time on a rota for focused work while the rest played.

More and more I see, particularly in areas of 'deprivation', a model where all of reception sit down to formal learning together (rather than just carpet time phonics/ stories etc) at their tables. Some of the children in the programme were not ready, as were many (most?) I've taught. Frankly it looked like a miserable start to reading for many. I know my own little boy would be unlikely to have absorbed anything said to him as a just 4 yr old in reception, let alone actually learn in a class size group.

We used to provide opportunities for able/ advanced pupils to write and extend learning, but we certainly had more play. It does make me wonder how some of these children will be with creative writing later on when you look at the methodical approach to their learning early on and the sheer relentlessness of intervention for the more immature pupils.

Our school's Reception classrooms are joined. They look more like a nursery, a few tables with about six chairs round them, lots of beanbag seating and lots of free-flow play. Early Years provision got Outstanding recently and the children could read and write just fine by the end!

Suburban - but in year one they have sats tests. They have to be able to sit down and answer those type of questions alone

My DS is in a reception year that is much like the OP describes. The two classes have a 'home area' each but it's free flow to shared play areas, indoor and a dedicated covered outdoor area. It's rather lovely and cosy.

art, your DC's school may have Sats in Year 1 but state schools in the UK have them in Year 2.

Plenty of time between reception and then to get their noses to the grindstone

Art, quite unusual to be a private school and OFSTED inspected.....?

Glad others think it sounds like bad practice. Locally we used to have a lot of private schools (well off area in London) that shed pupils in year 1 and 2 to us, yet they'd invariably do well in the long term. Basically with bad practice I guess kids who were going to get there anyway still do, but without good teaching some children are labelled as slow/ behind/ too low etc when they do have potential still. Parents tended to hush it so few realised how many came to us. Sorry Art, but sounds like in would be incapable of effective TEACHING to many in the early years, but ok at holding those along who were tutored/ had supportive home lives/ were mature.

LIke the old days! There are a lot of good things about having their own desks in reception, some children need the security of it (ds was sorely disappointed that there were no 'proper' desks when he started school in 1993). The little drawers are not big enough for proper storage. The mix of formal and informal is good IMO (an ex EY teacher).

The outstanding reception class at the school my daughter went to, and I am governor at is very free flow. There are big desks and seats for all, with set seats for each child and they do do some work Sat at them each day. But there are also a lot of free areas, lots of role play spots, a reading corner, construction areas, open access to outside etc

But we took my daughter out half way through year 1, as school isn't for her/us.

I don't think my DCs' reception class had chairs for every pupil. If everyone was sitting down at once then it was probably carpet time.
Even in my reception class in the 1970s we didn't have our own desks, I think the tables and chairs were set up for particular activities. But there were only 10 of us in the class.

Most private schools are ofsteded aren't they?

Sats are in yr 2. Which is ridiculous.

Both my DC in yr 1 and reception have classrooms similar to your description - there are tables and chairs but these are used for small group work on a 'carousel' basis. Both classrooms have covered outside areas with lots of activities and opportunities set up.

Art, they don't have 'no chance' - they just don't do those maths questions yet. Life and learning aren't a race. (And I don't lack aspirations for my children, nor are my children underperforming, they're just growing at their own pace. Dd1 is ahead of expected levels in literacy by some margin and all without regulatory sitting at a desk for a long periods, dd2 is the youngest in her class and therefore not reading or writing well yet)

In my DC's reception classroom it's more set up as a whole load of activity stations - tables in various spots with different games/puzzles/activities on and the children move around at will. They sit down to do drawing/writing but there's also lots of carpet time, dolls house, cars, duplo, train tracks, outdoor area with sand/water play and various other bits. There are not enough chairs and tables for everyone to sit down and work simultaneously but that's not how they operate in there. Sitting down work is done is small groups.

Most our way are ISC, so no, they have their own inspectors. Especially the established ones

Our school had desks for all children in reception but the classroom was massive so they also had loads of space for the reading corner, home corner, dressing up, play mats. I don't even recall the children even sitting at the desks and even in year 1 they didn't have set sears, they always seemed to be sitting on the floor. Private, non selective.

The private schools which are Ofsted inspected tend to be the ones which are privately owned and not a charity. The ones which are charities and have a proper governing body tend to be inspected by ISI.

Though there is a sad lack of taking into account child development nowadays, children's brains do not develop at the same age, it's like walking. The emphasis on early academic learning and stupid blanket policies like phonics , puts a number of later developers off.

Both myself and my brother went to school at 4 and a half. I learned to read within 6 months in a very traditional classroom set up, of individual old fashioned desks and a chair.
My brother went to a much more modern school. Lots of free play, and learning at your own pace. My brother wasn't interested in learning to read, and so the teachers did not teach him, simply saying he was not ready. In desperation when he was nearly 8, my mum kept him of school for a week, and taught him to read. He never really fully caught up and was always a very slow reader.

well as artandco points out, it is all about the SATs. It doesn't matter if 4 yo have 'no chance', or children with developmental delays get left behind or put off learning for life as long as the majority are well prepared for SATs the jobs a good'un!

My daughter had intervention throughout KS1 for her reading and writing (I didn't like it but she liked the TA and the attention and she loved stories so I didn't complain to much). She JUST learned to read by her KS1 SATS at around the age of 7.

She then came out with 5's and 6's in her KS2 SATS and in year 8 is around the top of her year in English and Maths!

Children learn when they're ready and singling them out as failures as would have happened in your Son's school Art is just dreadful

The reception classrooms at dds school have tables and enough chairs for all 30 children to sit. The classrooms are huge though so there is plenty of room for play too.

Op I wonder where you expect them to sit for drawing? Or crafts? Or lots of other things

Reading descriptions like Art's makes me delighted we chose state primary for our DC.

Very much play based learning, gradually morphing into formal learning by Y3.

The reception classroom had some tables for 6ish children per table with activities on plus outdoor play space with activities, a role play corner and book corner.

The school my dd will attend has no reception class- she will just start the term after she turns 4 in year 1.

So Art will she have 'no chance'? Will she be forever behind?

Practice- they just don't do it all at once at desks, there would be a writing activity table, a drawing/ craft one as well as other stations of activities either floor or table based. If the didn't use one of the desks they could draw on the floor lying down, or on easels that are set up in the corner, outside with a clipboard drawing flowers, leaning on a book in the book corner whilst drawing a story. Some crafts are huge, like making the bat mobile with cardboard boxes and paint outside or a rocket which are in the middle of the floor or outside. Creativity goes beyond A4 sheets on desks

Sorry Arf, that confirms it. I am officially sad about your school.

Bit some tables are fine but at that stage children learn through play and their environment needs to reflect that.