To think there should be more adults in reception class??

[TellerTuesday4EVA]

I'm really not sure on this one so wondering if I can ask how many adults there are/were in your child's reception classroom?

DD has just started reception, she's the oldest having just turned 5 but on the whole it's a very 'young' year group with the majority being summer born so not turning 5 until Easter onwards.

There's 29 in the class (boys heavily outnumbering girls). The classroom is large, very much free play approach with an outdoor area that's accessible all day but gated from the main playground. Luckily the toilets are within the classroom so they don't have to leave for that but I just feel they could do with another adult, even if just a student or similar.

Currently there's one teacher & one Teaching assistant

I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable because I'm comparing to my nephews class, he's in year one a another local school but there's 1 teacher & 4 TA's admittedly 3 of the TA's are each designated to a particular child with SEN but there's still extra sets of eyes & hands around the classroom.

How does that compare to your child's class?

One teacher and one TA in my children's primary school (classes of 30), and this was the norm in schools I've worked in previously. The only time there was another TA was when one particular child had their own TA due to SEN, so they weren't there for the class as a whole (in theory).

Schools are always desperate for parent volunteers to come in and plug the shortfall - listening to children read and helping with craft activities/topic work. Unfortunately, parents are less and less likely to be able to come in and help, as households need two FT salaries just to stay afloat. I've seen quite a few grandparents volunteering recently though.

admittedly 3 of the TA's are each designated to a particular child with SEN but there's still extra sets of eyes & hands around the classroom

But they’re there for specific children, who need them to be there, not as extra eyes and hands.

Mind you Junior Infants until at least Halloween is madness

No Raven reception and junior infants are exactly the same age, there might be a handful of older junior infants mainly the ones born after febuary, but most junior infants start between 4 - and 5.5 its just the added half a year you wouldnt get in reception (although some schools are begining to allow summer borns to enter reception the september after their 5th birthday)

But yes hardly any classroom TA in ireland

And the PP Who said P1 classes are limited to 26, reception and KS 1 classes are limited to 30 KS 2 classes are not

Where is the money coming from to pay these extra adults

Out of the school budgets, hence less and less money.

My DDs Reception class is split into two with one teacher and 22 kids in each class. They share a TA.

Par for the course. When I qualified I had reception and Y1 and only a TA on a morning. I had a "HEEEEELLLLLLPPPP!" card to send to the office if I needed any help on an afternoon when I was on my own.

No Raven reception and junior infants are exactly the same age, there might be a handful of older junior infants mainly the ones born after febuary, but most junior infants start between 4 - and 5.5 its just the added half a year you wouldnt get in reception (although some schools are begining to allow summer borns to enter reception the september after their 5th birthday)

Not my experience, and I have taught in a few different schools in Ireland. The free preschool year has seen the school start age raise ime. In Ireland you can start from 4 upwards and must have started by 6. These days in my area we are seeing the majority of kids coming in aged 5, whereas before many came in at 4. Afaik English children generally start at 4 - from talking to people I know working there and my reading here.

My son's class had a teacher and 4 TAs but 3 of them were 1:1 learning support assistants whose concentration was on the child they were supporting and funded for. As a pp said a child starting reception with 1:1 will have severe needs and even when the child is in a class or group activity, the concentration should be almost exclusively on them.

1 teacher and 2 TAs per Reception class. It's a free flowing 2 class/form in take. So 2 teachers and 4 TAs total. The Head has applied the budget cuts elsewhere to afford it.

My child has funding through EHCP for full time 1-1. If their TA wasn’t supporting my child, I’d be straight onto the LA (who provide the bulk of the funding) to complain. The norm is 1 teacher, 1 TA. Any additional TAs in a class will be because the children they work with need them. They will work with other children too, but usually in the context of supporting my child (eg group work). Trying to get funding for additional support is hell for schools. It’s not provided lightly - or fully - it’s only given where it’s absolutely needed.

Not my experience, and I have taught in a few different schools in Ireland

Well it is in my experience and looking on Rollercoaster. Out of my family and friendship group

Two april 1996 born cousins girl staeted at 4.4 skipped TY finished college at 20 boy started at 5.5 did transition year only finished 6th year at just past 19.

March 2006 girl started at 4.5 just started 1st year

My god daughter a september 2005 birthday started literally the week before her 5th birthday (she would have in the UK too) just gone in to 1st year
Her brother started at 5.5 finished his leavers this year. As did their cousin who is over a year younger than than him. The middle sister whos almost exactly 2 years younger than him has just started 6th year.

My god daughters best friend is a january april birtjday and just gone in to 2nd year.

Those starting at post 5 were by far the oldest in the year.

The uk law is you must start education the term after your 5th birtjday the problem is that a lot of shools insist if summer borns do start the term after their 5th birthday they go straight in to year 1 (senior infants) and entirely miss reception which leads a lot of parents to chose to send them the september after theyve turned 4, there are a few schools that are beginning to allow those that start the term after their 5th birthday start reception. Theres then a problem because secondries will often put them in the year as if they started as in the year in which they would have turned 5, so they miss year 7, (age equilvent of 6th class but first year of secondry in the uk)

Preschool funding is avilable until compulsary school age in the uk too (ie until the term they turn 5) just maby dont take it up because of the reasons just explained

Right. So from the looks of things your relatives were probably not impacted by the preschool year scheme then, and that ties in exactly with what I said.

All I can say is that from what I see as a teacher currently working in Ireland, that's what I see. And that is what my friends working around the country have seen as well - a rise in school start age.

And like i said raven parents are entitled to start their summer borns the september after they turn five here too.

Increasinly i suspect this will be taken up with schools allowing those children to go in to reception rather than forcing them to entirely skip reception ....this will once again bring the school ages back in to line apart from primary in the uk just being 7 years rather than the 8 its in ireland and the fact that staying on until leavers is pretty much expected in ireland where as in the uk the uptake on post 16 education is much lower. Although rules are changing about that

Our tiny school combines Nursery and Reception as Class1 . There are 28 children one teacher, 2 TAs and a ‘helper’ not sure oh her official title.

Life is becoming about entitlement.

No, life is becoming about realising that children with ASN need Additional Support. The clue is in the name.

Branding a child with ASN or a disability entitled is a really, really shitty thing to do.

Agreed, YeTalkShiteHen. Shocking attitude to SEN.

Whatever happened to 'there but for the Grace of God go I'?

Some people don't know when they are well off.

My ds has 25 children, 2 full time TAs and 2 teachers who job share but overlap so for 1.5 days a week there are 2 teachers. I realise this is unusual though.

@moreThanFantastic as the autistic mother of 3 autistic children I’m more than aware of that thank you, I’m also aware that there will always be thundercunts who cannot bear to see children getting the support they deserve and need.

A 1:1 support worker is just that, nothing entitled about it.

You on the other hand....I can’t say what I think of people with your attitude without getting banned, and quite frankly, you’re not worth it.

@ShovingLeopard absolutely. They’re not usually quite so blatantly offensive, so this one was a bit of a shock.

Sounds normal, unless there's kids with additional needs that's the maximum you get

1 teacher and 1 TA is totally normal, you don’t need more, it’s fine.