Is Reception part of EYFS and should therefore be open, even if rest of primary school is closed?

[Fr0thandBubble]

DD is in the Reception year of a London state primary, which is now closed because of COVID. At least one private school I know of in the same borough is opening for its Reception year, as it interprets that as being part of the Early Years stage. I am pissed off that once again private school children are getting an advantage here and I want my DD in school also.

Does anyone know what the official position is on this? Can primary schools in an area which mandates closure still open for Reception if they choose to do so?

Of course private schooo children are at an advantage. That’s what they pay for, a top notch service!!!!

I’ve been wondering this as reception does sometimes seem to be classed as early years and sometimes there seems to be separate rules the the under 5s. I’d have thought it would be a logistical nightmare to just open reception though.

What a shitty comment. FYI, I can very easily afford private education for my children. But why the hell should poorer children be denied a proper education? Why is that OK? Why are private school teachers able to work (just like any other key worker) but not state school teachers?

The government just haven’t realised reception is EYFS. I guarantee.

As others have said, if you want private provision, pay for private education. I can list out plenty of discrepancies that happen without Covid being part of the equation.

I had a YrR and Nursery child in Lockdown 1, plus I was officially working 3 days a week. I spent 1hr a day with them both doing phonics work set by school, on my days off (When I was also working as I had switched things around to make life easier but meant working 5 days a week) we did a bit more of the Maths activities.

Outside of that hour I had them sit with me doing various worksheets I downloaded off twinkl, or workbooks I had or set them challenges with duplo, etc - alongside me working.

You pay for what you get. It’s not fair but it is what it is. If you can afford it, I suggest you send your dc to a private school.
All schools have to provide work for children at home now anyway.

@Fr0thandBubble

What a shitty comment. FYI, I can very easily afford private education for my children. But why the hell should poorer children be denied a proper education? Why is that OK? Why are private school teachers able to work (just like any other key worker) but not state school teachers?

Mybe state school teachers appreciate that in some households their is limited technology to be used by multiple people.

Ie 1 phone and 1 computer between a working parent and 3 children.

Maybe setting work that isn't live works better for them. We don't all live in the same circumstances - I live and work in a 'nice, middle class area' a lot of my students are in this situation.

How is “if you don’t like it send your children to private school” in any way an acceptable response?

As I said above, I can easily afford it but what about those who can’t? Why should they just have to accept a substandard education for their children? We’re not talking better facilities or smaller class sizes here - we’re talking about an actual education, in class, with a teacher, for private school children compared to fuck all for state school children!

Why is everyone so willing to accept this? It is NOT OK.

@Fr0thandBubble

What a shitty comment. FYI, I can very easily afford private education for my children. But why the hell should poorer children be denied a proper education? Why is that OK? Why are private school teachers able to work (just like any other key worker) but not state school teachers?

I think you’ve turned this into a private/state school issue based on very little. Many private schools are not opening for reception. It’s at a schools discretion for both state and privates and the decision will be based on a school wide risk assessment/many factors pertaining to each particular school. The ‘poor’ are not being denied an education. It’s 2 weeks of homeschooling at this stage. Calm down.

Demanding that state schools get the same as private schools is a complete waste of energy, for obvious reasons.

@Fr0thandBubble

How is “if you don’t like it send your children to private school” in any way an acceptable response?

As I said above, I can easily afford it but what about those who can’t? Why should they just have to accept a substandard education for their children? We’re not talking better facilities or smaller class sizes here - we’re talking about an actual education, in class, with a teacher, for private school children compared to fuck all for state school children!

Why is everyone so willing to accept this? It is NOT OK.

Because OP that is NOT what is happening!!!

The R classes in 6 of the prep schools in my area are not opening. What stats are you basing your outrage on???

My kids’ state school in London is planning to open not only reception but year 1 too, as they say that both constitute early years. I can’t see how they have come to that conclusion. As others above have said, I don’t think the government even intended the early years exception to apply to reception classes

You will probably find private schools also have much smaller classes making social distancing a little easier ( although they are still 5 so still bloody difficult). Our Reception unit has 90 children sharing space, resources and 3 toilets. The week before school closed 8 out of 11 members of Reception staff tested positive to covid 19 followed swiftly by almost all of their families including vunerable family members. The only protection those members of staff had in our safe schools was hand washing ( by 5 year olds), extra cleaning ( completed by the staff with no PPE) and hand sanitizer.
I am a teacher and a parent and believe me I want to be in school teaching next week so much but please do not believe Virus when he tells you schools are safe. Many of our children go home to vunerable parents too, with current infection rates it is simply a matter of time before the NHS becomes overrun.

@EreLongDoneDoDoesDid

I'm willing to bet this too. The guidance talks specifically about "early years" and primaries as seperate things, and refers to attendance at early years not being compulsory. I bet they hadn't thought about the problem of reception being a mix of 4 and 5 year olds, some of which will be compulsory education age and some not. I suspect any school that actually asks will be told to key reception closed.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/949187/Contingencyyframeworkimplementationnguidance.pdf

@Fr0thandBubble

What a shitty comment. FYI, I can very easily afford private education for my children. But why the hell should poorer children be denied a proper education? Why is that OK? Why are private school teachers able to work (just like any other key worker) but not state school teachers?

Wow, just wow!! You seriously need to look past the end of your self centred nose. I can tell you that all teachers want their health to be considered in the government decisions, which it doesn’t seem to be. Private school is completely different to state school, check out the number of children in your local private and state schools, check out how many children per class there are, the size of the classrooms, outside space, school halls, dining room facilities or lack of in many state schools. It isn’t as simple as you seem to think! Your child will still get an education but it will be done at home for a few weeks while the government try to stop a virus that is killing 100’s of people on a daily basis!

Private school teachers usually have a much smaller workload. Their classes are smaller and often taught by specialists, who have the pleasure of only teaching their own subject. That privilege is paid for through tuition fees.

If your child is only in reception, what are you basing your knowledge of the last academic year's home learning provision on? Surely she only started school in September 2020? If you're basing your rant on her nursery experience. Know that it's non statutory, and even in the private schools, which you seem to admire so much, no nursery aged child would be doing seven hours of formal lessons per day.

@Lanaa I have an older child too.

@PinkShimmerSparkle Wanting state school children to access proper education is not selfish.

I'm in North London. I know of 2 state schools and 1 prep school opening nursery and reception. I also know of 4 prep schools not opening reception class in this area. Calm down OP.

If state were as good as private, private would be out of business overnight.

Local private primary here initially said they would take Reception but then said they were told by DofE that for purposes of covid reception is considered primary, not eyfs

By using the private option you are basically buying a better service than that offered for free

It's not free. We all pay for it. Fgs all parents should have an opinion on the education their kids are getting not just suck it up regardless of whether it's fit for purpose because it's "free"

Children in state schools are NOT getting a substandard education.

It’s likely that home learning provision will be different in this lockdown anyway, but if your school isn’t providing enough, then tell them. There is a reason that schools are being told to close, and the private school teachers that are forced to go into school for face to face teaching instead of online are being treated horrendously by their schools.

As others have said, I think it is completely plausible that the Education Secretary doesn’t know how schools work and is completely unaware that Reception is EYFS. In my school Nursery and Reception are very separate to the primary years (1-6). In others Reception is more like Y1. The document attached lumps Reception in with the rest of primary.

Reception is EYFS in terms of practice and curriculum, but nursery provision is non statutory meaning that children don't have to attend. Once children are in Reception attendance is statutory so for school closures reception should follow the primary guidelines.

Children don't have to be in school until the term after their 5th birthday (England) but once they have started them the attendance requirements are the same as for any other primary year group.