School doesn’t zip kids coats

[Zok]

Hi has anyone noticed from pics that schools share of nursery and reception kids 3-4 year olds doing outdoor activities that staff don’t zip up the kids even in the freezing weather what is the point of the coats then and how to raise the issue with school
there are around 20 kids in nursery but winter is winter was -3 last week

My DS’s fantastic nursery (private day nursery) had all children putting on their own coats at 3 (with a method I’d never seen before - lay it out and flip it over their heads with the hood) and zipping them up at 4. I’m sure the odd one still needed help but they took teaching that particular skill off my plate!

Love this, my sister is a TA in reception and teaches all her kids this for the last 12+ years!

I was shown that method early in my eyfs teaching career. It's brilliant.

I well remember the child who wore boots that I struggled to put on his feet. I asked his mum how she did it at home thinking there was an easy trick I was missing. turns out there was, she used a couple of spoons like shoe horns to get her four year olds boots on. Simple - when you know how, and have a couple of spoons handy.

My DS’s fantastic nursery (private day nursery) had all children putting on their own coats at 3 (with a method I’d never seen before - lay it out and flip it over their heads with the hood) and zipping them up at 4. I’m sure the odd one still needed help but they took teaching that particular skill off my plate!
I sent one of mine in being able to put their coat on with a reasonable success rate and remember them coming home telling me that I've told them how to do it "wrong". I was confused and then they showed me this and told me this was the "proper way".
Hats off to nursery and reception teachers.

I’ve felt like a total plonker modelling the jacket flip to parents, but it’s worth it to see their faces.

Not true. I'm not a teacher or any type of TA. I went to a special school for special needs for 4-16 year olds. I'm 21 now nearly 22. The School made sure that coats are fully zipped up when it's really cold during break times and hometimes. We had quite a few of 13 to 16yr olds could not zip up their coats. Teachers and TA's helped them. When I was on the playground and anyone or someone wanted their coat zipped up then I do it up for them.

Best solution here is teach your kid how to zip up thier coat.

Kids are brilliant and learn really easily. Practise and put your mind at ease, that they are wrapped up warm outside, that is if they want to be.

Yes nursery's and schools don't zip coats up. I recently popped in to my son's school at lunchtime and the majority of the kids were not wearing coats. It was around zero degrees they were 7-11 years old. I appreciate kids can decide if they are cold or not but for that many kids I assume there was no encouragement to put a coat on. My ds has significant Sen he would need to be told to wear a coat

But if you line them up and zip them all up you are spending what 30seconds per child, so 20 children is 10 mins.

By the time you are at number 20 number one is too hot so has undone their zip. Number 2 wants to use the toilet. Number 3 is banging on the door and can't get out etc.

I'm sure if a child is cold they can ask for the zip doing up.

Also you can't be superman with a zipped up coat.

I’m a TA in Reception and I’m very happy to zip coats. The kids line up a few minutes before break and I go up the line asking those who are unzipped if they want zipped. It takes almost none of my time and some of the zips are just sticky and hard to do up! I have made sure my own kids can zip their coats before going to school but I have to say it’s really not the big deal for adults at school that some people are making out.

When I taught in reception we had 32 in the class. Me, one TA and one 1:1 support. Don’t forget though that the kids break time is also our break time - time to go to the toilet, grab a quick cup of tea if we’re lucky and get ready for the next session. If you have to zip up coats that eats into the already preciously small amount of time we have. Even if we split it between all 3 adults that’s 10 (+) zips every break time, it takes longer than you think.

Trouble is rhe jacket flip for 30 kids requires space whi h is usually in short supply and I have seen face/eye injuries to bystanding children as the zip at the bottom of the jacket is whipped through the air.

@Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong but mittens are rubbish for playing in. DS is outside all day at nursery so mittens would mean he couldn't use his hands at all

Yes I've noticed this too, completely agree with you. Pre schoolers need a bit of help and encouragement with stuff like this. Letting the kids go out in really cold weather without helping to zip their coats up is just laziness and neglect from the staff.

@Frederica145

Haha ... 30 to a class is normal in reception, if you are unlucky more because parents have managed to appeal to get a place over 30! TA's are not a given, there's often only one or two between 3 or 4 classes unless there's sen pupils, and they might be 1:1 so not available.

Most kids can zip their own coats, mine certainly could by reception, ratios are different at nursery so they helped. It's more important to teach life skills like this prior to school entry than letters etc!

i imagine that is why coats with toggles are popular

I remember being taught how to put my own shoes on, including tying laces and how to zip up a coat before I started school at 5.

I taught my own DC the same.

I think these are skills needed for school and I assumed most kids could do this themselves if required?

Just to add, most kids will just unzip them anyway after they've been zooming around the playground!

We're a free flow to outside so most children put their own coats on and go out. We don't line them up to go outside unless going on a trip. I'm surprised this year just how many of our 3 year olds can manage their own zips having been taught at home before starting nursery. Some children just don't let you zip up their coats.

I work in a school. I tell the children to do coats on or support them. Then they get round the corner and unzip them.

Did you have one of those cards with shoe laces on for practice?

I could definitely do laces before school. (My parents should possibly have noticed that I couldn't see properly, and wouldn't speak, but by gosh I could tie laces.)

When I taught reception I'd say it was about 40% who could zip their own coats and 60%. who couldn't. We spent quite a bit of time practising but in the meantime me or one of the staff would happily zip coats for children. Having said that, they would need to want me to! Has your DC asked and staff have said no?

Have been working since December on our preschoolers to zip up their coats, am bent over double showing the little ones for the hundredth plus how to do it, its a time of jubilation when a novice can do.
Parents should be doing this, including getting them to change for themselves, ideally at bedtime as there’s no rush in the morning.
I just wish that they only all took 30 seconds, you’re helping to put on hats, scarves and gloves and gloves are a nightmare!

Don’t get me wrong, since September we’ve been showing them how to get their coats on, this is the 3-4 year age group that I’m with.