What would you look for in a 'good' reception class?

[slotnicki]

My daughter will be starting reception next year and I'm about to look at local schools. I'm really interested in picking up your views as to what you would look for when you went round a reception class and what questions you would ask to seek out this info.

TIA

look round the whole school, dont be fobbed off at looking at just one class or the infants as your dd would ideally go there for the whole of her junior school years. see if the other children are working well, interacting with the teachers/pupils. small group sizes are good. whether the toilets are in the same area or further down the hall. computer equipment, and the general feel of the place really.

My gripe at the moment- how well does the school communicate and or listen to parents... check the attitude of the head.. are they open to ideas etc?

Things - even schools can always be improved, but some headteachers would rather rest on their laurels!

gripe over!!!

the school we chose for dd has a 'open' day each friday so parents can go n and discuss things with teachers, or you can through your kids work etc. think thats a fab idea. better than waiting for consultation evenings.

thats great misdee, we get a 10 minute slot (next to useless) in October and one in February!!!
...
this is all in a bid to, and I quote 'ensure teachers have an appropriate work -life balance'

bahh.. !!!! (and before I get lynched,my grip is not against teachers more school policy)

sorry

Ds1 has just started in Reception. While looking around a school/Reception class I would be watching for:

• Do the children themselves seem happy?

• Is there lots of the children's work on display?

• Is the Reception class mixed in with the Yr1 class? (may be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your pov)

• After a recent thread, where are the toilets in relation to the classroom? (are they easy to get to in a hurry or do the children have to walk across the school?)

-What is the school's policy on getting children used to full days at school? Will they be flexible if this is needed?

• What is the attitude towards parents dropping children off in the morning? At some schools the parents aren't allowed into the cloakrooms or classrooms. At ds1's school the parents are encouraged to go into the classroom every morning.

• On a more academic level you may be interested in things like how the children are taught to read, eg which reading schemes (if any) are used.

• What measures/practice is in place to help children to settle into school life? Do they have transition days where children can spend a morning/afternoon at the school in the term before they are due to start?

Are they aware of the different needs of a 4.5 year old compared to a 5.5 year old? Do they understand that the physical development of this age group may be extremely varied, and so some of the younger ones may still need help dressing/ being reminded to go to the loo/ reminded to eat? Is there easily available water to drink? What is the approach to socialisation and fitting in with other children?

Good point re ages MeanBean. DS3 is 29th Aug and I'm worried about him starting school and being a year yonger than some. He's only 4 weeks old BTW so it's a way off but it does concern me. Other Ds's are Nov and March so not so worried about them.

Lots of toys.

Personally I'd be looking for lots of free play and hands-on activities, the use of lots of positive behaviour strategies, a friendly teacher and a stimulating environment. I'd want the school to follow a synthetics phonics scheme and a big turn off would be if the class followed the national literacy and numeracy strategies rather than the Early Learning Goals.

I think that you will get a pretty good 'feel' of the place while you're visiting, which should be during the school day, not when all the kiddies have gone home

Toys and attractive play areas, as Scummy says! Up to date work on the walls; ICT facilities in the classroom and maybe elsewhere; "library" facilities (ie, access to reading books not in their reading scheme); and a community ethos, with artwork from different years displayed all over the school.
A big issue for us was the quality of the children's meals, attitudes to healthy snacks, the provision of drinking water bottles in all the classrooms.
Happy children; happy, smiling, warm playground supervisors and dinner ladies; a pleasant, approachable caretaker; attitudes to medication for children who need it; Special Needs policy (both for children with developmental issues/learning disabilities and for "gifted and talented").
Obviously a lot of the above become increasingly relevant the older your child gets, but for me if they are getting it right at eleven it's because the children have had a wonderful start at 4-5.
The Head and the teachers are great at ds' school and it's a happy place where children right across the academic ability range flourish, but what makes it extra special to me is the kindess of the ancilliary staff.

Oh, also check their anti-bullying strategy and ask if they have any buddying/mentoring scheme where older children take younger ones under their wing. We also love to see ds and older children playing together and enjoying each other's company.

Ask the head teacher about how they ensure the children are making progress, how they ensrue the same curriculum delivered across parellel classrooms, extra-currillia (I hate that word) activites, their approach to teaching writing and reading. What things to they have for the children to do at playtimes? Are they over/under subscibed (if they are under they may have problems with their budget and so may not have many TAs)? Also look for ICT provision.