OFSTED and child-initiated play GUBBINS

[Cadzooks]

Does anyone know anything about the new rules from OFSTED about child-initiated play? My 4 year old has gone from adoring her nursery to being in absolute floods about going and I'm 99 per cent sure it's because of Ofsted's new rules about making children initate all ideas for play. From what I can tell it means that nursery staff are no longer allowed to structure the day or the play of the pre-school kids at nursery or suggest activities at all. Essentially all they can do is a day of supervised free-play with whatever the kids can find in the room. I am so as my LO loved her writing time, her flashcards session, her reading hour, her messy play hour. Now she has to wander round the room looking for stuff to do. She's going mental and is not being prepared for school in any way.
I would love to know more about it and why they've done it. The staff at the nursery are in equal shock and uproar about it as well and can only sympathise with me. They are trying to work out a way round the rules but don't have much room to move in. Any ideas/similar experience?

Could you ask your child to ask the nursery staff if she can paint or can she do flash cards etc. Then the staff could ask if any one else would like to join in. This would be child initiated. Would that work ? or could the staff at the begining of the session ask the children what would they like to do today, they could then plan the day around this. This would also be child initiated.

Thanks for suggestions - I'll give this a go. I think there's a difficult transition period. Just hope Ofsted don't change it back again just as she's got her head round asking for things she wants to do.

I don't know much about nurseries - but this article says there should be a mix of adult and child led play ie there still should be planning by the children I know the article is for older children - but the foundation stage starts at age 3 so it is still appropriate

this is a subject that i have to work around too, the government's new initiative 'free play' we have to let the children decide what they want to do and just provide the stuff iykwim. i did think it just applied to playschemes and after school clubs quite surprised that nurseries have to do it too.

apparently children have too much structure and need 'free play' it has caused such a change in the way things are run, and quite a bit of upset too.

It is the norm in NZ and although I was very dubious about it to start with I think it can and does work.
But it depends on the child - DS was much happier once he started school because he works well with structure. DD, however is positively thriving on 'child led play' at her pre-school. She is only 2 and a half though and perhaps at 4 she may be like DS and need more input - I don't know yet ....

With regard to child initiated play, the idea is that all the resources and equipment are made available to to the children so as they can select toys and equipment themselves. In any nursery you go to, the equipment should be on an easily accessible level. So if your dd enjoys painting and flashcards, they should be available for her to select for herself. This is the child initiated bit. The adult should then support the children's learning, and in this case, this would mean the staff member recognising that you child has chosen to use the flashcards, sitting with her and using them with her.

I'm all for child initiated activities. They enable the children to make decisions and control their own learning. Children are more likely to learn from equipment and activities that they have chosen for themselves, rather than being told what they have to do and being directed to something by an adult.

Your child shouldn't be wandering around the room looking for things to do, there should be plenty on offer. Children learn best by doing rather than by being told and I think this is the way Ofsted are looking at the Child Initiated issue.