Reception Class Staffing Numbers

[Pinana]

Can anyone tell me the official requirements for staff numbers in Reception? All I can find online is on discussion boards, that reception classes are subject to the same 1:30 ratio as KS1 classes. However, I have a reception teacher colleague who insists that she 'has' to have an LSA in her class of 15 reception children. I think this is incorrect but can't find an official document, eg from Ofsted, to back me up.

I don't want anecdotes, I need hard facts! Many thanks in advance.

Read this. Depends on the class make up.

It's officially 1:30.
Practically that doesn't work with such young children - what happens if one has an accident and needs help changing? Or one hurts themselves? It's a tricky one

It's up to her to back up her claim surely, not on you to disprove it.

Or could she be saying the job is, in practice, impossible without?

Yes, completely agree. But when there's a challenging Y1 class with twice the number of children and no LSA the same applies.

It is really difficult, I completely understand that school budgets are stretched, but I'm just trying to ascertain why YR seem completely protected from all cuts when other infant teachers are losing classroom support. My job is becoming impossible without another adult due to some extremely difficult to manage behaviour within the class (including one who tries to escape!).

But I'm chatting to the Head next week (who is pretty reasonable) so I'll see what he says.

The reception teacher is by herself with 15 children? Technically legal but unpractical. What happens when one child needs toileting support?

Your issue isn’t how much support reception recieving. Your problem is the lack of support in year 1.

1-30 for a qualified teacher is the legal requirement in Reception. In reality, that is completely impractical. Reception should always have another member of staff where possible, even if there are less than 20 children, as you're frequently dealing with toilet accidents, tears, head bumps, blood, sick etc.

If I'm reading this right, you're hoping to prove them wrong so the support can be distributed to yourself, as you are dealing with 30 Year 1s with lots of additional needs by yourself? I agree you're in an impossibly difficult situation, but it's not fair on your Reception colleague either if they lose their TA to cover you. That would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. You need to state you case for support firmly and frequently, without even mentioning the scenario in Reception. See what solution SLT come up with for themselves. Don't put ideas in their head that Reception would be fine without a TA as that's simply not practical.

Out of interest, is this a very small intake for Reception this year at your school? It seems odd to only gave 15 after taking 30 the previous year. I don't understand why they didn't go with a pure Year 1 and mixed R/1 this year to even the numbers. Then some of your children with particularly challenging needs could have benefitted from an extra year of TA support and access to continuous provision while you cracked on with rest. That to me would have been the most logical solution but it's too late now to change that.

but I'm just trying to ascertain why YR seem completely protected from all cuts when other infant teachers are losing classroom support.

Have you ever taught Reception OP? I'm guessing not as this comment shows a complete lack of empathy and understanding as to why support is pretty much essential in this year group. Of course, in an ideal world, you should have support too in Year 1, I am not disputing that at all, but not at the expense of Reception. It's very sad that it's coming to an either or situation, but Reception need to take priority.

Yes, I have taught reception, and yes, I understand the challenges it presents. I'm not advocating taking all support away from them. But a YR class of 15 with no behaviour needs, compared to a Y1 class of twice the size, with some severe behaviour issues... I respectfully disagree that YR takes priority.

I know how you feel, OP.
I teach 18 year 3/4s with some severe emotional/learning needs and we're the only class in the school without a TA.
One teacher has full time support due to being an ECT, one due to being head of school part time and needing release time, and the other being in reception.

It can be very hard sometimes and I can't help but think we're always the ones to get shafted because my job share and I are experienced teachers.
Like that makes a jot of difference when you've got a child constantly running off.

You'd do better asking for TA support from elsewhere.

If there are any other TAs in the school then that's likely to be an easier one to ask for reallocation.

Quite a contradiction there. You're not advocating for them having their support taken away, but you don't believe they should take priority. So what do you suggest? Reception should have full time support at all times for practicality reasons. You should too in an ideal world, but Reception should take priority by age and nature. I don't understand why your SLT have allowed a situation where Reception only have 15 and you have 30 in Year 1. That is madness. They've made this mess, they need to find a solution to solve it.

Anyone who has taught in Reception before should understand why, by nature, they should always take priority for TA support no matter what the numbers. You're looking at this with your p*ssed off Year 1 teacher eyes (which is totally understandable) but you're directly your frustration at the wrong people.

You want additional support, right? So push the point, louder and louder each week, to fight your cause. Quit wasting energy moaning about what Reception have. As I said before, this shouldn't be a robbing Peter to pay Paul situation.

Are the school applying for EHCPs for the ones with SEN in your class? This should have been done in year R really, especially for the one who tries to escape.

If your classes are near each other I would think the TA could be shared so the year R teacher wouldn't have to deal with toileting accidents alone, but I'm not an expert.