What is your P1 child doing in school, especially if they are 'playbased'?

[thefictionalcrown]

I am definitely not speaking to the teacher at this point in term but this has been niggling away at me for a while now.

DS is number 3 so I thought I knew the script by now, but everything's changed. They have 'must do tasks' which they show they have completed by putting a stick in a jar.

Learning seems to be very, very slow- they have only learned up to the sound o and numbers 0-10. The whole class seems to be working together whereas DDs were definitely in groups by this point and reading quite nicely.

He is quite capable academically but also quite capable of mischief... he has told me that he puts his stick in the jar without actually completing the task. I was very firm with him that I want him to complete all these tasks when he is given them, but whether that is happening or not I don't know.

My P1 is in a mixed class with P2s. She's done place value to 30+ and I think they've covered all the sounds in the alphabet but not sure as she's done some "P2" digraphs as well (was at school in England last year so is being treated as an oddball).

Christ only knows!
2 P1 classes....one teacher posts loads of photos and info etc....ours, absolutely NOTHING!
Looking in you would think there was only 1 P1. Starting to seriously irritate me!

Do they all have their own desk etc? I just can't understand how it works with no desks.

I've discovered that there is a "teaching table" by reading DD's report. Apparently she sometimes requires several invitations to join it...

I can imagine DS's hearing becoming very selective in these circumstances, especially if it involves leaving something he is involved in.

My dc was in play based p1 last year with very little structure, by this point they were a lot behind my elder one at this stage, and only got the level 1 reading books after Christmas. Much more like nursery.

You'll get lots of people telling you that they can pick reading and numbers up at any old point down the line, and 4/5 is too early for formal learning for many kids and they'll all be creative geniuses from this new approach but I failed to find any value in it for my dc. I moved my dc to a school with a different approach which suits us both a lot better.

Never mind the p1s. I can tell you what the P7s do... F-all...
That's the way the school works. No point in getting worked up (and goodness only knows how much I did...).

I actually quite like the play based learning. I couldn't imagine my child sitting still for more than 10 min.

P1 was last year for us so can't remember exactly what they knew at this point. By March they knew all their phonic letters and had started diagraphs and some tricky words (block 1 and 2 I think). They could read very basic stuff and write a bit. They also knew some basic addition and subtraction. At our school they did short sessions with the teacher in small groups, class type learning and then a lot of learning activities that were play based. They also had free time where they could explore.

I come from a place where formal learning starts much later so was happy to see there was no sitting at desks.

I don't think my DDs really sat at a desk for longer than 10 minutes at a time, but everything was far more structured and there was absolutely no choice.

How did your DC cope with moving to P2 (obviously lockdown etc)? Are they still play based or more formal?

They are still play based and doing really well in school unlike the home learning which was awful towards the end. Our teacher seems to be a magician!

The feedback this year seems more patchy than last, but our virtual parents evening was very reassuring.

Do they all have their own desk etc? I just can't understand how it works with no desks.

Fwiw my p7 doesn't have her own desk.

DC classroom has a special desk where the children go to learn with the teacher in small groups. If they do group learning then I think they sit on the floor.
The learning activities have their own spaces or desks or whatever scattered through class. It looks a bit crazy but the kids seem to know how it all works!

My child has done play based learning for P1 and P2. They are now in P3 getting ASN time as there is little grasp of anything other than basic phonics e.g. they don’t know “ou, ow, i_e” The class is only just covering the Two timestable and they seem way behind where my other children were at this stage. My child is delighted to have a desk now!!

I repeatedly raised in P2 that they were struggling but got told all this guff about “children learn at their own rate”. I am not a fucking eejit and know when my child is struggling. During lockdown they told us, that with the few worksheets they did, they kept putting them in the “unfinished tray” but never got them back and nothing was said to us.

However they’ve had a great time taking apart old electronics “for discovery”, banging nails in bits of wood and making pictures.

I can see us needing to pay for private tutoring from P6 to catch up on 2 years of missed education and get ready for S1. I’m raging. This was in a class of 18 being used as a case study for Education Scotland.

Did they not give you a virtual class tour or any classroom pics or timetable?
In P1 we got a school booklet with lots of info about a typical school day and we could occasionally visit or volunteer to help. Guess that is a thing of the past

My children were in English reception (same age I think?) and sounds very similar. No set desks, play based, "opportunities for learning". Mine bypassed the writing tables for more play - they're not fools!

We were then told they were behind at every teacher communication until lock down.

Year 1 has been much more structured and they've settled much better.

Ds is in p1 (smallish rural school) and seems to be learning a lot. They are definitely further through the alphabet than o and he's brought home a variety of examples of worksheets/writing/numbers and artwork today. From the photos we get sent/things that ds has said even the play sections involve a basic task (bridge building with lego/naming and building a town etc). We've had a few Biff, chip and kipper books home (electronically). There are enough desks for everyone to sit at if needed. The teacher checks if they have completed their "jobs" before they move on (according to ds). He can write 1 through 100 and has developed an interest in addition and subtraction since August. They've also spent plenty of time outside doing maths and art based activities. It seems as if they do somethings as a whole class, some in smaller groups within their class, some in pairs with a p7 and some individually. As far as I can tell, it seems to be a good mix of tasks, he loves school and is definitely learning.

We did and do get lots of pictures and were told it's fantastic, what an opportunity, they learn through play, but yes to the banging nails in wood and pictures.

The learning just seems to be secondary to the experience. It's giving five year olds far too much responsibility imo- as a PP said, very few children will choose the writing table over more play!

@Dinosauratemydaffodils that’s not playbased learning in its pure form. That’s what my other children did in P1-3. I’d be delighted if my child experienced that.

What they did first was remove everything off the walls and repaint the classroom in neutral colours. All the stuff on the walls is distracting. Then they removed anything plastic apart from Lego and replaced it with natural loose parts materials e.g. shells, wood etc. Tables and chairs were removed. Those “tough tray” type tables were installed with different materials on it. There are no set tasks as this would be adults directing the children’s play. There are 2 “stations” with active maths activity and a mark making/ writing station. The children all day can move about these stations as they see fit including as much time outside playing in the mud kitchen, with the tyres and wood. There seems to be no encouragement to try the different stations.

Once or twice a day the kids in small groups spend time with the teacher doing reading, writing or maths. Again there is no table and chair for this. Photos were shared of the kids lying on their tummies filling in worksheets, holding it against a wall to fill it in, using the windowsill as a desk. All great apparently.

I'm guessing the nail hammering is to develop motor skills. They had that in preschool and I think P1 also. Along with water trays, sand, mud kitchen and endless amounts of crafting stuff. DC loves it.

From what I remember the play based learning tasks did get checked in P1. They certainly are in P2 as they bring a lot home and they have stamps and tick marks. It looks a bit stricter this year.

When everyone came back to school in August our school communicated that at the start they will focus on wellbeing. So maybe your school had a slower and gentler start as a lot of the kids had no preschool since March? I mean P1 is quite a scary transition and 4-5 months at home probably didn't help.

On the other hand, my dc found the lack of structure and noise upsetting. I wonder at the one size fits all with education, if there was more parental choice you could have a better chance at picking what your child in particular, needed.

The children that are having trouble listening, not all of them are going to benefit from a free for all until 7, it can entrench problems and put off the long trudge for adequate help. I'd be surprised if over time it's not moving problems further down the line for identification.

If it's just a free for all the school are not delivering a play based learning correctly- or maybe that's just the assumption of parents that that's what is going on? It's still structured, at least it should be, and dc are not just left to play/choose all day. This year is different as classes are being kept as separate bubbles and in one room rather than the free flow between 3 with more options of activities but it just means we change them more frequently. A pp was right that things have not moved as quickly this year as emotional well-being after months at home has been prioritised. We are a school in an area of very high deprivation so this was all the more important. They are all past 'o' though in phonics as we are moving on to phase 3 now. Remember they don't learn them in alphabetical order though.

We use a visual timetable and the day goes something like come in and get settled - dc now know the routines well for getting all their things hung up, water bottles in their place, lunch boxes on the trolley etc and sit down together for register and a whole class literacy session (phonics sounds) all good fun using puppets/props and rhymes. Then choosing/free play - all careful thought out. The banging of nails not only improved upper body and hand strength all vital for good pencil grip but also managing risk which many dc don't get much chance to do at home these days. There will be craft activities and games/activities that reinforce what they are learning with maths and literacy so they are actually learning through play. The favourite role play area we've had all year has been the school where they loved practising their writing, using the white board pens etc. During this time the teacher will call individuals or small groups to a desk to do 1:1 teaching tailored to their level. Before play time they will be called to the carpet for a story.

After playtime is numeracy whole class lesson followed by a task tailored to each dc level, that they will sit at the activity tables for so desk work essentially then more choose time - again well thought out learning through play activities not a free for all noise fest.

Lunch then a good out door play time. The afternoon is more relaxed with some outdoor learning, free play where the teacher will do more individual 1:1 work with dc. Dc are not left to play in just one area either and wandering dc or those messing about or being noisy will be directed to an activity we feel they need to work on.

DD's school is also play based and certainly not the free for all described by some here. They had different classrooms STEM room, literacy room, creative room, home(play) room, outdoor learning classroom (a specific area set aside but the whole outdoor space of the school was utilised and the wider park area too) which they rotated through the day with small groups taken aside to work with teacher, I assume this year the rotation will not be happening, (dd is is p3 now so not sure exactly how they are doing it in year covid) but the same learning will be going on in one place im sure. Dd 2 had a reading book by September in primary 1 and moved far more quickly through the levels than dd1 (now 11) who had the traditional more formal teaching model as there was far more 1:1 or small group time with the teacher. I very much doubt any schools are just leaving the dc plying with any old toys and bits of sticks all day but if they are then they are doing it wrong!

It's so interesting to see play based learning as something new and unheard of!! I was teaching just like this 30 years ago in West Lothian and so were all my colleagues... so weird that it's not recognised. I'm sure loads of posters on here must remember playing in the home corner... play dough... sand and water in p1 and p2 and going home at 2.30 in infants 👶🏻 it's what I remember from my own p1 in the 70s too. It's not new !!

It's so interesting to see play based learning as something new and unheard of!! I was teaching just like this 30 years ago in West Lothian and so were all my colleagues... so weird that it's not recognised. I'm sure loads of posters on here must remember playing in the home corner... play dough... sand and water in p1 and p2 and going home at 2.30 in infants🏻 it's what I remember from my own p1 in the 70s too. It's not new !!

Military school abroad here. My mum has photos of 4 year old me in uniform sat at a desk in a classroom with very few toys. By the equilivient of p4 we were expected to write with italic nibbed fountain pens. Free play wasn't a thing at all.

It is new, it's a whole different model with some schools being on year one or 2 where as others have polio other and are on year 3/4. It's not just shorter days and having a sand table, it's a whole different way of providing the curriculum- having no set classroom or teacher (outwith covid) more like nursery with a key worker and stations etc. Dd is in p7 and of course she had play doh. The play based model is something totally different. Dd2 in p3 now got year 2 of the p1 play based and year one of p2 play based at their school as it's all so new. They were one of the first in city of Edinburgh council, and its VERY different to how you were taught in the 70's - water tray and sand table aside.

My DDs had plenty of sand, water, home corner and play doh, this is definitely a whole new world!

From further interrogation, I am concerned that the 'must do' tasks aren't being checked. The teacher checks the jar, but because the tasks aren't worksheets (I have seen no evidence of any of those...) there's no telling. One of last week's tasks was to sort the shapes into the right post box in the post office, apparently. There is sometimes a support worker but they do 'things in the corridor'.