Primary School Reception Classes

[flip_flop]

There is a letter in today's Times to Chris Woodhead from a concerned parent who, on visiting some potential primary schools for his child was surprised to find that the kids could pretty much do what they want, most of whom were playing with toys.

This, according to Chris Woodhead, is because some heads/LEAs think five year olds must become "autonomous learners", and therefore the choice is theirs as to whether they learn to read or play with a toy.

This is just bananas isn't it? Yet another ridiculous edict from barmy 'right-on' headteachers/LEAs.

Woodhead's advice, which is advice I will be taking for my four year old daughter, is find a school that teaches their reception classes in a structured purposeful way.

Presumably these are the same idiots that think 6 and 7 years old should know about sex.

autonomous learners - jesus christ on a bike.

[sambro]

Personally I think whichever government banned the use of corporal punishment in schools has a lot to answer for. I must say i am not surprised by this. i would say it sounds pretty much like a lot of schools. The kids can do pretty much what they want to without fear of punishment. The kids who want to learn will learn but the ones who dont will disrupt the rest of the class, and there is not a lot the teacher can do in the way of discipline.

[KT84]

I didnt see the letter you are referring to but as a nursery nurse i would like to say that young children learn through their play, so adding things in to their play to support their learning is one of the best ways of teaching young children new things. However i do think that play should be used with some sort of structured learning, but providing opportunities for children to make their own choices in the classroom can make them more enthusiastic learners and more willing to learn.

For example in our nursery in the home corner we have books and paper which we encourage children to access in their play, so we might say, "why dont you write a shopping list and then we can go shopping," so the child is encouraged to try and write, and even if there not yet able to write actual letters the mark making is helping them increase pencil control which before a good pencil grip and pencil control is achieved by a pupil they can not begin to form letters.

[annie0000]

In Scotland children start formal education later and our children will still be at nursey until P1 - we don't have reception class, however this differece is evened out by P2 - I think that there are merits to letting little children be children for a while and as long as they are given stimulating opportunities to learn, i wouldn't be too concerned. They are also talking about delaying school starting age for boys in Scotland by a year so they will average 6 before starting P1. Children in Scandavian countries don't start til about 7 and it doesn't seem to affect their educational achievements.

[sambro]

Sorry - I can see that my remarks where completely inappropriate in this case. Of course very young children learn through play. As a mother of two I should have known that. Having seen the last 2 posts I can see that you know what you are doing.
Incidentally, We were living in South Africa when my children started school. They start at 6 years old there.
The reasons we were given had to do with most children not having the coordination required for a structured education before then.

[Goodsoulette]

I think children learn a lot through play. I don't think they would be sat there playing with transformers and barbie dolls, the toys in school are educational. It might be dressing up and playing with water etc but it normally seres a purpose.

I learned about sex at the age of 5. From my mum, at least I knew that if anyone touched me it was wrong. I still played and climbed trees and enjoyed everything kids should, except I wasn't ignorant to dirty old men. My 6 year old knows about sex, I started laying the foundations about it when he was 4 or 5. He's not obsessed with sex, it hasnt ruined thomas the tank engine or spiderman for him.

As for corporal punishment??? Who though caning children was a good idea in the first pace was an absolute sadist. Id anyone beat my child with a stick I would go and do exactly the same to them.

I don't live in the best area of my town but the ofsted report shows the local school to be the 3rd best in the deane. Now the kids that go their are horrible out of school in general, but inside it they are brilliant, quiet and well behaved. Children are capable of learning two codes of behaviour and if you think that badly behaved children is a result of not being petrified of the cane, then I believe you are very much wrong. It is not just the schools job to provide a moral code for children.

[flip_flop]

No, I'm sorry, this just strikes me as absurd, and I'm pleasd to say so does Chris Woodhead.

It strikes me that this is the same thought process that has gone in to an eagerness to label children.

The staff in my child's nursery class decided that my daughter had a mild form of Aspergers because she displayed what, at worse, could be described as idiosyncracies - and in shock my wife signed something that gave them authority to call in somebody else to observe my daughter, which I rescinded.

After a very long slog with a helpful GP, who just happens to be an expert in this field, and a solicitor, I have secured a written document from them that they were wrong. The GP was incessant that they felt qualified to diagnose, and after many sessions the GP has advised she displays no signs of Aspergers.

How dare these unqualified people try to label a child.

[Goodsoulette]

I see that you feel offended by this but surely its better to be over observant and possibly identify earlier than let children slip through the loop. 20 years ago people wouldn't get a diagnosis until they were adults, dyslexia totally unrecognised.

[andrea81]

This is actually something every parent will have to get used to, it's actually a form of the 'Foundation phase' that is coming into England and Wales where the choice of learning is up to the child. Obviously oportunities for learning will be given, but children will lead the way. As a person who works in Education, I am not entirely sure about it, but it's something that's happening!

[mushroom25]

In Norway, "structured" learning starts much later than in the UK (and has done for years).

Yet I don't believe there's any suggestion that Norwegian children are disadvantaged when compared to their British counterparts.

[flip_flop]

Observant yes, Goodsoulette, but not have a lebelling mentality for a couple of foibles that a three year old displayed (she was three when they first 'observed' her behaviour).

Incidentally, if my daughter did have Aspergers then so must I, so must her mother, her grandparents, her aunts, uncles and cousins - in fact everybody I know has some quirk or other that is on the list for Aspergers.

[Goodsoulette]

Which is a very good point! My friend works with autistic adults and she used to love pointing out the list of many things about me that were a symptom of autism. I still think whereas, it caused some worry and stress for you, some parents would be eternally grateful for having it pointed out to them at such a young age.

I have children in this age bracket and although we were informed children learned many things through play, they come out knowing the things I would expect them to know at this age. I think its a bot of a nonstory, dressed up to shock.