7 replies to this topic

[laura0105]

Hi! i am starting a new job in september in a year 1 class. I have never had experience with year 1, and i am currently working as a teacher in nursery. I was wondering how your year 1 classrooms work? Do you have continuous provision? How does this work with getting everything covered that needs to be? What areas do you have in your classroom?
Sorry about all of the questions, i just want to make sure i do it right! my current school believe that year 1 should be sat working all of the time and have no play, so i need some advice from elsewhere!
hope someone people can give me some advice!
Thanks x

[busybeedeb]

Hi,
congrats on your new job! I teach in reception and in my school Y1 is pretty formal too. They begin the year more play based but very quickly have them working at tables for most of the morning. The afternoon is freer and more relaxed but still the play is limited as they have such a small classroom and no outside area. I'm sure someone will be along to help you with continuing into Y1 with a more EYFS ethos. I think many infant teachers are very much stifled by the expectations put on them by management to get their children to make expected progress. I was shocked to be told recently by the year 1 teacher that if she has children coming from reception with 7 or 8 points in writing, our head expects them to achieve at least a 2C by the end of Year 1 so I can see she is under pressure and this is her way of achieving that progress.
Deb

[laura0105]

busybeedeb, on Jun 9 2011, 19:23, said:

Hi,
congrats on your new job! I teach in reception and in my school Y1 is pretty formal too. They begin the year more play based but very quickly have them working at tables for most of the morning. The afternoon is freer and more relaxed but still the play is limited as they have such a small classroom and no outside area. I'm sure someone will be along to help you with continuing into Y1 with a more EYFS ethos. I think many infant teachers are very much stifled by the expectations put on them by management to get their children to make expected progress. I was shocked to be told recently by the year 1 teacher that if she has children coming from reception with 7 or 8 points in writing, our head expects them to achieve at least a 2C by the end of Year 1 so I can see she is under pressure and this is her way of achieving that progress.
Deb

Thanks for your reply :-). My classroom is also very small with no outside area so i think i will have to do the same! Also there has been a supply teacher in the room for most of the year and so i have hardly any resources as the lady who was class teacher took them all with her! x

[KST]

I totally believe that year 1s need continuous provision. I think its absolutely inappropriate for them to go from EYFS into a structured environment so stick to your guns and go for it! I'm going to year 2 from reception next year and am taking continuous provision with me! I will basically have my classroom set up like a reception class but add challenges in the areas that the children are expected to do each week which I think will add progression from reception. There will be more adult led learning but I value child initiated learning so much I would go as far to say that I believe it will raise attainment!

But it is tough with less resources, space, adults etc so will have to trial it and see how it goes. I am hoping that my year year 2 (same for year 1) they will be more independent in the continuous provision so adult can focus on adult led learning.
Just because children move into year 1 doesn't mean they are ready to learn in a different way. Good luck!

[Jester]

We have continuous provison throughout our school, up to year 6!
we all use the same planning template designed by the reception teacher. I hate the thought of formal year 1 classes esp when you think that many of those children who are summer borns are only just 5 and should not be sitting at desks. Anyway I digress.

Last year I taught year 1/2 and myself and the other teacher planned continuous provision linked to areas in the classroom that would feed into the topic, give children the opportunity to use or practise a skill, provide opportunities for observation and further planning. It has had an enormous impact on our children. So for example in art I may teach them how to print and so the print making materials would be available in the next weeks CP for them to access independantly. Once when we were doing a winter topic we had snow in a tray with playmobil. We also have a writing trolley with lots of different pens, pencils, papers and pads to inspire writing which we used to incooperate into the roleplay corner so that kind of ticked the writing box!

Continuing the learning journey was introduced about 5-6 years ago and I am baffled as to why more schools don't take it on board, I can understand how that heads want them to reach certain levels but there are more creative ways of doing it than sitting 5-6 year olds at desks

[Susan]

Jester, on Jun 10 2011, 08:37, said:

Last year I taught year 1/2 and myself and the other teacher planned continuous provision linked to areas in the classroom that would feed into the topic, give children the opportunity to use or practise a skill, provide opportunities for observation and further planning. It has had an enormous impact on our children. So for example in art I may teach them how to print and so the print making materials would be available in the next weeks CP for them to access independantly. Once when we were doing a winter topic we had snow in a tray with playmobil. We also have a writing trolley with lots of different pens, pencils, papers and pads to inspire writing which we used to incooperate into the roleplay corner so that kind of ticked the writing box!

Any chance of looking at your planning sheet, please! Im struggling to do this due to lack of space and resouces and another adult but I so believe it is the way to go!

[emz321]

At my school the year one teacher runs the classroom like reception until half term then from November to christmas they start doing more formal things like sitting at tables ect.. and the NC is introduced then from christmas they are soley working from the NC. She said this year it worked really well and they started asking to do more formal work and less play they sort of indicated they were ready. The classroom has continous provision all year round and so does the Y2 but due to space they only have role play, construction/ small world kind of toys by the carpet/ writing and reading area. In the first term children can choose to come into reception if they wnat to paint, model make, sand and water. The year 1 also uses the recpetion outdoor area. This year we are changing things slightly because we are lucky enough to have a removable wall between reception and y1 so in the afternoons in the first term we will open this to allow better free flow and continous provision. My advice would be if you can get some time off and go and observe other y1 teachers as everyone does it differently but i agree play should never be dropped as its such a valuable tool for helping children to learn. I have neaver taught in y1 as yet but during my teaching pratice i did time in year 1/2 and to help fit it all in i would use the role play or small world as one of my activities e.g. when we did repeating stories one group worked with me writing their story, one group was on the computer writing their story and in other group was re-telling the story and making up new verses inthe role play and small world. hope that helps good luck
Emma

[emz321]

oh and forgot also featherstones which is now part of A&C blacks has some really good books about EYFS practice in Y1 and using role play ect sorry can't remeber the titles off the top of my head but they are on their website.