Nqt Needs Help Adult Focus Child Inititated Balance

[Guest]

Hi all

 

This is my first post! Hello Everyone!

I am an NQT in Reception and have had very limited experience in FS previously. I had an observation and was told that my approach was too much like year 1. Large carpet time and then an adult focus activiity after main input.

 

I am not sure where to go from there! How does everyone manage Child Initiated and Adult Focus time. How many adult focus activiites do you have each week. How much child initiated time - is this when children access continous provision? I am so confused and have spent so long not really knowing what I am doing I am beginning to feel whether I should just pack it all in!!

 

Please help I am going out of my mind!

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum!

 

I would suggest you ask for support from you EY Advisors but here is how we go about it!

 

We have two child initiated sessions a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Went on a schema course recently and believe even more that we cannot keep them too long on adult directed activities but we do make sure that whatever we do in adult directed they can then play with during child initiated.

 

We start the morning with small group time which is adult directed and as active as we can make it. then about 10.15 we go into child initiated for about 1.5hrs. Then we have snack time another small group then whole class story or circle games and then it is lunchtime.

 

The afternoon is muvch the same but a little shorter.

[Susan]

Hi Boo and welcome.

Please do not pack it all in! Unless you started your NQT year late you are nealy through now and things will start to fall into place more.

Is it possible for you to get out and about and see other schools and what is happening? You should have the equivalent of a days non contact time.

At this point in the school year it would not be unreasonable to start to introduce more "formal" practises, depending on your school approach to yr1.

Talk too to your EY advisors.

It is not impossible for there to be an infinite number of ways of approaching this and you need to find the balance that suits you and your school.

Good luck.

[Guest]

Thankyou for your speedy reply!

 

At the moment what I do is ...

Regsiter and then child initiated time until 10.30 so i can make some observations, then 1030 - 1200 a adult led activity and try to get round all children to do this activity then 12 a phonics session for 15 mins

Lunch 1215 - 1315

afternoon I have another adult led activity until 1415/1430 depends on what time playtime is.

when they come back we have assembly pack bags for home and if time a story.

 

we are frantically trying to EY advisor to come in to help me as i could really do with some help but so far nothing!

 

How many Literacy/Numeracy adult focus activities do you have per week?

when do u fit in guided reading?? I have a TA but only in a morning from 1030 - 1215 as she does ELS before playtime!

 

Thank-you for your help so far i really appreciate it - i just constantly feel like I am getting it all wrong at the moment!!

 

[Guest]

Hi Boo23 - welcome to the forum.

 

I'm surprised if this has been picked up that your school are not suggesting how to make the changes but never mind.

 

Hopefully people from the forum (including myself) can be of help. I have posted my timetable in the past so I will try and find the link for it otherwise I will re-post a timetable. Admittedly we are working as a Year R Unit, so it is slightly different to a stand alone class but hopefully it will show how we manage the adult directed times.

 

Basically though, the children come in from 8.35 and on most mornings choose (child initiated using continuous provision) until 9:10. Some children may be asked to read or SEN may have their 1:1 with a TA at that point but the majority are choosing for themselves. We then have our phonics groups where 3 children join year 1 as they are particularly able but everyone else is split into 5 groups (2 teachers and 3 TAs) for phonics which includes reading and writing activity. This is following the Read, Write Inc programme so it is very structured but we make it fun and the children do really enjoy it. After that we have drink and fruit followed by play time. When we come in from play we have 10-15 min whole class maths session which is linked to our maths theme for the week. The adult activities afterwards are not necessarily maths though. When we plan we work out what adult focussed activities we want for the week and they just get planned in throughout the week. When children aren't involved in an adult directed activity they are using the continuous provision for child initiated time. After lunch we occasionally have a circle time or a 5/10 min input about something but most of the time it's register and then continuous provision intermingled with adult focussed activities.

 

Here is my timetable/planning 23rd_February.doc

 

I hope this has been of some help.

[Guest]

Hi Boo and welcome.

Please do not pack it all in! Unless you started your NQT year late you are nealy through now and things will start to fall into place more.

Is it possible for you to get out and about and see other schools and what is happening? You should have the equivalent of a days non contact time.

At this point in the school year it would not be unreasonable to start to introduce more "formal" practises, depending on your school approach to yr1.

Talk too to your EY advisors.

It is not impossible for there to be an infinite number of ways of approaching this and you need to find the balance that suits you and your school.

Good luck.

 

 

Thankyou Susan - I am nearly through i started NQT year in September just seem to be having a meltdown at the moment - the observation I had put all my fears into reality arrrrgh!! I am in process of making arrangements to visit other schools but this normally has to be done in PPA time! !

We are still waiting for an EY advisor we keep requesting one comes in but so far nothing - the SIP has tried Headteaher and we were asking the moderator to help us the other day too all say they will pass it on but not heard anything.

The head is keen for the FS to be as practical as possible she tries to make year 1 more like FS!

Just trying to get some of my many questions answered - everyone is so friendly and helpful on here!!

 

Thankyou!