Cloakroom- Inside The Classroom Or Not?

[Guest heleng]

OK, quick outline. As part of the Suffolk Schools organisation review our school will be expanding to take years 5 and 6 and also moving from 1 form entry to 2 form entry!! This means we are having a new school built to accomodate us and we are able to have some input into the plans.

 

Our head asked us do we want cloakrooms in or out of the classroom? Currently Reception have their cloakroom outside the room and they collect coats and PE bags etc as they move in and out. Nursey (who share our class space and hopefully will continue to do so) have two wheely sets of pegs that are moved in and out of the classroom every day and they are put infront of the Reception pegs. Again the children go in and out of the cloak room to collect bags etc as needed until the end of the session when they are wheeled in.

 

So, I initially said out but the Nursery staff said they want them in as it stops children leaving the classroom space but I believe this encourages the children to be independent and they can't get out of the building due to the height of the door handles and most children say they are going to get something anyway before they go out the door.

I am concerned about the mess- loads of stuff gets knocked off and at the mo the year 4 children help tidy up and rehang coats etc. And also the amount of space it will take up- we will need 60 Reception pegs and at least 26 nursery pegs, possibly 52 (we take two lots of children AM and PM and they currently share a peg but parents have asked if possible for them to have their own so they can leave things for the week instead of having to take them home everyday). So, having only ever taught in classes where pegs have been outside the classroom I would like some opinions please.

 

Sorry for the waffle

[Elfy]

My nursery children have thier pegs in the corridor just outside the classroom and I don't think I would change this. I think they would look a mess in the classroom. Also my children even the very young have don't any problems with collecting things from the corridor. The other thing that would bother me is if their bags were in the classroom, is that they would be inclined to keep fidling with their bags. We have a few that keep comforters in thier bags and some that seem to enjoy chnaging thier clothers even when they don't need to - this would be all to easy if thier stuff was in the classroom.

 

Elfy

[Cait]

Our coats hang in the lobby and book bags are in the main room. I prefer it this way, especially if coats are wet - and we have one that's often smelly (fried food) so best out of the way!

[Guest]

We have a small cloakroom area just off our room.

 

There is a door between the cloakroom and our room, so parents can congregate in there in bad weather, but we also use this space freely during the session as just some extra floor space!!!!!!!

 

When new children start we might not use this floor space without an adult, because there is a door to the outside world (!!) and obviously some children would be just off and away, but after a while they know they are not to go out there and they don't!!

 

Our children share pegs and some leave stuff regardless.........

 

We also have lunch boxes out there.

 

All in all I like the cloakroom outside of the class!

 

* I forgot to say this is a nursery cloakroom I am talking about!!

Edited July 6, 2009 by Scarlettangel

[Guest]

our cloakarea is inside the nursery classroom - but i feel most important thing about it is it is by the door to the outdoor area - our Reception cloak area is outside classroom so chidlren have to go out to through classroom to take off outdoor gear.

[Inge]

seems there is a lot to think about and consider,

 

near the outdoor area so easy to access between in and out free flow, to me this seems like a good idea... outside the class room would have been my initial response but on reflection ....

 

Inge

[Guest]

I've just moved our coats after a year of being climbed over by children trying to get to their coats - but our cloakroom area doubled up as a quiet area for focus groups. We've now moved all the pegs out of it so what was the cloakroom is just a quiet area (or will be when the flood damage is repaired and we move back in !), and put the 10 x YR pegs in class next to the outside area door. The Y1/2 ones are in the cloakroom.

Haven't been through a winter of it yet though!

Edited July 12, 2009 by Guest