Guest Posted July 11, 2009 Posted July 11, 2009 I am interested to know how other primary schools foundation stage approach assembilies, My classes last week of school is going to long assemblies every day, sometimes they last 30-40 minutes, i'm reception but nursery come too! I find it at odds with our curriculum and then they get told off for rolling about or talking even though they are bored stiff!
Guest Posted July 11, 2009 Posted July 11, 2009 I judge it myself - we have KS1, KS2, + 3 whole scl assemblies, one of which is based around singing. We do KS1 and singing for autumn term A, then go into the shorter whole school assembly followed soon after by the longer one on a Friday - well done assembly, which can go on. 'We' means Reception only - nursery go in to special assemblies. They start to access assemblies during summer term B, as part of transition. Any 'wrigglers' are encouraged to stay, but get sent out as nicely as possible back to classroom - should be a differentiated approach in same way as with other things we do in school! Some adults find it difficult to focus too! Jenni
Guest Posted July 11, 2009 Posted July 11, 2009 I'm in an infant school and we do a few assemblies leading up to the harvest festival in the autumn term to prepare them for being part of the school etc... although as our assembly is at 2.30 and our summer children don't do afternoons until December it does tend to be just our older ones. Our assemblies are only 10-15 minutes on a Monday and Wednesday long anyway which is long enough for many! Our celebration assembly on a Friday is a bit longer, 25-30mins but they find it very exciting so don't mind anyway! We have missed assemblies for various reasons, going on a dinosaur hunt etc... and there hasn't been a problem so we are quite lucky. I can't imagine making nursery children sit through an assembly though!
Guest Posted July 11, 2009 Posted July 11, 2009 My son's is in FSU and they attend the assembly for the first 10 mins do the superstar bit and then leave, so they are being introduced to the whole school but not in there for too long. As a Pre-school manager I always keep carpet or circle time to a minimum aswell, I do believe the children need to be introduced to the idea of sitting and listening but it should be age and stage appropriate, otherwise you are just fighting a losing battle!
Guest Posted July 11, 2009 Posted July 11, 2009 I have an F1 class in a CE primary school and our head likes us to attend a 'singing assembly' on a Thursday where we generally learn songs for up and coming events like harvest or something and she makes sure any story or presentation is suitable for my class and on a Friday for 'sharing assembly' where classes (including mine take it in turns to show the work they've been doing that week and well done certificates are handed out. When I first started workng there I was really shocked that we were expected to go to assembly every day and I've dug my heels in to reduce it to twice a week. They are only about 20 mninutes though - 40 minutes sounds like a nightmare. Perhaps you could ask your head if you could go to an assembly once a week from the beginning of the year and gradually build up if she insists on attendance at all of them later? My class actually really like the sharing assembly especially when it's their turn to show work - they're not so keen on the singing assembly. If your head won't listen perhaps remind them that FS children really should be involved in sustained self chosen activities and assemblies at set times must interupt this. Good luck!
katekit Posted July 11, 2009 Posted July 11, 2009 We only go on a Friday to 'Whole school assembly' and other special ones, but we give the Head a nod when we have had enough and he stops for a few moments while we leave! (nursery) We usually make it through the whole of special ones - violin, cheer leading concerts etc
Guest Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Don't know if anyone will see this as it's an old post, but rather than starting a new one I thought I'd try. I know it's recommended practice in order to provide continuous provision that we don't pack up for whole school playtime and assemblies each day, so in September I'm planning on working our timetable in this way. I was just wondering where we stood legally for reception children not attending assembly - is it legal from age 5? Is this the same as 'the term after they turn 5'? Or is it when they start National Curriculum age 5? Can I get round it by have a thoughtful/quiet time at the end of the session - being our 'collective worship'. Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance!
Guest Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Im not sure to be quite honest - I think if you as you say you will have a quiet reflective time at some point in the day I think you are covered. This is what we do with my Reception children for most of the year (only attending one assembly a week) and at the end of year they begin attending more assemblies for transtion.
KST Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Yes you can do quiet class reflection time and that counts as collective workshop. I think assemblies are totally against the principles of EYFS. When I joined my school they went everyday and as we are primary and go up to year 6 some of the assemblies were over the reception children's heads!! We start going to the friday celebration assembly and after a few weeks go to the singing assembly which the chidren love! My head asked me today that my children start coming to Monday's whole school assembly from now on which i think they are now ready for. Cannot see how nursery can be expected to attend!
katekit Posted June 19, 2010 Posted June 19, 2010 Hi I posted in the original discussion last year - we still go to 'whole school assembly' on Friday but we still leave after 10-15 mins unless it is something special, now we have a Key stage 1 assembly on a Monday afternoon which we invited ourselves to when the weather was bad in January (so now it is EYFS/Key stage 1!). The children love this time and we can actually leave them for 10-15 mins! Cath
Marion Posted June 19, 2010 Posted June 19, 2010 This term our reception children have started to attend the KS1 Big Writing assembly once a fortnight
Guest Posted June 19, 2010 Posted June 19, 2010 Don't know if anyone will see this as it's an old post, but rather than starting a new one I thought I'd try. I know it's recommended practice in order to provide continuous provision that we don't pack up for whole school playtime and assemblies each day, so in September I'm planning on working our timetable in this way. I was just wondering where we stood legally for reception children not attending assembly - is it legal from age 5? Is this the same as 'the term after they turn 5'? Or is it when they start National Curriculum age 5? Can I get round it by have a thoughtful/quiet time at the end of the session - being our 'collective worship'. Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance! I've never heard of any legal requirment for children to attend assemblies! If you are in a church school there might be something about collective worship in your school's policy but this could be done in class. I've been in some schools where the school only had an asssembly 2 or 3 times a week anyway, I'm sure there is no legal requirement at all, although I'm worried by the fact that I seem to be the first person to say this! Where is the idea of it being a legal requirement coming from?
Guest Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 I've never heard of any legal requirment for children to attend assemblies! If you are in a church school there might be something about collective worship in your school's policy but this could be done in class. I've been in some schools where the school only had an asssembly 2 or 3 times a week anyway, I'm sure there is no legal requirement at all, although I'm worried by the fact that I seem to be the first person to say this! Where is the idea of it being a legal requirement coming from? I've always believed that since education isn't compulsory until the term after 5 then no child should be forced into an assembly before that age. At my village school we go to Harvest with lots of adult support for children who find it hard and don't go to daily assembly until term 3- even then I think its too soon. The one thing I hate is that we have to do an assembly for parents every term! Ridiculous.
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