Going Home

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

 

Can I pick your brains about things that work well for organising going home time (I'm in a Reception class)? This is always tricky for me - I'd especially love to hear if anyone's got a good song for the end of the day, but am not happy with the routines & structure in general for going home time!!

 

Please share all the fab things you do

 

Dianne xxx

[Rea]

Hi Dianne, I'm in a playgroup, we all sit on the mat ans have a rhyme about road safety, it's not brill (and often needs explaining ) but the children know it's the last thing we do before we open the door to the parents and kind of draws a line across now and then (if you know what I mean)

Stop, look, listen before you use your feet

Stop, look, listen before you cross the street

 

We sometimes follow it with a bit about getting lost in shops, wearing a seat belt, or not taking things or going anywhere with a stranger.

Hope it's a help

[mundia]

Dianne I wonder if you could give us an idea of what it is that is tricky for you?

 

For example is it about staffing, getting the children ready with coats hats bags etc, or whether or not the parents come in to collect or you t ake them out for collection?

[Susan]

Dianne, I keep looking at this and going away without giving you any answers/ suggestions. I also wonder why it is not provoking more interest generally? perhaps as Mundia has suggested we need more information from you?

 

I do not disagree that the home time routines should be welll established and if as I think you are suggesting your are not happy you need to think about what you are doing and your school circumstances as to what could be improved.

It is always easier to establish and maintain routines if you are not on your own. Many schools can not employ the LSAs for the entire school day and it seems to be the very times that you need a assistant that they are not available!

 

Another important factor will be how old are your children? If you have a one point entry in your school it may actually be that the children are doing every well and it is only you that is dissatisfied for some reason but we are encouraged to be reflective and to look for ways in which to continually improve our practise. "But if it aint broke, dont fix it!" Only you can know that!?

 

It is also quite amazing how every cohort can be different and the responses of one child may actually be affecting all the others.

I had certain routines that I wanted every class to adhere to ie bring everything back to the mat but in my last class one small group of boys went regularly to the door with their things! Day in and day out.

 

The way you manage the handover of children to parents will be dictated by your school cirumstances. We dismissed all our children out into the playground from the classroom but in a school I was in on Supply recently children were escorted to the playground to wait. That was extremely difficult for me to manage as I could not differentiate my calss from the others! In another school the parents came to the classroom door and waited patiently for their child after telling me who they wanted. I have also encountered parents who are too impatient to wait and shout and hassle for their offspring! BUT it is impotant that you should be aware of who has collected the child.

 

I did have a song which I sang(!) regularly before formally dismissing the children with a "Good afternoon".

 

A well managed end to the afternoon can make all the difference to the impression of the day that you take away with you.

Good luck. Hope this has helped a little and get back to us for more ideas!