Statutory Requirements For Supervision In Reception Class

[Guest]

If Reception teachers can actually be on their own with 30 children legally, I assume they legally cannot have free-flow inside and outside?

 

If the children play outside on their own but can be seen in all of the outside area through a window by the only member of staff is this allowed ?

 

(this may also may be because a second member of staff is on a coffee break)

 

I have been hunting the Statutory framework for answers and feel it says you can't do either of the above. do you agree?

[Susan]

No. Im not sure that it does. I think it would depend on you and your school and your risk assessment.

[Guest]

No. Im not sure that it does. I think it would depend on you and your school and your risk assessment.

Thanks! Good to hear an answer so quickly

[mundia]

It isn't covered explicitly by the EYFS, but as Susan said, it will be down to your risk assessment. Personally I wouldnt have chidlren freeflowing in and out if I had 30 children on my own.. I dont feel I could adequately supervise all of them in 2 different places, and I don't think Id be able to engage in any quality interactions or activities either.

[Guest]

Pages 50 and 51 of stat framework talk about the qualifications needed by 50% of the staff supervising children - seems to indicate that there will be more than one staff member supervising - can't have 50% of one person!

 

How are other school based members planning to cover the new 15 hours for nursery arrangements - I have written so many scenarios I am tied in knots!

 

Jenni

[Marion]

Legally according to EYFS reception ratios come under infant class size legislation so 1 teacher to 30 (Children in reception classes in maintained schools

11 The EYFS does not place ratio and qualification requirements on reception classes in maintained

schools provided they fall within the legal definition of an infant class (i.e. a class containing

pupils the majority of whom will reach the age of five, six, or seven during the course of the

school year)2. Such classes are already subject to infant class size legislation: an infant class

must not contain more than 30 pupils while an ordinary teaching session is conducted by a

single school teacher3. See page 17 of the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation

Stage booklet for further information p51 of the statutory framework)

 

but it also points out that reception is part of EYFS and this should be considered

 

I'm not sure what heads will do faced with budgets if they can save by legally employing a single teacher rather than taking the children's needs into account

 

I think every setting has different circumstances and there can't and isn't a hard and fast rule about free flow and staffing ratios so it has to be down to the school's policy and the level of risk involved.

[Guest]

I have often struggled with this one as i cannot see/hear all of the outside area. I would not be happy being outside and having a number of children inside unsupervised. At times, if there is just me, I do allow a 2-3 children in/out without direct supervision but it does depend on who te childrne are and what activities they are doing!

The best option is for every reception class to have at least 3 adults full time!

[Lucie]

On an outdoor play course recently we were told. '' You wouldn't leave children inside without an adult so ideally you wouldn't have children outside without an adult. It is important to remember that an adult is not outside to supervise, they are there to engage in and extend learning, just as they are inside''.

 

I know this doesn't really help with your query because if there is 1 adult then you will have to identify ways in which to provide the access. Maybe if this is the case then free-flow is not an option?

 

I agree that more adults is definately the way forward!

[Marion]

On an outdoor play course recently we were told. '' You wouldn't leave children inside without an adult so ideally you wouldn't have children outside without an adult. It is important to remember that an adult is not outside to supervise, they are there to engage in and extend learning, just as they are inside''.

 

Interesting... I remember being told on an outdoor learning course that we shouldn't expect all children to come outdoors just because the adult was outdoors... I really wish the message had more consistency

[Guest]

This is a big problem I have, I have 30 children and am on my own for the majority of each day.It means children can not have freeflow for much of the day and some days not at all. I can only have free flow at the times I have a TA but don't always want to use her time this way! It's not an easy issue to address I certainly wouldn't want children outside without an adult.

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Same problem with me!

 

At the beginning of the Spring Term my LEA Advisor came in to discuss our Outdoor Provision - followed by a "mini Ofsted". From my classroom I have an ubstructed view to our very small outdoor area and sometimes allow no more than six children outdoors on their own - depending on the focus of the day. I provide basic resources for them and then they choose from other resources to extend their play. During the "mini Ofsted" I decided to locate myself indoors (we were just establishing a new role-play situation and felt the children needed me there, my TA was working with a focussed group also indoors). I received comments regarding safeguarding and "high-level" play which was not taking place outside because, guess what, there was no adult!!!!!

 

I spoke to my LEA Advisor about this, for example, wherever children are engaged in child initiated play, is this to be regarded as "low level" play, obviously with an adult present to extend their play it will obviously become "high level" play. Her answer was to decide where to place the adult, if this meant that an adult couldn't be placed outside then the children should not be out there on their own.

 

Following on from the mini Ofsted my HT has therefore said that no children should be outdoors on their own no matter what. I have therefore decided that the member of staff who is "free-flowing" should always be outside. I have made this decision based on the fact that according to the EYFS children should have access to both indoor and outdoor provision.

 

Goodness knows if I am doing it right, one can only try one's best after all

[SmileyPR]

We are in the same situation. We have 3 Kindergarten classes (K1a + K1b = becoming 3 before Jan 1, K2 = becoming 4 before Jan 1, K3 = becoming 5 before Jan 1) and each class has only 1 teacher and no T.A. So, the children are inside the classroom most of the day.

 

Kindergarten children can arrive to school at 8:15 AM and stay in the Assembly Room sharing with each other until the bell rings at 8:30 AM when we line-up and go to our classrooms.

 

We have 3 outside playtimes during the day: one from 9:55 - 10:10 AM, another one from 11:15 - 11:45 AM and finally one together with Primary from 2:05 to 2:20 PM. During the 1st two, one of the 3 Kindergarten teachers stays outside with the children but it becomes more a supervision playtime than something else. The same goes during last playtime, but then it is a Primary teacher who stays outside. This year we have 36 KG children between the 3 classes. They all leave home at 3:30 PM.

[Susan]

Interesting range of responses here. And many points that I think we can all identify with, regarding supervision and level of play and interaction. Just a shame that EYFS did not make ratios better for us to offer all those activities and experiences that we want to.

And we are caught up in the same scenario with support staff in yr 1 and providing a more EY /child friendly ethos. No wonder whole class teaching is so much easier to implement if not more effective in terms in learning etc.

[Marion]

Interesting range of responses here. And many points that I think we can all identify with, regarding supervision and level of play and interaction. Just a shame that EYFS did not make ratios better for us to offer all those activities and experiences that we want to.

And we are caught up in the same scenario with support staff in yr 1 and providing a more EY /child friendly ethos. No wonder whole class teaching is so much easier to implement if not more effective in terms in learning etc.

 

 

Apparently it would have taken an act of Parliament to change ratios as Reception was already included in infant class size legislation ...if you believe that excuse.

[SmileyPR]

It is something I always wonder . ... if more could be done for Reception children. I mean, why is it that they are always stuck between the EYFS and Primary (as belonging to Infant Class)?

 

If they really care, Parliament should do something . The day that R is set ONLY into EYFS, then our classes will have the chance to really provide for the needs of the children. "Oh, happy day! "

[Marion]

It is something I always wonder . ... if more could be done for Reception children. I mean, why is it that they are always stuck between the EYFS and Primary (as belonging to Infant Class)?

 

If they really care, Parliament should do something . The day that R is set ONLY into EYFS, then our classes will have the chance to really provide for the needs of the children. "Oh, happy day! "

 

 

My feeling is this. When the Foundation Stage was created like many reception teachers I was overjoyed that at last reception finally belonged instead of being tagged onto the end of nursery or more often onto the beginning on KS1 unfortunately I feel EYFS has been a backward step for reception as it often feels like an unloved after thought tagged on the end of nursery by those created EYFS.

[Guest]

I work in a primary with 2 parallel classes - luckily with a TA in each. We have 2 classrooms, a shared 'messy play' area and outdoor area so nominally one adult is in each area during CIL.......however, since we implemented free flow to outside sometimes the number of children out there means that we may have 2 adults outside as on some occasions there may be only 2/3 in a classroom so we've felt it's better to 'overload the adults to where the most children are to enhance their activity'.

 

My understanding of supervision ratios is that we would be covered with our 30:1 - by putting yourself in a space it doesn't mean you would see or prevent an accident as long as risk assessments are made and children regularly reminded of ways to 'behave' whether inside or outside.

Not sure if this ramble helps?!

Edited April 10, 2010 by Guest

[Tigger]

I have to agree we need 3 adults for every Reception Class!!

 

We have two Reception Classes and two shared areas one of which is the outdoor area, as we strongly believe in the benefits of outdoor play we have one member of staff outside at all times so we can operate with a free flow system. We have two TA's fulltime so we are able to have another adult in the shared area and two in each of the classrooms, this is great but is still not enough. We don't plan any adult initiated activities for the adult in the shared areas and I don't always plan adult initiated for me either but if I am working with a group I always wish I could be on the floor doing whatever and if I am on the floor I think should I be .... now if I had a third adult I would be able to do anything!!!

 

OR maybe I need another me then I would even be able to keep on top of profiles too!!

 

S

[KST]

Totally agree with everyone about needing 3 adults in reception, I am lucky this year that there are 3 of us due to a little boy who has a one-to-one. Next year there will be just 2 of us and i feel sad that I won't be able to offer free-flow in the same way as I have this year. But I am planning to do 50% of am adult led tasks outside so that other children can choose to be outside too.