Variety Of Models For Foundation Stage Units

[Guest]

Hi

 

I'm running my course on 'Developing Foundation Stage Units' at the Institute of Ed (London) again in May and I would love to have more examples of different organisational models of FSUs. If you would be happy to provide a brief description of your setting, I have attached a few prompts to outline the kind of organisational info I am looking for.

 

The info will be provided anonymously to course members as 'examples'. but as people on the course are often keen to visit other settings, if you are up for visitors it would be good to know your location and contact details which I can then pass on, with your agreement.

 

You can send me your responses by private message.

Many, many thanks - I know how busy you all are!

Anne

 

PS Next article - 'Developing a Foundation Stage Unit - the first Ten years!' should be available soon (ish!)

FSF_examples.doc

[Guest LesleyAnn]

Hi Anne

I am an advisory teacher in oxfordshire and can recommend a very good FSu and know the staff would be very willing to talk with you if you need any more examples!

[Guest]

Hi Anne

wondering if you could help me. I am moving from key stage 1 to our early years unit in september. The retiring teacher has been running the unit and the LeA (in a recent inspection ) want a lot of changes made particulary to the planning and intergration of children. Have tried to find examples but most schools have devised their own. HAve you got any examples of good practice? I teach in the north so there is no chance of attending your course.

Thanks Pink

[Guest]

Hi Pink,

I'm wondering if you got my personal message I sent a while ago?

A.

 

Hi Anne

wondering if you could help me. I am moving from key stage 1 to our early years unit in september. The retiring teacher has been running the unit and the LeA (in a recent inspection ) want a lot of changes made particulary to the planning and intergration of children. Have tried to find examples but most schools have devised their own. HAve you got any examples of good practice? I teach in the north so there is no chance of attending your course.

Thanks Pink

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[Guest]

Hi LesleyAnn,

 

Have just sent you a personal message!

 

A.

 

Hi Anne

I am an advisory teacher in oxfordshire and can recommend a very good FSu and know the staff would be very willing to talk with you if you need any more examples!

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[Guest]

Hi A

 

I havent received any messages. Just found this site recently and only just getting up to speed with posting. Would be very grateful if you could try again.

thanks pink

[Guest]

I've sent you a personal message again. Hope you get it!!

 

Hi A

 

I havent received any messages. Just found this site recently and only just getting up to speed with posting. Would be  very grateful if you could try again.

thanks pink

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[Guest]

Sorry, I am going slightly off subject here! I remember finding a link from this site to the dfes site a few weeks ago that had 'questions and answers to commonly asked questions' regarding foundation stage units. I can't find it now and wondered if anyone can point me in the right direction?

Thanks

Jo

[Guest]

standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/faqs/foundation_stage/1152575

should get you there, hopefully!

A.

[Guest]

It did thankyou

[Guest]

Anne

 

The reception teacher is retiring this summer and we are currently looking into ways of developing continuity and progression in the Foundation stage. The head is thinking about developing into a unit and we had a meeting to discuss what the benefits would be. However I felt a bit railroaded as the NQT nursery teacher. The arguements against one were that some children would slip through the net.

We would only be able to keep one teacher (as this apparently is the norm)

and that the Reception children would not develop any class ethos.

 

I would love your opinions on the matter as I have been trained by universtity to believe that units are the way forward. We are having a meeting in a weeks time to further discuss these issues and I want to be more certain of where I stand so I can argue my point.

Thanks

Jay

[Guest]

Hi Jay.

 

I think you are right to be asking questions - this is a big step and needs to be taken for sound reasons - not just to save money on a teacher. This is the second time this week (!)I have heard of a unit being run with just 1 teacher. And it's a lot to take on as an NQT. There can be lots of benefits - and many of the challenges can be overcome, but it can very easily go wrong if the support isn't there. Have a look at the article Foundation Stage Units - Developing Integrated Provision for Nursery and Reception and see if anything in there is of any help to you. Happy to talk on the phone if I can help further.

 

Good Luck.

 

(Edit: The link works now - Steve )

[Guest]

Thanks lala. Is having one teacher the norm I had been led to believe you should have two. THis is the problem being an NQT your not sure when your opinion is right. Would love to move towards a foundation unit as I feel it would benefit the children however I feel it would need a more experienced teacher to run it. I am having enough problems as it is!!

Thanks

[Guest]

Sorry I can't seem to access the article you recommended LaLa. What am I doing wrong?

[Guest]

I don't think one teacher is the norm (yet) and I certainly don't think it is right - but your LEA might have their own ideas about that.

 

Steve can you help Jay get the article? Thanks!

[Magenta]

We have had 1 teacher this year - LEA weren't impressed at all!! Will be 2 next year even with smaller numbers.

[mundia]

Hi jay, you can find the article (I hope )

 

here

 

 

Its a good read, and I would definately make sure that your Head is aware that you should still have proper staffing. You may want t think about developing a unit as a long term vision rather than a solution to a staffing problem. Personally I think starting a unit to get away with less stafff or beacuse its fashionable is a non starter

[Guest]

Hi Anne

I have only just joined this forum and wondered if you could help. Like many teachers I have been asked to set up a Foundation Stage Unit. I would welcome any helpful articles/suggestions/nudges in the right direction. In return as the next year progresses I'll keep you informed!

Many thanks

LouiseK

 

Hi

 

I'm running my course on 'Developing Foundation Stage Units' at the Institute of Ed (London) again in May and I would love to have more examples of different organisational models of FSUs. If you would be happy to provide a brief description of your setting, I have attached a few prompts to outline the kind of organisational info I am looking for.

 

The info will be provided anonymously to course members as 'examples'. but as people on the course are often keen to visit other settings, if you are up for visitors it would be good to know your location and contact details which I can then pass on, with your agreement.

 

You can send me your responses by private message.

Many, many thanks - I know how busy you all are!

Anne

 

PS Next article - 'Developing a Foundation Stage Unit - the first Ten years!' should be available soon (ish!)

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[Guest]

Hi LouiseK

Where to start???

 

This forum is, in fact, a great place to start- find all the threads that relate to FSUs - you'll get a wealth of information and benefit from the expertise and opinions of all the members here.

 

I'm currently working on the second article in the series 'Developing a Foundation Stage Unit' for the forum - I presume you've found the first one?

 

There is a DfES website with some FAQs - see the post further above.

 

I run a course every term at the Institute of Education (London) on developing FSUs. This term's one is over subscribed (thanks everyone!) but there is another planned for September.

 

Look forward to hearing about your progress!

Best wishes,

A.

[Guest]

In my school we are setting up a FS unit to begin in September, although after half term we will be experimenting as to what does/does not work - we have had a wall knocked out to make it one area. I will be the sole teacher (now into the last term of my NQT year), but I will have 2 nursery nurses too - which seems ok to me.

I have been given a budget to resource our unit - although I was scared of spending it, incase I ordered all the wrong things!!!!!!

I am looking forward to it, but am still concerned about how I'm going to plan.

[Guest]

Hi LouiseK

Where to start???

 

This forum is, in fact, a great place to start- find all the threads that relate to FSUs - you'll get a wealth of information and benefit from  the expertise and opinions of all the members here.

 

I'm  currently working on the second article in the series 'Developing a Foundation Stage Unit'  for the forum  - I presume you've found the first one?

 

There is a DfES website with some FAQs - see the post further above.

 

I run a course every term at the Institute of Education (London) on developing FSUs. This term's one is over subscribed (thanks everyone!) but there is another planned for September.

 

Look forward to hearing about your progress!

Best wishes,

A.

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[Guest]

Thanks very much A . Can you tell me how to get on your course..!!?? I live in the North East of England so I guess if it requires weekly attendance I'm snookered. Only a few weeks til we tell parents of our plans so I'd better get reading quick so that I know what I'm doing..!

I'll keep you posted.

 

 

 

FONT=Impact]

Hi LouiseK

Where to start???

 

This forum is, in fact, a great place to start- find all the threads that relate to FSUs - you'll get a wealth of information and benefit from  the expertise and opinions of all the members here.

 

I'm  currently working on the second article in the series 'Developing a Foundation Stage Unit'  for the forum  - I presume you've found the first one?

 

There is a DfES website with some FAQs - see the post further above.

 

I run a course every term at the Institute of Education (London) on developing FSUs. This term's one is over subscribed (thanks everyone!) but there is another planned for September.

 

Look forward to hearing about your progress!

Best wishes,

A.

31638[/snapback]

[Guest]

The course just runs for one day and is repeated every term. The Institute send out their course booklet to all LEAs so you might have access to one. If not you can try contacting the INSET office on 020 76126589.

 

Good Luck and maybe see you one day!

[Guest juliet]

Hi to Jay and anyone else having probs with Heads etc assuming that having a FSU means needing fewer qualified teachers!!!

 

There has been a huge study of children aged 3-5 just completed, called the EPPE project (effective provision of pre-school education) This is DfES funded so has some clout!

 

one of its finding was ...'settings which have staff with higher qualifications, especially with a good proportion of trained teachers on the staff, show higher quality and their children make more progress'

 

What more justification do they need!!

[Susan]

Hi Juliet and welcome!

 

Isnt it a shame when the obvious needs to be stated?!

[Guest]

Hi

I love working as part of a FS unit- however we have struggled at times with staffing levels despite having 2 qualified teachers, 1 NN, 1 TA, 1 LSA.

I feel that there are huge gains for the children and adults working in this way, however these gains will be lost if you start of in the postion of reduced staffing levels!

What would happen if the FS unit does not work (some conversations here have suggested that for various reasons this way of working does not work for all). An additional teacher would have to be employed for the reception class then. I feel that you are being railroaded and your children and team short changed from the beginning. There will be enormous pressure on you to maintain and have responsibilityfor two classes even though you are working as a unit. This pressure will be passed onto your team without you wanting to do that. you need to be sure that you think its right for two classes to have only one teacher and is this happening further up in the school. There can sometimes be a tendency to forget all the learning that goes on in the Fs does not happen by accident and there would not be the expectation for a class teacher to be responsible for Year5 and 6 across one learning space however arranged!!!!

 

Lisa

[Guest]

Hi Lisa

Can I ask if you intergrate nursery and reception for everything? Our current FS teacher teachers literacy and numeracy to reception and then intergrates the other areas of learning. The LEA have asked us to review this although they dont have any suggestions of their own. There is only 1 teacher and 1 nursery nurse in the unit.

Would be interested to here how you plan.

thanks pink

[Guest]

Hi Pink

 

We do have some time where we are separate but we do not recover activities/ LO's which have been planned for during our joint time. During our separate time (11.00-11.30/ 12.00) we do some specific Pips activities/ guided reading areas from KUW/ ICT session in suite and separate halltime for drama/ dance/ PE etc. Just have to remember to bring in to our class any resources we may need from the other classroom as we try not to disturb each other during the separate time! Have to say children very quickly pick up on when we are together and separate. The only times problems have occured is when for unusual reasons we have not mixed (e.g. whole school maypole celebrations when we were performing two distinct dances showing progression in skill- Maypole is my least favourite activity now!)

We used to have a 45 minute slot after lunch but this was too fiddly to manage. So we have one afternoon where we don't mix which allows for some extended creative activities etc.

I find that the joint sessions are the most popular with the children as the rooms have been set up for specific areas (maths base etc) and children can choose freely from the activities out or choose their own. Their is also an adult lead focus activity for each area which is ususally the same activity but differentiated or occassionally different activities for abilites across the FS stage (some R children required very similar activities as most of the nursery children during the autumn term)- its probably now during the summer term that the differentiaition is vital if we are not to bore children. I have to say that I was worried about the amount of time we spent separate as it felt as if we were backing out from a unit but my very wise FS coord/ NT pointed out that our model is not set in stone and that it shows how we are responding to needs. Afternoon session has only recently been introduced.

 

I have also visited two other units (about to visit a third soon) and both of these had time where the R and N were separate for some time.

 

Sorry for rambling

 

Lisa

[Magenta]

Hi Pink, the timetable in our Unit has changed dramatically over the year with the needs of the children.

In September there was very little separate time, but as the Reception aged children have matured, and we have Nursery chn. who are just 3 (and very immature!), we now have far more time working separately. I was really worried too about moving away from the idea of a Unit, but I do feel that we must consider the chn.s needs.

I must say though that I'm looking forward to September when we can work together more!

[Guest]

Thanks Lisa and Magenta

 

We are a small school with approx 10 Reception and 8am nursery and 6 pm nursery. The nursery are just 3 when they enter, so oftern the afternoons are settling in children/visits. I am returning to the Foundation Stage after 8 yrs in KS1. I guess it will be trial and error for the first year.

 

Thanks pink