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Tes Report On The Eyfs Review


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Hi everyone,

 

Not sure if you have seen this article in the TES supplement, for those of you that haven't, hopefully this is the link

 

 

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6073405

 

not sure if I have done it right, hopefully if you copy and past it into your url, it will work.

 

Very interesting to read, if it happens of course, it won't take effect until 2012, and personally I am pleased that it looks like the EYFS is here to stay considering all the work we have all put in!!!

 

Hope you enjoy reading it.

 

Zo x

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"I agree completely with the comment I am a teacher and not a practitioner. I worked my socks off for two years getting A levels then three getting a degree plus a further year as an NQT. I find it so insulting to be called a practitioner. This terms gives no distinctions between 18yr olds who have trained as a TA/ Nursery Nurse and those who have recognised teaching qualifications and experience. If we were all equal it wouldn't state separate ratios for adults or regulations concerning PPA cover in the statutory guidance."

 

Jesus Christ (sorry) but a very tame version of what I would REALLY like to say.

 

I am not going to elaborate at this stage, surfice to say one reason I no longer bother with the TES forum and am so happy to have found this fantastic site.

 

Yours truly,

 

A. Practitioner! (Thank God)!

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As you say moo20, we on the FSF are very good at indulging in great controversial debate whlst maintaining a level of professional and courteous behaviour to each other, and in promoting everyone's right to hold an opinion or point of view that we may disagree with. There is no doubt that job titles, qualifications and levels of experience are the cause of intense feelings, largely because of the nature of the work we do and the amount of personal emotion we contribute to the job.

 

I've never indulged in the "I look down on her because I'm better qualified" approach, although when I was younger I did suffer from the "I look up to her because she's older/more experienced than me" and felt the pain of the resulting neck ache. Mind you that did spur me on to gain the experience and the qualifications but that doesn't mean I can't learn something from an 18 year old just starting out on her career.

 

This is what I like about the EYFS - every person working with a young child from birth to five is using the same framework whether they are called a teacher or a practitioner. I've worked hard to gain EYPS, and think of myself as an EYP rather than an owner, or supervisor or practitioner. I'm sure if I had gained QTS I would feel equally strongly about being called a Teacher but not at the possible expense of the self-esteem of a colleague in order to preserve my position in the hierarchy. Parents in our setting know who is 'the boss' but I don't think they view us differently as individuals based on our job titles - just on how well we do our jobs and how well we interact with the children and provide for their learning.

 

Oh dear, that might have stirred up the controversy even more... :o

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Couldn't have said it better myself Maz!

 

I don't consider myself as anything more than, well, myself actually! I am fully aware of the hard work that goes into becoming a teacher, I do find time and time again though that there is very little understanding coming the other way!

 

And as for statutory ratios being an indicator of superior 'practice', I refuse to operate any lower than 1:8! When a bottom needs changing it matters little what qualifications are held on the floor xD

 

A recent meeting that bought our yr R teachers into the setting (first time in well over a year) left them reeling with the very concept of planning for EVERY child's individual needs and interests and they were gob smacked by the use of PRAMS (I think they really did believe we do little more than play)!!!

 

I am sure that there are many many EYFS 'teachers' who do not hold the views expressed on TES, but I am also aware that we have a long way to go before us mere mortals are respected for our knowledge, experience and expertise across the board and feel that the "nappy curriculum" has gone a long way to enabling this already, long may it last in principal at least in my humble opinion :o

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well that article just proves to me that people still do not fully understand EYFS framework! I feel its really free allowing you to be lead by the children, and just change what you are doing at a drop of a hat and not worry about what you are missing out. e.g. we had a science week at school and i spent the whole week doing science and really developing childrens thinking and letting the children carry it forward without the worry of (like the rest of the school) oh no! i hav't taught any maths or literacy this week i'm now behind ( we aslo had a science person in to do fun workshops in the classroom and one teacher turned it down for her class as she couldn't fit it in!)

 

and that comment about paperwork, well i feel as a reception teacher or should i say practitioner! that we have it easy compared to the rest of school, well yes the learning journeys are time consuming but most of our assessment is done during the school day with the children, their's no marking (its verbal if any), though we highlight sheets/ objectives and imput data so do the rest of school we don't have to do APP literacy and Maths, and theirs other stuff but i can't think of them now! what we should be looking at is how planning is daily/ weekly so you can't do it in the school holidays like the rest of school, and the enviromenmt is constandtly changing and adapting which all takes time and with the stupid 1:16 ratios for teachers their is only 2 of us in reception at my school so useually their isn't enough hours in the day! I went to a school the other day who said every afternoon an adult sits down with the learning stories and waits for children to approach they then help add and anotate their learning journeys which i thought what a great ideas but she had 5 adults in the class while i don't have enough hands when ones inside and ones outside one of which is doing the foscus task while the other is doing observations! sorry for that little rant!

 

i don't know what abyone else thinks maybe its just me!

Emx

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At a recent EY network meeting the advisor mentioned the possibility of the 6 areas of learning becoming 7 (by separating the literacy aspect from the communication and language part of CCLD); also mentioned was the potential of having 3 'core' areas (smacks of N.C) PSED, Communication and Language and Physical Development. Nothing about the importance of Creativity!! There was also talk regarding Physical Development being increased to an advised 180 minutes a day (this would obviously have to involve home too!) It will be interesting reading when the Tickell review comes out to see what is actually being proposed.

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I think that the report is due soon, but that the advised changes would have to be signed off by government. I understood the revised framework would be available from Septmeber 2011 and then Statutory from September 2012.

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At a recent EY network meeting the advisor mentioned the possibility of the 6 areas of learning becoming 7 (by separating the literacy aspect from the communication and language part of CCLD); also mentioned was the potential of having 3 'core' areas (smacks of N.C) PSED, Communication and Language and Physical Development. Nothing about the importance of Creativity!! There was also talk regarding Physical Development being increased to an advised 180 minutes a day (this would obviously have to involve home too!) It will be interesting reading when the Tickell review comes out to see what is actually being proposed.

 

 

But doesn't this tie in with areas of concern for flagging up special needs? - If PSE, CLL and P are on course, there are usiually no worries, whereas they are often indicators of need if children are not achieving well.

 

And what do they actually mean by increasing Physical to an advised 180 minutes?? It's not just about PE!

 

Sue

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For those interested, we should get some more info this week. The review by Clare Tickell is going to be published on 30th March, ie this Wednesday.

Happy reading! Look forward to see how we all regard the results of the review.

Edited by eyfs1966
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At a recent network meeting we were told that the changes to the EYFS are likely to be:

 

3 Prime areas - PSED

Communication and Language

Physical (to include health)

4 other areas which will be dependent on above:

Literacy

Mathematics

Expressive Arts & Design

Understanding fo the World

EYFS Profile - slimmed down to 17 early learning goals across the 7 areas with 3 categories for each goal: emerging

achieving

exceeding.

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Guest Spiral

The nature of education and play is that it will always change and develop further - it sort of twists and turns, but in all my years, I have never been asked for my opinion or any form of banter over the proposals.

 

This does concern me. I am wondering who is doing the research and on what basis? Are they looking at practice, reality and requirements of settings which may be in church halls, part time etc? Are they entering different types of EY settings or will they go to a range of the same type of setting such as Children's Centres?

 

Ah, so many questions could be asked, but who do we go to?

 

Spiral :-)

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Well here's another harbinger (let's hope not) of the Clare Tickell review of the 'nappy curriculum' (really hate that contemptuous phrase don't you - but we seem to be stuck with it) from the Daily Telegraph.

 

And from a link on the same page, here's an interesting short blog giving a different perspective on the improvements one nursery had to undergo specifically as a result of the EYFS.

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I know we've moved on from the TES 'My dad's bigger than your dad' type comments, but just wanted to say that I feel that no matter how qualified we are, or how long it took to get that qualification, if we are not willing to be a Reflective QTS/childminder/practitioner/nursery nurse/EYP or whater, whether 18 or 50, then it's not worth much to the children.

Edited by Guest
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The nature of education and play is that it will always change and develop further - it sort of twists and turns, but in all my years, I have never been asked for my opinion or any form of banter over the proposals.

You have to keep a close eye on the DfE consultation pages these days as they put everything there!!

 

http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/

 

Cx

Edited by catma
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