finleysmaid Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Could i please ask what you lovely reception teachers do on your transitions days....what sort of structure do you have /play time/ do you 'just' do freeplay or do you add in stories/songs etc?
Guest Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 We have had 3 transition times when the new children have come in. The first one was a chance for parents to come and play with their child help them feel settled in new learning environment. I then read a story before they went. I asked the children what they would like out for next time - they saw the beebots and castle etc. The second time we collected them from parents and took them to class sat down at first to have a little chat then play then story and ask about anything else they would like to do for the next time.
HappyMaz Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Out of interest, finleysmaid, why are you intersted?
finleysmaid Posted July 8, 2011 Author Posted July 8, 2011 actually a bit of a barbed question ...and thank you eggwoman for your reply! i have had a bit of a bad week for transitions....i have spent loads of time with my school leavers talking about their journey to school and all the exciting things they will be able to do, only to be faced with boring classrooms/uninspiring teaching and general apethy. I was beginning to wonder whether i was expecting too much but i can see from eggwomans reply and from other activities that forum members have planned this week that that is not the case. I just needed to know i wasn't losing the plot. just wanted some reassurance .....maybe a bit of a naughty way of going about it ...i've calmed down now but i was SO cross this afternoon. My apology for the post
HappyMaz Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 No need to apologise, finleysmaid. I just wondered because one of my children had a pretty awful experience at their settling days this week. This parent didn't get any of the three chosen schools, and really the school place they have been offered couldn't be further away from home. So to have trauma at the settling visit threatened to push them both over the edge. Hope you feel better for venting!
finleysmaid Posted July 8, 2011 Author Posted July 8, 2011 omg its just awful when you've had them for 2 years and they are capeable and willing children for them to be turned to jelly by someone being thoughtless i had loads of siblings this week who were not allowed to see their brothers/sisters who were in the playground....can you imagine they've been so looking forward to it and being big like them...their faces were so sad i nearly cried...and the teacher just didn't notice
Guest Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) This has made me a bit sad this week too - I had a reception teacher visit - she told me she was shaking the whole system up and making it much more formal in her classroom she went on to tell me she was fed up with children running riot playing all day and can't even hold a pencil - she was planning ......handwriting half hour! What can you say!!! I was shocked, but not brave enough to speak up - besides when she didn't want to even look at the Childs learning diary - saying I prefer to make my own judgement - I felt quite inadequate - two years of collecting evidence, one hour to write a transfer firm that she shrugged at - I was the inferior one. I know there are some great teachers out there but thus us not one (previously taught year 6-no early years training) - Shocking!! Edited July 9, 2011 by Guest
Guest Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Thats really sad to hear. I have visited all my children from the 3 pre schools coming to us before they have come to us. I observed them in their play looking at what they were playing with etc. The children need to feel it is a safe place they are coming to. Not sure the formal bit will go down well!! The siblings part is a little harder as it is ok for children that do have siblings in school but for some that haven't they get overwhelmed by all the big children and the whole part of the school dinnenr hall/noise etc is a bit too much for them. Its done gently so no one misses out. Also i think it is nice that the new children get their own identities before some of other children/staff know the child just as some and so's brother/sister. Our visits have all been in the afternoon when siblings are in the classroom but if the children happened to see them in corridor etc then a hello etc is nice I'm actually quite sad that i feel i do go into pre schools/nursery to visit my children speak to the teachers/ they come in to see us and the parents do to and yet trying to get the year 1 teacher to visit us is a hardship the thought of even using ppa time when that is what i have been using to visit. Some of my current clas are all still 4 and 5 of them turn 5 in the holidays they are still little - i think that the year 1 teacher needs to seem them, play with them and see that activiivties they like to do so she can have some of them come september!! grrrrrr why is it that there is this big focus on EYFS and yet goes out of the window come year 1 i know schools are trialling a mose eyfs approach in year 1/2 i have said that year 1/2 could do with sanda nd water trays a role play area. After coming from our lovely classroom the year 1 and 2 classrooms are so dull full of tables and chairs no space to play or move around. mmm theres my vent over!!
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