Outdoor area staffing - is this school doing the right thing?

[ChrisAR]

Hi everyone. 

A Reception setting I know has two areas - one indoor classroom and an adjacent small outdoor area. There is one classteacher and  only 15 children. No teaching assistant.

The children can move independently between the two areas, but that means one of the areas will have no adult supervision.

Is the school meeting statutory requirements? Both areas are seen as 'one' EYFS classroom, meeting the 1:30 ratio for Reception children?

If the answer is 'no', could you point me in the direction of any statutory guidance to help the school out? Can't see my question answered in the Framework.

Thank you.

Edited May 2, 2022 by ChrisAR

[finleysmaid]

The children should preferably be in sight and in hearing at all times but if not must be in sight or hearing for eyfs settings. Schools however do seem to be able to get away with the fact there are additional people on site. Do they have a risk assessment in place?

[mundia]

As Finleysmaid said, a risk assessment should be in place considering the outdoor space, where it is, what's in it, and how it can be seen.eg if there is a large window or door. Plus how easy it is to summon help.

The statutory framework just says setting must ensure safety of all children and that they must be adequately supervised, and be within sight or hearing.  Its then up to providers to decide what that looks like. If the teacher is concerned that they are not doing this, they should raise it with their head.

Its not uncommon in small school especially to have a teacher on their own with a small reception class.