Bttm And Its Impact On Reception Children

[Steve]

Hi -

I've been asked to post this query to assist with a newspaper article. Any views from reception teachers welcomed, and I'll pass them on!

 

I am composing an article on the Birth to Three Matters framework for publication in the national press and need to hear teachers’ views on the framework. Although teachers in schools will not be using the framework, they will be teaching children who will have experienced it, so it would be good to know if teachers see any value in it eg better transition into school, better social skills, readiness to absorb concepts etc. Quotes of any length appreciated!

[JacquieL]

Well hopefully children who are in Reception classess will also have had a least a year of the Foundation Stage curriculum so it wil be hard to tell if there is any impact of BTTM. How would that compare with those children who have been at home until they are three, compared with those in under three day care?Now that seems more of a subject for investigation.

No doubt those more experienced that me will discuss BTTM but I didn't think it was a curriculum as such but a way of looking at child development and ensuring that thier experiences were rounded and suitable for their age.

[Steve]

Yes I did wonder how it would be possible to sort out BTTM influences from the later FS influence Jacquie! But then I thought - what do I know?

[Guest]

Steve surely they should be asking how BTTM impacts on the children starting the foundation stage or the Stepping Stones. the only difference to Reception teachers surely would be that the children have had longer in a "structured" environment?

have they forgotten that there is a long time between BTTM before Reception teachers get the children??

[Guest]

A difficult and probably quite an impossible question to answer without undertaking a great deal of reasearch but then I am not a teacher in primary so fortunately I do not have to answer it. Perhaps they might like to look at the EPPE research as their starting point but how could anyone offer any sound opinion - how many hours per week did they do within BTTM, what sort of setting, what sort of child, what did they do after? Sounds a bit of a tall order to me - rather them than me.

Nikki

[mundia]

of course are we assuming the request was aimed at reception teac hers? I wonder if s/he is thinking in terms of maybe nusrery teac hers who may be receiving children into school nursery classes immediately after any experience of BTTM.

 

It is very diffiuclt to prove any relationship directly with BTTM though. We find we do notice a difference in the children who have had some sort of preschool or playgroup experiecne before attending our nursery, such children are rare for us and they do stand out. They often have better social skills, more independence, are more confident, happier to leave their parenst etc. But this was happening before BTTM so I couldnt say it was as a dircet result of BTTm.

[JacquieL]

sounds like the writer needs to go back to the drawing board and think through what s/he really wants from this artifcel. It could be a very interesting piece of research but i'm with mundia here and wondering if s/he is mixing up BTTM with the FS.