Positive Relationships - Let's talk about ... The EYFS in reception year

- Q: What has been your experience so far of following the principles of the EYFS in reception?

'I think that the EYFS is by far the best curriculum for young children that I have worked with since I started teaching more than 30 years ago. I find that you can get so much more out of the children; we are already seeing better outcomes, and the results that we are getting at the end of Key Stage 1 are proof that the early years curriculum is really working.'

'At my school we are able to work well using the principles of the EYFS. We have a strong leadership team, there are 90 children in reception and we have open-plan classrooms with five teachers and four full-time teaching assistants.'

'The head of my school is incredibly supportive of the EYFS and our Foundation Stage unit is like our own little empire. The reception and nursery classes are integrated. There are three members of staff that run the Foundation Stage unit and we have arranged our day so that one member of staff will do the more didactic teaching, such as Letters and Sounds, one will be in the freeflow unit, and one member of staff will be outside, and we rotate between these areas. It means that reception year children can take advantage of the nursery space as well.'

'I have found that teachers in other years are very supportive of the EYFS and they are trying to follow our model in Year One.'

'I'm lucky in that I am not being pressured for results by the top end of the school. I did find that parents were nervous about the idea of child- initiated learning at first, but they were won round after seeing two sets of children move seamlessly from reception into Year One.'

'The teaching in reception year used to be much more formal, and an open curriculum like the EYFS is much better, especially for young boys.'

- Q: What do you feel are the drawbacks of teaching the EYFS in reception year?

'I have two teaching assistants, but I have spoken to so many reception teachers who are on their own in the classroom, with up to 30 children. It just means that they cannot do all the things that they want to. I can't see how you can make sure that Every Child Matters when you are in a situation like that.'

'The EYFS says that children should be able to go outside whenever they want, but if you only have one teacher and 30 children you can't be both inside and outside. Also, the reality is that parents will say from time to time that they don't want their child to go outside because they have a bit of a cold, or something like that.'

'My biggest bugbear at the moment is the key person approach. It is very difficult to build up key person relationships when you are the only teacher and responsible for up to 30 children. I would be interested to hear how others are working with the key person approach in reception classes.'

'It's certainly not easy trying to follow the principles of the EYFS with the ratios that we have in schools, but then there is the added difficulty of working within an organisation that is not solely focused on the needs of young children, but children aged all the way up to 11. It's very different to working in a nursery.'

'I think one of the major problems for reception teachers is that the EYFS is an open curriculum but schools still want results. I am very lucky - I have incredible support at my school and as long as I can back up why I am doing something, then everything is fine. However, I have spoken to reception teachers at other schools and I know that if they haven't got that support it becomes incredibly difficult.'

'So much of the EYFS curriculum guidance is aimed at children's centres. A lot of it is not applicable to reception year teachers within a school.'

'I think that reception teachers sometimes struggle to let go and trust children to direct their own learning. It's a long time since I did my teacher training, but I wonder if it has moved swiftly enough to take the child-initiated approach into account. Based on some of the students who have come to the school to do work placements, I suspect not.'

- Q: How are you finding the assessment process for reception age children?

'The EYFS is a new curriculum but the Foundation Stage Profiles have not changed. The Government has not laid out any way of linking Development Matters with the EYFS Profiles. They haven't produced anything that reception year teachers can work towards, and I really think that this will cause problems later on this year.'

'My biggest problem is the baseline statements that have to be transferred to the Foundation Stage Profiles at the beginning of reception year. They don't transfer easily and it just seems like unnecessary paperwork. Before the EYFS, the baseline statements were used all the way up until the end of the reception year.'

'The Development Matters information that we get from nursery is difficult to link to the early learning goals. Perhaps it is just that we need to become more familiar with the Development Matters guidance.'

'The only drawback for me is the early learning goals. I think that the writing goals are inappropriate to this age group and, now that Ofsted are required to look at raw data such as the EYFS Profile results when grading our provision, it creates pressure to get children jumping through hoops.'

'The only downside for me is the emphasis on outcomes - it flies in the face of the principles of the EYFS.'

'There is a massive tension for us in the reception year. We have to choose between being true to the principles of child development and satisfying the requirements of Ofsted. Reception teachers have the end game to worry about, whereas nurseries are not measured by their outcomes.'

AN EXPERT'S VIEW: Jenny Woodbridge, joint director of Early Excellence

It can sometimes be quite difficult to be a teacher in the reception class, but it shouldn't be. It's incredibly challenging to work with the youngest children in school, and as many of us know, it's not for the faint- hearted. Children in their early years are naturally inquisitive, extremely lively and wonderfully creative; they don't thrive through traditional teaching methods. They are supreme individuals, whose nature and needs are often more diverse and less predictable than at any other time in their school lives. They need an individual approach offering them time, flexibility and security to build on to their developing strengths.

One of the criticisms often levelled at the reception class teacher who maintains the continuity of a play-based approach is that it does not offer children of this age enough challenge. I have to say that in some cases this point of view can be justified. A play- based approach needs to be very carefully thought through to offer children high- quality opportunities that motivate them to learn and to keep on learning. The nature of progression through play is still not fully reflected in many reception classes, and teachers must do more in order to strengthen their understanding about the processes children go through as they learn. Pinpointing where each individual is, and having the skills to respond and contribute to children's thinking, underpins good practice.

Often, the most confident reception teachers are those who are well supported by their senior colleagues. Knowing you have support makes a huge difference to your resolve to 'stay with play' throughout the reception year. Where play is valued as a high-level activity, teachers allow more time for it and focus carefully on the quality of the experiences offered through well-planned continuous provision, and on their own engagement with children's ideas and interests.

There are, of course, many tensions for reception teachers who sometimes find themselves in schools where early years pedagogy is not fully understood and where there are pressures to apply inappropriate formal teaching methods that disregard the developmental needs of young children. It can seem easier just to conform than to stand alone against the tide of opinion.

In these situations teachers need to seek allies. Talk to your local authority specialist and with other reception teachers. Refer to the EYFS framework for material to support you, and don't forget the emphasis in the new primary strategy on the importance of child-initiated learning and quality first-hand experiences.

Remember that confidence comes from being both knowledgeable and articulate. So keep up your enthusiasm and stand by your principles.