Call to delay school start and moving on from Reception or Year 1 until January 2021
Catherine Gaunt
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Early Education and TACTYC are proposing that children in pre-schools, nurseries, Reception and Year 1 classes stay on in their previous setting or class until January 2021 to support children through the Covid-19 crisis.
The early years education experts are calling for a delay to starting school by up to a term to help children returning to nursery in September experience the best transitions.
Under the plans, the spring term of 2021 would effectively be the start of a shortened school year, when children would transition to their next year groups and new children would start Reception.
The move follows a call in May by the Covid-19 Response Group of more than 70 nursery groups and organisations for children to delay starting school until January or April 2021. And in June, the UK's largest nursery group, Busy Bees, said it was exploring a funded 'stay-in-nursery' scheme with local authorities, which has a similar aim.
Early Education and TACTYC also advise schools and settings against early adoption of the Reception Baseline, the revised EYFS or the new Development Matters ‘which would increase staff workload at a time when practitioners need to focus on the recovery curriculum’.
In a letter addressed to colleagues they say, ‘Covid-19 has brought unprecedented breaks in usual provision, and we must be ready to make unprecedented arrangements to meet children’s needs.
‘A positive transition experience for all children and their families which guards children’s well-being is always an essential part of a good education. This is even more critical now, when the Covid-19 crisis has meant the majority of children have missed out on months of education. Those who have continued to attend their school or setting will already have experienced changes to normal routines and will see further disruptions when many more children return in September. For all children, there is a big change ahead in September, unsupported by normal transition arrangements.’
In a separate letter to parents, the early years organisations encourage them to remember that the statutory school starting age is the term after a child's fifth birthday, and that if children will benefit from the continuity of returning to their existing provider, that can help children consolidate their learning and be ready to move on.
This would also help children to build confidence, resilience and positive relationships.
The two organisations have set out their proposals for how their plans would work in practice in Recommendations for strong and effective transitions for the EYFS and KS1 in September 2020.
They recommend that schools and early years providers work flexibly together to consider whether an extra term in a child’s previous year group would be best for them and provide the foundation for later learning.
Early Education chief executive Beatrice Merrick, said, ‘We know schools and settings are already preparing for transitions in the autumn term, and that conversations are taking place between schools, providers and parents to fit with local circumstances.
‘We want to encourage everyone involved to think flexibly about what best meets children’s needs. The autumn entry date is not fixed in stone, and if numbers of children taking up their early entitlements in the autumn are lower than normal, there will be flexibility in the system to allow children to have longer transitions where this is in their best interests.’
RECOMMENDATIONS
‘As schools and settings look towards welcoming young children back and making a “good start”, we need to plan a positive transition experience for all children and their families which will build confidence, resilience and positive relationships,’ the recommendations state.
‘Only a developmentally appropriate and nurturing return to school will support the strong foundations necessary for school readiness and progress in learning. A focus on well-being and supporting children’s whole development will consolidate prior learning and reignite children's interest so they will "catch up" and move on in their learning.’
To this end they say that during the autumn term the PVI sector, schools, nursery and Reception and Year 1 will need to keep focused on children’s transitions.
‘Supporting children in “catching up” and meeting their learning needs while offering a nurturing experience will call on key resources such as staffing, time and funding.
'We therefore counsel against early adoption of the Reception Baseline, the revised EYFS or the new Development Matters which would increase staff workload at a time when practitioners need to focus on the recovery curriculum. For at least a year, early years settings and schools will need the flexibility and funding to modify improvement plans, reshape their priorities, and put in place experiences, activities and teaching which support all children.’
The proposals for children return to settings and school in the autumn term 2020 are:
- In September children will return to the year/age groups and adults they left in March to re-settle, build on their current starting points and re-establish where they are in their learning and development as well as in their relationships and routines. This will be a time to consolidate prior learning, including the learning gained during lockdown, and to build on any positive practice developed through new ways of working with families.
- Children who were due to start Reception in September will remain in their nursery setting, pre-school, nursery school, or nursery class. They will start their transition visits to Reception classes including a settling-in period in partnership with their parents, with plenty of time to build relationships with their new teachers and develop their self-confidence.
- Children due to start in Year 1 in September will instead return to their Reception classes. With a curriculum focused on crucial aspects of recovery, such as rebuilding relationships and reducing anxiety, and an emphasis on promoting/stimulating their physical, emotional and language development, they would fulfil EYFS expectations and ultimately be ready for the Y1 curriculum.
- Children due to start in Year 2 in September will remain in Year 1. This will help teachers and children secure the foundations of the Y1 curriculum. Any attempt to ‘catch up’ what is seen as ‘missing’ in order to achieve end of KS1 targets would simply result in (a) leaving out chunks of the curriculum or (b) rushing children through the curriculum. Both would result in vital connections not being made between new and prior learning and, consequently, knowledge and understanding being weakened, standards falling and a pervading sense of failure impacting negatively on children’s wellbeing.
- Spring Term 2021: All children will transition to their next year groups and new children will start in Reception. In effect this will be the start of a shortened school year.
Download the documents