Supporting
Early Years Provision in Mixed-age Classes
Focus: Providing
guidance on organisation and planning to ensure the
Early Learning Goals are successfully implemented
Person with overall
responsibility: Elizabeth Fee, Assigned Adviser
Keywords:
early years, early years
goals and practitioners, guidance on planning
Read
Project Plan (what are we trying to achieve?)
: Read Progress Report (what did
we achieve?)
Project
Plan
Tasks |
| Planning
and design
- Provide training on implementing the Early
Learning Goals in mixed age classes - Autumn
Term, Sept 200000
- Identify successful strategies from schools
attending training courses - May 2001
- Produce case studies that show how schools
with a variety of mixed age organisations
successfully plan and organise to implement
the ELG’s - June 2001
|
Success
Criteria
- Training opportunities successfully meet
the needs of early years practitioners in
planning and implementing the ELG’s
- Evidence from following up sample of those
who have attended training that provision
in the school is effective – ELG delivered,
pupils making expected progress
|
Resources allocation
and source of funding
- 5 adviser days drawn from EDP/Standards
Fund. Elizabeth Fee
- 3 adviser days – Sheila Mears re:
case studies
|
Proposed Developments
for 2001 onwards
- Continue to identify other successful strategies/practices
|
Project
Progress Report
Approximately thirty Key Stage 1 teachers from small
schools attended a half-day course which focused on
issues related to curriculum planning and organisation
for two or three age groups within one class. The
introduction of the Foundation Stage in September
2000 requires teachers to plan a different curriculum
for reception children, based on early learning goals.
Teachers of reception children must now ensure that
they plan a good balance between teacher-directed
activities and opportunities for children to make
independent choices. DfES Foundation Stage Curriculum
Guidance advises that much of children’s learning
will be through play and talk. These changes in the
early years curriculum place further demands on teachers
in small schools.
Teachers from three small schools contributed their
approaches to planning and organising the curriculum
to accommodate the needs of reception children. They
emphasised the vital role of classroom assistants
who usually support reception children during literacy
and numeracy sessions. The three contributors explained
how they plan role-play relevant to foundation and
Key Stage 1 children. The sharing of practice by three
teachers working in different circumstances was valued
by the course participants, who found it useful and
reassuring to hear about different approaches.
Teachers found the course helpful and were appreciative
of the documentation, in particular the published
examples of curriculum planning formats. The Early
Years Adviser recommended long term planning developed
by a group of Leicestershire teachers of mixed-age
classes. An example of this is included in the Gloucestershire
Curriculum Planning Guidance for the Foundation Stage.
Teachers commented that the course provided a useful
forum for an exchange of ideas and for mutual support
in what is a very challenging teaching context. Their
concerns included time for outdoor learning particularly
where classroom support is limited. Teachers also
found it difficult to engage in role-play activities,
again due to pressure of time and the demands of a
prescribed literacy and numeracy curriculum.
If future funding becomes available to support teachers
in small schools, course participants would wish to
have further planned opportunities to meet and discuss
teaching and learning issues relevant to mixed-age
classes. |
