Teach-Primary-Issue-19.1

www.teachwire.ne t | 23 D ear Bridget Phillipson, There’s a memorable scene in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Kindergarten Cop where, after his first day in a nursery classroom, he collapses into bed, exhausted. During my first six weeks in early years as a Reception teacher, that was me – every single day. The government’s plan to open 3,000 early years settings in schools is a welcome step forward, but its success will depend on avoiding the mistakes I made in that first month and a half. The early years experience is fundamentally different from teaching older children, yet this distinction is often misunderstood. Even as someone who had already adapted from training as a secondary teacher to teaching Year 4 in a large junior school, I was unprepared for the shift to EYFS. The challenge wasn’t the children – it was me and my misunderstanding of what the role required. In my previous jobs, I was used to being the teacher in the room. I planned when we’d tackle each topic, the approach I would take, and the outcomes I expected from each lesson. My class would sit at their tables, they would listen to what we all had to say, and then (mostly) get on with what they needed to do during the lesson. When I stepped into my first Reception classroom, I thought I was ready. I’d met the children, spoken with the team, and prepared for what we were going to do. But I hadn’t planned for what I would experience – which at the time felt like complete chaos. I’m embarrassed to admit it now, but during those first weeks I was not the best person for that classroom. Thankfully, I had incredible support (thank you Sam!) which kept things on track and ensured the children had a great start to their first year at school. And then, sometime during that first half term, something clicked. I realised that my role in early years wasn’t to ‘teach’ in the traditional sense. I was there to facilitate the children’s learning. Most importantly, I was there to help them understand that they were learners . The skills you need to teach in early years are not the same as those for teaching older children. I assumed they were. In early years, teachers focus on the fundamentals that need to be in place to ensure the next phase of learning can happen – like supporting the development of fine and gross motor skills that will enable pupils to write. A deep understanding of how a child learns is essential in EYFS. I’d sat through countless staff meetings on supporting children to read, however none addressed how to teach them to begin reading . How do you w .teachwire.net | 17 A letter to... EYFS is not ‘lightweight’ teaching, and the government needs to provide expert training to make the new nursery initiative work, says Ben Case ... Each issueweaskacontributor to penanote theywould love to send The Education Secretary Ben Case is an education advisor at Tapestry and a former early years teacher. You can find more information about school-based nurseries at tinyurl.com/tp-TapestryNurseries VO I C E S help a four-year-old to recognise the shapes on a page as letters, understand how those letters represent sounds, and blend those sounds to make words? I found my calling in early years, and I hope many others will, too. But if the plan to open 3,000 early years settings is to succeed, we need to face facts: asking teachers to work ‘flexibly’ across Key Stages 1, 2 and early years will not work. As with my own experience, there is a persistent, mistaken view that teaching younger children is somehow easier. Early years is often seen as the lightweight end of teaching. But the reality is that early years teachers require specialised knowledge, a deep understanding of child development, and a thorough grasp of the EYFS statutory framework. Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop , early years teachers don’t need to be thrown into the deep end to learn the ropes. They need training, support, and time to observe effective practice. Teachers moving into early years should have opportunities to work alongside experienced teams, to understand how our youngest children learn, and to develop the skills required for this unique and rewarding role. I urge you to ensure that the government’s plans for early years settings take this into account. The future success of this initiative – and, more importantly, the future success of our youngest learners – depends on it. From Ben “I wasn’t prepared for what felt like complete chaos”