Transition from the Foundation Stage to Key 1 (Redbridge Local Authority)

"Redbridge Local Authority - Page 2"

INTRODUCTION

Inquisitive, enquiring, confident, hesitant, creative, articulate......... you add your own words to describe the young Reception child. Whichever words you choose I am sure you will acknowledge that each child has their own personality and throughout that first year in school their individuality can both challenge and reward the adults sharing their day. Gradually their individual learning styles begin to emerge and the skilled practitioner encourages their progress by creating a learning agenda and environment that appropriately meets their individual needs.

Throughout the profession many Year 1 teachers have expressed concerns that the Transition experience from Foundation Stage to KEY Stage 1 can cause stress to children and an interruption to learning. They consider this to be due to a combination of the introduction of the National Curriculum and the downward pressure from the SAT’s test agenda in Year 2 resulting in a change from the more child centred approach of Reception to the more formal approach to learning in Key Stage 1. However in recent years the government has enabled school’s to agree their own approach to teaching and learning through the publication of the Primary Strategy, document “Excellence and Enjoyment” and also allowed flexibility with the timing of the Assessment Tasks to be decided in Year 2 by Year 2 teachers.

The Redbridge Early Years Action Research Project has given Year 1 practitioners the opportunity to explore, identify and share good practice. 11 teachers in 8 schools took part and the outcome is now shared with you.