Page 52

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There has been lots of conversation about the new Reading Framework since it was released yesterday and I feel like I need to put my two cents’ in…

Background

As some of you may already know I am an assistant headteacher and Early Years leader in an inner London school. The school had Ofsted in January 2018 and were found to be ‘requires improvement’. I joined the school in September 2018 and since then we have been on a journey to good. Why am I telling you this? As part of the support the school has received, we have had Local Authority visits every half term, Curriculum Health checks, ‘mock’ Ofsteds, ‘Getting to Good’ Club and training from HMI. I have read every new publication myself thoroughly, not just EYs ones, and have had training on most; webinars or CPD led by the Borough or Ofsted.

What I have deduced from all of this, is there is a greater focus on the skills the children are learning and the progression of these skills term to term, year to year. Not a requirement to formalise EYs or reduce the amount of play.

At an EYs conference I attended in May, an HMI spoke about something that relates to the section above; that we should be focusing in on the specific skills we want the children to learn.

An example; you have identified a child or group of children in your setting who need to work on their scissor skills. Set up an activity for that. A simple activity in which your main/ only focus is them developing their scissor skills. Not cutting, then colour sorting then sticking and, and, and; a series of tasks which include cuttings skills. No, just cutting. If we hone in on exactly what we want the children to learn or develop, there will be more chance the child will succeed.

Now, this one task could be part of a bigger objective you want the children to meet. For example, the end goal is them being able to use the toilet. What knowledge and/ or skills do they need in order to succeed at using the toilet? They need to know:

  • what the toilet is for

  • to recognise the urge

  • how to pull down their clothes

  • that they need to sit on the toilet

  • how to clean themselves

  • that they need to pull up their clothes etc etc

These are the components or as I like to call them Steps to Success. The composite is being able to use the toilet successfully.

If we look at everything as skills, then this will stop children from falling behind (rather than having children who need to catch up), and children will succeed in learning and developing these skills.

So, what does this have to do with the new Reading Framework? Firstly, what I would say with any document, framework or guidance, is always read them for yourself. Go back to the original source, the original document.

So, here is what I think about these two paragraphs which can be found on page 52 of The Reading Framework, July 2021.

“Activities must be high quality, practical, efficient and focused on the main goal – reading and spelling using phonics.” As good EYs practitioners, we can often see lots of learning happening in one activity and we are able to plan activities which ‘hit’ lots of different learning intentions. I think this sentence is suggesting that phonics and reading activities are most effective when they are focused. When the main or only component is specifically reading or spelling using phonics. Not having to also be successful at other skills (go back to my scissor skills example).

This supports the next two sentences: “Children enjoy well-designed activities that focus on phonics. They feel successful and recognise that they are learning to read and write.” The task is clear, simple, specific and achievable - use these letters to build this word. Not, use the magnetic fishing rod to hook out letters and then see if you have the letters you need to build a word.

1. The children are more focused on having fun hooking out objects (another skill and activity completely)

2. They are less likely to succeed in the activity’s purpose the more steps there are to complete, in order to be successful.

No one is saying formalise the EYs or take away play. The framework is very clear that play is valuable and “activities such as painting, colouring, modelling, playing in the sand and water tray are valuable for developing language, knowledge, cooperative play, fine motor skills, imagination and creativity.”

But by “using them as vehicles for practising phonics…does not provide sufficient practice in word reading.” Why? Because the main skill is making marks using paint or developing hand-eye coordination (fishing for words in the water tray). Not embedding phonics skills and/ or practicing reading.

Here are some examples of activities which are “practical, efficient and focused on the main goal – reading and spelling using phonics.”

‘Eye Spy’ - children use binoculars or a magnifying glass to read phonemes or words around the classroom which have been written on large post it notes. Main goal - reading.

Word Building - children match the CVC words to the pictures. They pick up a CVC word, for example cat, segment and blend to read, then match it to the picture of a cat. Main goal - reading using phonic knowledge.

This activity can also be completed the opposite way. The children pick up a picture, for example a cat, and they orally segment the sounds they can hear to spell the word. Main goal - spelling using phonics.

These three examples, very clearly hone in on reading and phonics skills. The children are not expected to make their own binoculars in order to be successful at playing ‘Eye Spy’, as that requires different skills - constructing for a purpose and using different joining techniques. They are given the tools to succeed - although there is nothing stopping the children using their own binoculars they have made to hunt the letters.

To conclude

  • The new Statutory framework for the EYFS is very clear that it “does not prescribe a particular teaching approach” and that “play is essential” (pg 16, 1.14)

  • The Reading Framework supports this by stating “activities such as painting, colouring, modelling, playing in the sand and water tray are valuable for developing language, knowledge, cooperative play, fine motor skills, imagination and creativity.” (pg 52 para. 2)

  • It also states that “activities must be high quality, practical, efficient and focused on the main goal – reading and spelling using phonics.” and that “children enjoy well-designed activities that focus on phonics. [Where] they feel successful and recognise that they are learning to read and write.”

Keep learning through play. Keep continuous provision. Keep on providing the children with engaging activities to support their learning and progress. But evaluate and reflect on your provision ensuring the children in your setting are being provided with activities they will succeed at, which have a clear skill focus, and which will support them to achieve the ELG’s by the end of Reception.

As always, comments open below…

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