“We’re Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place” – A Letter From…A Frustrated Reception Teacher
"Something needs to change," says our anonymous Early Years educator
As many teachers know, the end of the academic year isn’t just for end-of-year assemblies, parties, film days and fun. No matter that the summer holiday is in sight and almost within our grasp, this is also a time when there are 250 loose ends to tie up simultaneously, without getting yourself muddled and stuck in a knot.
And the loose end I dread more than any other? External moderation (I can already hear the distant screams of many teachers). I have been in the Reception classroom now for more than four years, performing a variety of roles, and two of the recurring themes have been the lack of consistency and the lack of understanding of how Reception should be run.
Now while to some degree each and every setting within the early years sector does things differently, I would argue that it is Reception classrooms that vary the most in terms of where their practice falls on the EYFS spectrum. So, you might think, why does this matter? How does this affect people in moderation? Well I’m glad you asked!
More often than not, comments and discussions quickly become about what is considered best practice – which is always problematic because there isn’t a specific answer.
I see being an early years teacher, and specifically a Reception teacher, as a bit like being a parent: we all want to do our best, but we’re not really sure about which route to take because we are constantly bombarded by judgement, theory and many, many differing opinions.
When I speak with most Reception classroom practitioners, what emerges is that we feel as though our hands are tied behind our backs.
Teaching in Reception can feel a little bit like being stuck between a rock and a hard place: more often than not you are passionate about early years and have a clear vision of what you think good practice looks like in the classroom – but then you realise very quickly that you have limited say over what goes on, as it is mainly controlled by others higher up, who, of course, also have views on how a Reception classroom should be run.
This is not to say that these people are wrong, necessarily – but it can make the experience of moderation difficult, since you may be having to carry out certain practices that are not of your own choosing.
As I’ve pointed out, there are many different ways people like to run their Reception classroom.
On the one hand there are those who feel it should be run very formally – not much to do with play-based learning, with lots of table and book work; then on the other hand, you have those who believe that everything should be play-based – completely child-led, with no planning and no formal teaching.
And of course there are those who sit somewhere in the middle of the debate. As you can imagine, this can cause quite a bit of friction at moderation.
For me, the Reception classroom has been neglected – almost forgotten.
Not only are we not able to make our own decisions but also, at times, many of us feel as if we are not respected. Some Reception teachers – myself included – have experienced being unintentionally mocked, left feeling less important than our colleagues, disconnected from our schools and early years community, with an overwhelming sense of being lost.
It’s no wonder so many Reception teachers are frustrated. This cannot go on; let’s give the Reception classroom life again; let’s educate those who lack understanding of this rewarding, different and at times challenging department and make it glow while allowing its practitioners to feel respected and supported.
From a Year R Teacher
