task 4c

I asked some of my colleges some questions I have looked into and asked myself about my inquiry. I put it across the school so I asked reception, year 1 and year 2. Unfortunately we are just an infant school.  The questions I developed were..

Give your opinion on our settling in process in reception? Does it affect their learning or behaviour in any way?

Can you notice who is born in the first quartile or second through what they can achieve?

A reception teaching assistant said ‘the process takes too long for them. The older ones are always settled in better because they have started earlier so naturally they feel more comfortable. There is always such confusion for the children and the parents. But mainly for the children as one week their coming to school of a morning and the next their coming of an afternoon this can really affect their behaviour it can make them silly or get themselves in trouble.’

Another reception teaching assistant I asked was someone who had previously studied early years. They said ‘It really can work the process if good management is taking on it. If the communication is there and messages are being passed through teachers to parents and children so they have some understanding. I do feel as the months go on I see a difference in that the older ones are now pulling away. Some of these children have been in setting since they were 2 there is so much expected of them. Schooling elsewhere can be because of their religions and that it’s against their views. We as brits are still very Victorian. On the process of them settling to school we call it moulding there are many techniques for children to gradually be at the same level. ‘

A year one teacher said ‘standards. ‘mainly their behaviour is really dependant on who that individual is and nothing to do with what quartile they are born in. I may find as they come up from reception that their grouping in say maths that the top group may all be the older ones but often find s the year goes on this can change due to their developing a character and behaviour can really affect their learning.’

Lastly a year two teaching assistant said ‘I’ve never ever noticed a different but it is really interesting you have questioned this as it’ll now make me go back and look at their books to see if there is any difference. Maybe as their coming up the school they have all really balanced out.’

As my professional associates were answering these I felt it is an issue not many people had discussed and looked at before I am therefore excited to dig deeper into this as the course continues.