School ready skills help please

[VeggieSausage]

Hi All,

I have one child aged 4 who I have for her 15 hours funded hours. I am working through all the Early Years Outcomes with her. My question is about school ready skills - is this enough or is there another checklist etc for this....I think I may have seen something a while back about this but can't find anything. Thanks is advance.
VS

[Simona]

Hi All,

I have one child aged 4 who I have for her 15 hours funded hours. I am working through all the Early Years Outcomes with her. My question is about school ready skills - is this enough or is there another checklist etc for this....I think I may have seen something a while back about this but can't find anything. Thanks is advance.
VS

This is from the govt

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-is-acting-to-get-children-ready-for-school

The best support for children is in their PSED but do consider their age

[bunyip]

IIWY, I'd write to the school (like I have), requesting a list of the specific skills they consider needed to deem a child "school ready".

If they reply, you have your answer.

If, like my local "outstanding" school they choose not to so much as acknowledge the letter (presumably because we're all just a bunch of scumbag CMs) then write "no reply received" in big red crayon (like I have) and place it prominently in your partnership/correspondence folder for your next inspector to see (like I have.) :mad:

[sarah707]

Some information here :D Are you ready? Good practice in school readiness - (http://independentchildminders.weebly.com/blog/are-you-ready-good-practice-in-school-readiness)

[FloraDora]

I work towards the characteristics of learning : if they can engage, focus, enjoy and think they can take anything on!
PSED is important too - anything else just comes at an individual rate naturally.
Developing a love of books and stories is a big priority too. As that sets them up for listening and gives them foundations to imagine .....

Just a love of discovering and enquiring ....the world is their oyster ...in my opinion.

[bunyip]

Excellent article Sarah, thank you.

But how sad and typical that the regime takes its usual 'blame the victim' approach instead of taking time to reflect on its own moribund ideology.

The Ofsted report and the associated media frenzy highlight clear evidence that children are not ready for school at 4 years old. But instead of considering the possibility that might just be too young to send a child to school, they blame the parents; blame the EY childcare settings; and blame the child. Then, in opposition to all common sense and logic, they look at how to get them into school even earlier: say, 2 years old, eh?

Why? well, partly because short-term actions make it look as if they're doing something to solve the problem. Let's face it, when it fails, they'll just come back to blaming the parents and childcarers.

Nobody stops to ask why they're so keen to get children into school at 48 months. It's doing the child no good. But it does get them into free childcare and social engineering (the main functions of UK schools) thus freeing up parents to perpetuate an over-full labour market which is essential to suppressing wages in the interests of profitability for big business and lives of luxury for the super-rich. :mad:

[sarah707]

We can but try to meet the ever changing requirements of the DfE and Ofsted ...

who said it has anything to do with the children Bunyip?? :rolleyes:

[bunyip]

We can but try to meet the ever changing requirements of the DfE and Ofsted ...

who said it has anything to do with the children Bunyip?? :rolleyes:

Good point.

You know I've never entirely worked out whether school is there to provide free childcare for working parents; social control, or merely internment without trial for the under-18's. :huh:

[Hoopster]

I think it's good to focus on the prime areas. Obviously PSED is really important, physical development, things like holding their pencil correctly, being able to put their coat on independently and general independence in tasks. Teachers really like it when children can do things for themselves in reception, as in some classes there could be 30 children, so if they have some skills to do things independently it gives them a good start.

[mama2three]

I had an inspection in august shortly before 2 of my mindees started school. Whilst mindee was eating lunch very slowly as usual I told mrs O that my major focus for her school readiness was getting her to eat more quickly , otherwise she would never cope with school lunchtimes , and be hungry and less able to learn in the afternoons. She said far too many nurseries and childminders think school readiness is all about pencil control and number recognition , whereas its all about the child coping with the practicalities..

[bunyip]

It's depressing, but "school ready" appears to be yet another buzz-word or sound-bite for politicians and educationalists to play with, but nigh on impossible to define. Far easier for politicians and inspectors to use it in a negative sense (i.e. what it is not), citing anecdotal evidence of what some children can't do, than to give us a definitive list of expectations to aim for.

I'm tempted to say that puts it alongside "British values", but I fear the effect of re-lighting the blue touchpaper on that one........................:p

[Kirstylob]

Like Bunyip I wrote to the schools that my 3 minded children were due to start at. I have 3 going to 3 different schools in 3 different villages so wanted to see what each school 'saw' as school readiness. I only go to the one school in my village so don't know the others and also asked for photos to make the school familiar to the children, especially as one child doesn't know the school she is going to at all.
My email had to go the school office so I marked it FAO the reception teachers. 2 months later I had a lovely email back from the school in my village. Not even and acknowledgement from the other schools.
Once I knew that all school places had been confirmed and the children had got into the schools that they applied to I tried again, this time marking the email FAO the headteacher, still nothing another 6-8 weeks later!
Why do I bother? For the children, to try and make it easier for them.