Former Deputy Head Claims Shift From Reception To Year 1 In Schools Is 'Criminal' – Here's Why

The jump from reception class to year 1 – and the sudden lack of play that comes with it – is “criminal”, a former deputy headteacher has claimed. Most children start reception full-time after their fourth birthday, and go into year 1 after they turn five. In a post on Instagram,Ruth Lue-Quee, now an educational consultant, shared a scenario that has resonated with a lot of parents: “Can we talk about how criminal (yes I’m using that word) the ‘jump’ from reception to year 1 is in most settings...”“Imagine this,” she continued in the social media post. “You’ve just turned five. You’ve just begun to find your feet in school. You enjoy learning, playing and exploring, then suddenly... You’re thrown into year 1.“There is no space for movement – only tables and chairs. There is no time to play – only working in books ... And so you wonder where the play went; where the time to explore went ... but you learn to do as you’re told, consume don’t question, sit still at a table (even though it pains you) and that love of learning you once had; that you were developing through play, time outside and continuous provision, diminishes.”The former teacher said year 1 children “need more play than ever” and added teachers know this, but the “powers that be don’t seem to understand child development and think if we teach them like robots they will learn better”.Her post has struck a chord with parents. One mum replied: “You can really understand why so many families are opting for home education.”Another parent said: “It’s dreadful!! My little boy was one of the eldest [and] still struggled!”View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ruth Lue-Quee | Education Expert | MEd | Learning Through Play (@mymummyteacher)In response to the post a learning support assistant for year 1 pupils commented that “seeing this written down breaks my heart”.“I hate the way we work year 1, we do ‘play’ in the afternoons for the first term but that basically consists of Lego and colouring, nothing well thought out, and that’s so the teacher can listen to each child read at least once a week,” they said.“I wish we could do better, but when I mention I’m shut down ... the system needs changing!”There has been an increasing focus on the importance of play for children of late. Just this week, a report featuring insights from 20 experts found children are growing up “sedentary, scrolling and alone” because of limited opportunities to play.Experts said in the last 15 years in particular, playtime has been “quietly squeezed out” and suggested 10 areas for improvement, including supporting schools to encourage more play and a new National Play Strategy for England, backed by £125m funding per year.Lue-Quee told HuffPost UK she believes the current curriculum “isn’t developmentally appropriate” for those in year 1. “In 2014 the national curriculum that was introduced essentially made everything harder in that expectations that used to be for year 2 children got pushed down onto year 1 children,” she explained.“However developmentally, children are no different to how they were previously – we’ve just fallen into this trap of expecting them to be able to achieve more and do more.”Play is hugely important for children and can improve their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. It helps children to learn about the world and themselves, and can boost confidence, resilience and social skills. “Research shows us that children learn best through play and developmentally this is exactly what children in year 1 should be having,” said Lue-Quee.“The approach taken in Early Years should, in my opinion, flow through to year 1 and year 2 allowing children to learn through continuous provision and play, whilst the teacher works with small focus groups to help them excel.”The education consultant noted in Wales and Scotland this is already the case.“In England there are a few visionary schools that have adopted this approach proving it can work brilliantly, however the majority of schools in which I go into with my work and experience have a very formal approach to teaching and learning which is not developmentally appropriate for year 1 children,” she added.Lue-Quee isn’t alone in her opinion. The charity Save The Children previously suggested that although play is “the primary way children learn in their first eight years of life, it is often overlooked in favour of more ‘formal’ learning”.In the teacher’s view, play should be adopted throughout primary school “as active learning, engagement and play is how all children learn best, not sitting at a desk with a lack of movement, communication and joy”.The expert added she’s petitioning for play-based learning to be statutory in key stage one – “it is just waiting to be approved then I hope to share and get this discussed at a level where true change can be made for our children,” she added.HuffPost UK has contacted the Department of Education about whether it would consider making changes to the current curriculum and is waiting to hear back. Related...Schools Have Issued Screen Time Limits For Kids. 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