Up until this year, the lion’s share of my teaching career has been spent in KS2. It’s been my comfort zone. At Christmas, circumstances led me to become an Early Years teacher two days a week and it’s been some of the best CPD I could ever have had.

I’d heard (and used) a number of phrases over the years, but in recent months I’ve gained a much better understanding of what they actually mean. Phrases like ‘continuous provision’, ‘enhanced provision’ and ‘play-based learning’

Play and practice can be interchangeable really. In EYFS we encourage play-based learning but this sense of play tends to fizzle out as the children move through school. They have to crack on will embedding knowledge and skills and becoming ‘test ready’ and traditionally this has meant the demonstrator and lecturer style of teaching is more prevalent.

Playing instruments, sports and games is fun, practising them is less so. But, what’s the difference? Playing music in a group of friends, with an audience is infinitely more enjoyable than practicing scales. Playing in a football match is always more enjoyable than working on drills. Practicing skills are, of course, important, but maybe we should be giving our pupils more opportunity to practice skills being taught, through play. School shouldn’t be all fun and games, but they should help children learn and they might just do a bit more of that if they are engaged and enjoying themselves. As with the examples of music and sport above, by offering opportunities to play together with others, the motivation to practice any skill is increased. Increased motivation must surely lead to increased attainment.

Assessment in Early Years seems to be quite different as well. I think you are just meant to spend time with the children while they are in the provision, ask them some questions, model interactions and see what they can do. Is this a better way of assessing children’s knowledge and understanding, rather that a test? Possibly. But that’s not where the system is at the moment at all so our pupils wouldn’t be best prepared for what comes in later school years.

Two terms in EYFS has been fun, but my brief spell in Reception has come to an end and now I make the obvious next step and take on Year 6 for the first time. It’s not so much about going back to the style of teaching and learning that I have more experience with, rather it’s about taking what I’ve learnt over the last two terms and applying it when working with older children. I’ll certainly be making a conscious effort to incorporate play into the learning opportunities I design for our pupils.

P.S. – As far as I can understand, ‘continuous provision’ is the stuff that’s always out and ‘enhanced provision’ is when you enhance that stuff with a particular focus for a session(s) or week or whatnot.

P.P.S – There is a whole subculture around Tuff Trays. Facebook groups filled with creative ideas. Fascinating stuff.