RECEPTION:
WHY IT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT YEAR. The return to face-to-face teaching has been important for all our pupils, but never more so for our Pre-Reception and Reception classes whose educational development has been impacted most significantly. Here, Sally Weber, Head of Yarrells School in Dorset, highlights the crucial importance of supporting children aged 5 and under to reach their developmental milestones… Now that the crisis of Coronavirus is beginning to recede nationally, at Yarrells, we are making the very most of our children’s return to school. The return to face-to-face teaching has been important for all our pupils, but never more so for our Pre-Reception and Reception classes whose educational development has been impacted most significantly. 40 somethingNew THE PARENTING MAGAZINE FOR DORSET FAMILIES
You may have seen recently in the news a BBC report showing that the last eighteen months have had a significant impact on the development of young children’s language skills. Whilst distressing to read it is, sadly, hardly surprising given the life experiences our under 5s have had during the Covid crisis. They have spent a disproportionate amount of their young lives with limited opportunities for communication, whether it be interaction with other children, restricted attendance at school and nursery, or communication with adults through face coverings. It is bound to have had an effect on their cognitive growth. Of the schools surveyed in the recent BBC report, 96% said they were concerned about speech and language development in their Reception classes and 76% said that those
