Children at Key Stage 1 say they miss the opportunity to play compared with their time at foundation stage, according to research for the Department for Education and Skills (Children Now 6-12 April).
Researchers from the National Foundation for Educational Research investigating the transition between the two stages found the change from a play-based approach to a more structured one also posed the biggest challenge to teachers during the process. Children found it difficult to sit and listen when learning started to involve more formal activities, leading some teachers to ask for guidance.
The report warns that because transition takes place after children have been at school for a year, teachers can fail to recognise that it can be an anxious time for them. Schools should view transition as a process rather than an event, it says, and staff at both stages should meet to discuss and plan for individual children. The report also calls for less emphasis on written work at the beginning of year 1.
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