Nursery World - Smooth moves

It's vital for children's well-being to carry through the child-centred approach to learning in the reception class to Year 1, says Sally Featherstone, co-author of Smooth Transitions - Building on the Foundation Stage Most five-year-olds in England will now be in their final term of reception class where, it is hoped, they will be accessing the kind of child-centred curriculum laid out in the Foundation Stage guidance. What is important now is that young children make a stress-free move into Year 1 and continue to enjoy this same child-centred approach to learning in their new class.

Most five-year-olds in England will now be in their final term of reception class where, it is hoped, they will be accessing the kind of child-centred curriculum laid out in the Foundation Stage guidance. What is important now is that young children make a stress-free move into Year 1 and continue to enjoy this same child-centred approach to learning in their new class.

The Foundation Stage, developed in response to our knowledge of how children learn, emphasises a particular learning and teaching style, characterised by active, child-initiated learning.

There is growing concern among parents, practitioners and education advisers about how this 'bottom-up' approach fits with the target driven, 'top-down' model of managing teaching and learning followed by many schools. The tensions, mainly linked to the debate between formal and informal approaches, include:

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