Transition for children from the Reception class into Year 1 in England remains fraught with challenge. Because there are no national guidelines about which pedagogy is best suited to the learning needs and dispositions of children age five, six and seven years, schools have no universal principles to guide their practice, and senior leaders too often lack the knowledge to make informed choices about an appropriate KS1 pedagogy.
There are many reasons why transition at this point remains problematic. Historically the principles and pedagogies underpinning the EYFS and the National Curriculum and national strategies for literacy and numeracy were never aligned (Fisher 2011). Messages about practice and the role of the teacher were conflicting, with Reception teachers being encouraged to engage in and support child-led learning whilst the National Curriculum and national strategies required KS1 teachers to lead learning in order to fulfil the stipulated objectives.
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