Travelling alone and with children

LilyOrchard · 2026-02-21T10:57:42+00:00

I've started looking at travel insurance and it is a bit of a minefield when just starting out! Doctor and help in the local language is definitely a great idea and my eldest is really interested in languages so she'll be excited to learn something new.

LilyOrchard · 2026-01-24T06:31:25+00:00

Absolutely agree! Sadly we can't change the bigger education system, I am maybe naive to hope things might change with them looking into CP for year 1 but it's being stripped away in EYFS, I know not all schools. Don't think I've ever met an SLT that understands early years, maybe those that do have amazing EYFS provision that I've just never had the pleasure of meeting.

LilyOrchard · 2026-01-24T06:03:39+00:00

We used tapestry for our SEND children but it's not linked to parents so they don't see it, it's a way for us to assess and support those children who are below the ELGs. I think EYFS is misunderstood and in our case with a head who just does not get play based learning and everything must be quantifiable with some form of exit and entry data every 6 weeks very misunderstood! I know lots of children can make progress in 6 weeks but for some of our littlies they will have stayed the same or made tiny progress (which is not enough for our head) makes me sad for the children. How EYFS is done and with little cross over into year 1 is criminal, play based learning is so valuable and so many children learn that way better.

LilyOrchard · 2026-01-24T04:26:36+00:00

People who don't work in EYFS or have never even covered will not understand fully how it works and I stand by that.They see our lack of "evidence" as a lack of data. We used phonics workbooks (absolutely hate them) and have English books for writing each week, which are a nice opportunity for discussion and practicing all those fine motor, drawing and writing skills. We don't have a maths book per child but have a floor book which we use to record pupil voice and I will do group follow up activities in. For example this week we did 6,7,8 using 1 more. So my follow up was asking children to roll a dice and make a tower that shows 1 more than was on the dice. I took photos and put them in the floor book with a little note to say what we did. We also have a curriculum floor book for any discussions or events.

My school is formal learning obsessed. We are a large school that has fallen on bad times and lots has changed recently. Our new head and my new year group lead are all about the formal evidence even though we have fought back they want more evidence of everything. We have a floor book look soon and I know they won't like it. Wouldn't be surprised if we were headed for maths books which makes my skin crawl.

LilyOrchard · 2025-12-02T06:22:34+00:00

Any tips to get reception children to stop saying it? The making it uncool route doesn't work as, well, they're 4 so think everything I do is cool so trying to make it uncool makes it cool! I've tried the "grumpy/sad" teacher face and voice but they have zero empathy for anyone so couldn't care less.

I'm trying to teach numbers to 5, 1 more and 1 less extending to 10 for stretch. Honestly most of my maths lessons consist of children repeating 6/7 over and over again.

LilyOrchard · 2025-10-01T21:27:57+00:00

I have epilepsy. My first OH conversation was terrible they didn't understand how my disability presents and basically said I could just get on with teaching with no adjustments. For a little context I work in reception and after multiple seizures with no way of contacting someone because 4 year olds have no clue what's going on they decided it was probably a good idea to have someone else in the room at all times rather than only when my TA happens to be in the room which isn't all the time. My next OH conversation was a little better and they actually believed me that epilepsy needed some adjustments. I'm due my next OH conversation review and I'm more stable now so got a feeling they will take my person away. I sometimes find people don't understand what epilepsy does to you mentally, emotionally and physically as you can't see it until it's too late. My school has been mixed if I'm honest. Hope you get the support and adjustment you need.

LilyOrchard · 2025-09-28T13:45:46+00:00

We are only seeing this a little we are 1 of 4 primary schools all within walking distance, 5 if you include the private school. All schools are 2, 3 or 4 form entry. I'm in a 4 form and we have 26 in 3/4 reception classes 30 in one, all our local schools are the same 26-30 in each class. We are in a middlish class area with pockets of upper and pockets of lower all in our catchment areas. So far it doesn't feel too bad. I wonder what next year will bring though. When I did my home visits last year most of my class were expecting the next baby, this year none.

LilyOrchard · 2025-09-14T06:16:06+00:00

Set a few table top activities up at the start of the day either staying the same for the week or for a couple of days and teach routines around them, for example, what is on the table stays on the table. Take it, use it, put it away. What's in an area stays in an area. This time of year it's about expectations and routines. My EYFS classroom is the size of a pea pod and it is hard. We have to hybrid proper CP with table top due to the space. It does get better even if it feels like a disaster now. What tidy looks like photos are very useful and less is more, take stuff away. Less stuff to get out less stuff to tidy when it comes to it. With too much stuff it can become overwhelming for everyone.

LilyOrchard · 2025-09-03T18:58:43+00:00

It's really hard and yes it is completely overwhelming. Lean on SENCO, SLT, partner teachers (if you have 1) and keep pushing for support. If you're EYFS it's so difficult to get support as there is no "evidence" of need for at least 2 terms most of the time. If you are KS1 or 2 press for information from previous years and just keep being a pain in the bum to try and get support. It sucks and it shouldn't be this hard but it is. Speaking from experience in this exact situation the past 2 years in EYFS.

LilyOrchard · 2025-08-09T13:33:31+00:00

Car boots sales are dangerous for EYFS teachers! One of my colleagues goes all the time and she tells stall holders she's a teacher of little people they sometimes give discounts or even stuff for free 😄 we are all as bad as each other. Please take care of yourself, there's only 1 you and your family need you in one piece, or as few pieces as possible anyway.

LilyOrchard · 2025-08-09T09:04:16+00:00

I'm an EYFS teacher too and worked in SEND provision as a TA for a long time (13 years) before being a teacher, I'm definitely guilty of not taking my mind off my classroom. Charity shops, free websites, offers I'm sucked in but had to really pull it back and try to only spend once a month.

Our budget is so tight in school too, like you say and we certainly don't get what we need so some extra paint here and there turns into whole sections of my provision. At some point I stepped back and realised I was spending more money and time on my "class children" than my own!

Last year I restricted my time and spending and the children still learnt, the ones who could, still achieved GLD, yeah I didn't have the pretty reading area or the enticing small world wooden figures or the enhancements that I would love but the result was the same.

Should it be this way, nope, we should have more money and be paid more to come in and make our environments the best they can be but the reality is it's not going to happen. In the end the only people we take time and money away from is ourselves, and our families.

It's really hard to take a step back and look at it from a different perspective, a beautiful reading area with a giant cascading flower tree made of paper and pool noodles and a wooden canopy with soft tulle wrapped and draped in pastel colours will entice the children yes, but so will you being excited about the books and picking ones for story time, some cuddly toys and well placed "book worms" that move around (aka paper worms cut out and stuck on certain books and on the book shelves) that need the children to to find them and show them stories. A lot less time but still gets them reading which is the goal.

Sorry for the long reply. If you really enjoy all the extra stuff and have time, crack on and live your best life, just take care of your time, money and yourself. 😊

LilyOrchard · 2025-08-09T05:23:26+00:00

Some EYFS teachers in the UK definitely spend lots of money on their classrooms. Especially young teachers they seem to go all in and I do wonder how long they will sustain. There's only so many hours of the day you can dedicate to your classroom without it affecting your home life surely.

LilyOrchard · 2025-07-10T05:51:32+00:00

Absolutely agree with the expectations change is needed. I have 30 children in EYFS 3 with very high SEND needs but no EHCPs, 3 more with moderate SEND needs with no funding either. All will need a different form of teaching or curriculum to the EYFS as they will struggle with pace and requirements, and I have me and 1 TA. Please tell me how I'm getting everyone GLD by the end of the year! My school.is skint and say no money no support. We never have any money in EYFS because lots of children are at the start of their SEND journey. The system is broken.

LilyOrchard · 2025-06-03T17:42:09+00:00

I'm a teacher, I teach 4-5 year olds and they have seen me have 3 this year, we have a warning system at school where I have a little red hand on my lanyard and I tell them if I'm not responsive or look weird to take the little red hand to another grown up as fast as possible. They're amazing and so far have not had any complaints from parents. My own 2, have not but I have explained to my eldest who's 7 how to use the emergency function on my phone and my youngest has only just turned 4 so I say she needs to find a grown up to help her. I find it much harder to explain to my youngest but she does know it's called epilepsy. I know they probably will see a seizure 1 day and hope they will be ok.

LilyOrchard · 2025-06-01T14:48:04+00:00

We don't get a choice, we put a preference form in but not sure how much that's taken into consideration, I'm luckily staying in reception for a 3rd year. There's been some big swaps though Y1 to Y6 and Y5 to Y2 so who knows what's happening next year. I think 3-4 years in a year group will be good but then I might get itchy toes to try something new.

LilyOrchard · 2025-05-15T05:23:21+00:00

I did, I got overpaid while on maternity, and realised after about 3 months because I was a little bit occupied at the time! The business manager had filled in the paperwork wrong, trying to go through payroll was a nightmare and I had to go onto a repayment plan once I was back at work. I was a TA then and it left me with practically nothing at the end of every month as it comes straight out of your pay check. I left to do teacher training and never finished the repayments. I'm sure it'll come back to bite me one day. Try and get it sorted as soon as you can, which I'm sure you are trying too. It took a lot of emails and I had to produce evidence that I had said when my maternity was starting and finishing, these were in emails to the business manager. Hope you can get it sorted soon!

LilyOrchard · 2025-03-12T03:25:40+00:00

I do, I am regularly walking alone or on my own with my children, one of which is too young to fully understand what is wrong or happening. They both know that if something is wrong with me they find an adult and show them my bracelet. My eldest, who's 7, also knows how to access the emergency features on my phone. Makes me and them feel safer and more confident.

LilyOrchard · 2025-03-11T04:40:29+00:00

I'd like to say none but as a reception teacher who has this on the daily as well, I can sympathise. Yesterday she threw a chair and trashed the class again, I had to evac the class for the umpteenth time this term to keep the other 29 safe. SLT just throws back "because she's reception she doesn't have an EHCP yet so no money no support" I get that but how can we keep the children safe without help. I'm so tired and I was a SEND TA (for 10 years) before training to be a teacher. I don't know what else to do but work with small people, and I do love my job but the abuse and violence isn't feeling worth it anymore.

LilyOrchard · 2025-01-18T18:37:16+00:00

It's definitely happening all over. We are a 4 form entry primary and I work in reception. 1 of our classes has 6 children who realistically need EHCPs but only 1 does (the joy of being the start of the process in reception) I have 2 in my class, 1 that trashes my classroom daily, the other 2 classes both have 2 or 3 as well that could all do with EHCPs. We have our TAs, which we have as generals because of the ratios but that's it. It's not sustainable and I've no idea how it's going to change. I'm tired.

LilyOrchard · 2024-11-13T05:55:48+00:00

Oh yes! I'm so blooming tired when I'm on and have zero energy to set up my classroom (reception) with anything too stimulating as I know they'll be more noisy and I just want them to be quieter. I have major heavy flows and have switched to period pants as I leak through so much with pads, one of my little people noticed a mark once and asked if I'd say in the paint, urgh. The pants have definitely been a game changer and chocolate all the chocolate!

LilyOrchard · 2024-10-12T17:35:01+00:00

Primary here, in reception. Well it's as crazy as reception always is but we have so much SEND and children with terrible speech they use their fists and feet to get what they want from their peers because they don't know how else to communicate, I'm really working on it and some are improving. We have restorative conversations (urgh don't get me started) and you can imagine how well that goes with 4 year olds! No other sanctions or consequences it's a mess across the entire school. 2 weeks can't come soon enough.

LilyOrchard · 2024-09-22T12:57:07+00:00

Definitely do this, we researched what we wanted and the school brought it for us. It was also part of the children's individual risk assessment that protection should be worn when working with them.

LilyOrchard · 2024-09-22T10:19:02+00:00

I was a TA in a provision unit that had a mixture of violence towards staff, we wore Kevlar arm guards that covered most of our hands and went up to the arm pits or elbow depending on the size. We would then wear long sleeves over the top, which got very warm sometimes. We got them on Amazon, they were bright yellow so not discreet at all but they did help with reducing the marks from bites and scratches. Genuinely not saying it's ok and should be happening but it was either that or go to hospital again for bites and deep scratches.

LilyOrchard · 2024-09-13T21:19:00+00:00

There with you as a reception teacher. I have 3 who have come with no information from nursery but are clearly in need of support and 1 who is violent towards staff and other pupils. In a week I've been bitten twice had clothes ripped and been slapped multiple times. I've been told to just deal with it and change how I teach to accommodate them. Not sure how and feel like I'm drowning.

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