Continuous Provision in KS2: FAQs
- Aidan Severs
- Jun 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 2
I've written previously about how, in the school where I was a deputy head, we developed a way of providing a KS2 version of continuous provision. If you'd like to find out more about what we did, read these blog posts:
It seems that the tide is turning and more leaders and teachers are asking if things can be done a little differently in KS2. I'm noticing an uptick in people reading the above blog posts and indeed am beginning to work with schools on this very thing.
But, it does represent quite a big change to practice, and it's not a decision to take lightly, however much you believe in the approach. With that in mind, I'd like to answer some frequently asked questions based on my experience of going through an iterative process to get something that works.
How can continuous provision be adapted to suit the more structured curriculum expectations of KS2 while still promoting independence and creativity?
There is content that needs to be taught, and teachers need to carry on teaching. Explanations, modelling, use of examples, questioning, practice tasks and all those elements of great teaching don't go out of the window. Just as in Early Years, the role of the adult is crucial - they show pupils how to interact with areas of provision and guide them in their learning. Whilst there can be times of outright exploration, teachers have a lot to do. All of this teaching also relies on a very carefully planned curriculum. Continuous provision is not about leaving learning to chance.
Independence and creativity can be promoted more in the way that pupils respond to what they have been taught, for example, how they use and apply their learning. Framing tasks using a big question (see my blog post Curriculum: What Is The Best Kind Of 'Big Question'?), and giving pupils access to a range of materials and a choice of how they present what they have learned allows for independence and creativity. Of course, you also might need to teach the relevant procedural knowledge and metacognitive strategies to ensure that they can do this.
What types of resources and areas should be included in a well-organised KS2 continuous provision setup?
This will all depend on your curriculum: what you intend children to learn, and the ways in which you imagine they might choose to use and apply their learning. At my school, we had decided that we wanted pupils to become really adept at clay sculpture during their time in the school. We had a progression of skills document that reflected this, and every classroom had clay areas of provision which allowed children access to clay, tools, instructions and inspiration.
Generic areas of provision which we found to be useful (it would take another blog post to go through each of the following and exemplify the contents of each area):
A bank of computers in each classroom
Writing
Painting and drawing
Woodwork
Construction e.g Lego Technic
Maths
There were also more specific areas which we set up based on the focus of the curriculum. Most units had either a geography, science or history focus, so these areas of revision reflected those.
There is an element of child-responsiveness that can happen too. Whilst you might not adapt the curriculum based on pupil interests, you might set up areas of provision that do reflect this. For example, if you have a group of pupils who have become interested in making their own books, an area of provision could reflect this, providing them with ready access to the necessary materials.
How can you ensure that continuous provision supports progression and challenge for older pupils, rather than just revisiting KS1-style play-based learning?
First of all, there is nothing inherently wrong with the style of 'play-based' learning in KS2, as long as it is supported by robust curriculum and pedagogy. Progression and challenge comes as a direct result of effective assessment for learning and responsive teaching.
In fact, challenge should be a part of why you want to set up continuous provision in KS2 in the first place. One of our main aims was to maintain the levels of independence that we saw in pupils in the Early Years. We felt that more traditional ways of teaching in KS1 and 2 gradually eroded that independence instead of building it. Children never entered an area of provision not knowing how to engage with it - modelling always took place - but the 'apprentice tasks' (see this blog post for more on them) they had been set were challenging in and of themselves.
As well as a carefully-planned curriculum (which included those skills progressions I mentioned earlier), ongoing assessment was the key to ensure that pupils made progress. Whilst pupils were accessing areas of provision and carrying out their apprentice tasks with a degree of independence, the role of the teacher was to interact and check in with pupils in a rigorous manner. We found that, left completely to their own devices, some pupils found it difficult to maintain pace and direction. We were able to learn a lot from the Early Years approach of Sustained Shared Thinking, and I've written in great detail about how teachers engaged with pupils whilst they were working in this blog post: What Should Adults Be Doing When Children Are Working?
In what ways can assessment be effectively integrated into continuous provision in KS2 to monitor learning without disrupting child-led exploration?
I've already mentioned the importance of assessment in managing effective continuous provision in KS2. If you know Early Years at all, you'll know that there is a constant drive for the adults in the classroom to be assessing pupils. Those times when pupils are working in areas of provision provide ample time for staff to be watching, listening, questioning, prompting and so on, all so they can make assessment judgements about how well pupils are learning.
Self-assessment is a really important part of continuous provision. If you share the goal of guiding children towards greater independence, then they should be taught the metacognitive approaches that help them to self-monitor their progress. One focus of teacher check-ins can be on how well pupils are managing this. We scaffolded this for pupils by providing planning proformas and checklists that helped them to work towards their goals.
And focusing in on that idea of 'child-led exploration'... I don't think that really sums up what you want to be happening. Yes, the child might feel like they are leading, but actually everything is being carefully orchestrated by adults: they're the ones who have planned the curriculum, designed the areas of provision and are continually interacting with pupils to ensure that learning takes place. Sure, if you had no specific learning goals you might be able to drop children in a rich environement and they would learn things. But that's not the goal. In order for pupils to learn through continuous provision there is a whole realm of adult orchestration that must take place.
How can you manage behavior and engagement in a classroom where multiple continuous provision areas are running simultaneously during lessons?
Adults. Adults are the answer here. That and routines. Oh and modelling.
First of all adult. Clearly, the more adults you have, the easier it is to manage behaviour. But this isn't always possible in these times of dwindling budgets. I think it is very important to remain realistic over and above being idealistic. That's not to say that you settle for less, but all of this has to work practically for you and your pupils, otherwise it just won't work at all. Do what you can with the staff (and the space you have). Having some continuous provision opportunities that work well is better than having too many that are unmanageable, or none at all. A gradual move from more traditional lesson structures to this way of working might help.
Secondly, routines and modelling together. You cannot expect to set up a beautiful area of provision, let the children loose in it and expect them to naturally manage their own learning, or for it to remain beautiful. You have to teach children how to engage and interact with these opportunities. If you've ever taken children to a museum, you'll know what I'm talking about. Unless they know that they have to be curious, ask questions about the artefacts, and then read the information next to each item, they won't learn much from a museum trip. It's the same with areas of provision. Pictorial or written instructions can help, as well as modelling, either from an adult or a child who has experience with engaging with that particular area of provision.
Some pupils will find it easier than others to engage with this way of working, and these pupils will need more guidance, just as some might with other pedagogical approaches.
Got a question about continuous provision in KS2 that you'd like me to answer? Drop me a line!
And if you're ready to make changes to the way your curriculum is delivered, here's your 3-step curriculum development plan:
Drop me an email
Have a phone call with me to talk about your school
We'll work together to empower you and your staff to enhance teaching and to enrich your pupils' lives
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