EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

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THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

The Early Years Foundation Stage is comprised of the Prime areas and Specific areas of learning. Your child will be assessed in these areas throughout the year and will need to meet the Early Learning Goals in these areas in the summer term. Objectives in each area are broken down into age stage bands, the main ones that your child may be working in are; 30-50months and 40-60months. These help us assess and target each individual child’s learning.

Prime areas

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Communication and Language

Physical Development

Specific areas

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

The Early Years Foundation Stage follow the guidance from the above document, Development Matters. This is accessible online.

THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

There are 4 themes in the EYFS –

Every child is unique and constantly learning.

Children can be strong and independent through positive relationships.

Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents.

Children develop and learn in different ways and in their own time. We teach children by ensuring challenging, playful opportunities across the prime and specific areas.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LEARNING

These are the ways in which a child engages with other people and their environment which underpin their learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.

Playing and exploring – finding out and exploring, playing with what they know, being willing to ‘have a go’, engagement

Active learning – being involved and concentrating, keep trying, enjoying achieving what they set out to do, motivation

Creating and thinking critically – having their own ideas, making links, choosing ways to do things, thinking

CONTINUOUS PROVISION

In the Early Years Foundation Stage children learn through play. After whole class inputs, children go off and engage in their own child-initiated activities. We provide exciting, stimulating language-rich resources for children to rehearse and practise their learning.

Throughout the Early Years Unit there are lots of different areas for children to practise their learning and progress their development. These include; small world, construction, writing area, cutting area, art tables, reading corners, water tray, mud kitchen, sandpit, climbing frame, role play corners, the stage and Wheelie Wednesdays on the bikes and trikes.

Every week a skills table is set up in each classroom for the children to come and practise a particular skill. This may be linked to the phonics or maths focus for the week or targeted at a particular area children are finding a bit tricky. For example, the skills table may be a Fairy Tale shop where they practise using 1p coins to buy various objects.

CP pictures

TAPESTRY

At Ranvilles Infant School, Tapestry plays a vital role in your child’s learning journey.

Early Years staff will share the weekly focuses for your child’s phonics and maths learning so you can support their learning from home.

‘Wow’ moments are observed and shared with parents to track children’s learning and progress through their play. Specialised Rainbow challenges are shared which are personalised to your child’s next steps.

Parents can share things from home which are then shared and celebrated in school, providing a fuller picture of our child’s early development.

Reminders for events and newsletters are also shared on Tapestry to ensure parents don’t miss anything.

All we need is an email address and we can begin your child’s learning journey!

KEY PERSON GROUPS

It is a statutory requirement that children in the Early Years are allocated a Key Person.

This Key Person will be available to the child to talk to and form a key relationship with. They will either be the Class Teacher or Teaching Assistant.

We hold regular Key Group times every week for the children to play games, share things from home and read stories. Children get to know their Key Group friends very well and this help children form their early peer friendships.

ALL ABOUT ME BOOKS

To help with your child’s transition into their new school life, we have asked you to put together and make an All About Me book over the summer holidays.

This could include photos, drawings or writing about: family, pets, interests, day trips, friends, favourite food, favourite toys etc.

They are a fantastic transition tool and will help your child settle when they start school.

They will be kept in their class’ reading corners will be accessible throughout the year, with most children still sharing them with adults and friends in the summer term.

All about me pictures

TREE VALUES

Our tree values are Trust, Respect, Empathy and Excellence

The children will be getting to know and work towards these values in school throughout the school day

Trust – We have a safe, supportive environment where everyone feels welcome and able to approach each other. We all work together for the best interests of the school

Respect- We treat each other with understanding and accept each other for who we are. We show respect to others by listening to their opinions which may be different to our own

Empathy – We care for others treating them with kindness and compassion. We understand how others are feeling and value their feelings. We nurture each other so that we are able to grow as individuals, as a community and as learners

Excellence – We have a positive attitude. We are optimistic in our ability to overcome challenges and be successful. We try our best to achieve our goals to be the best that we can

RIGHTS RESPECTING EDUCATION

Ranvilles Infant School is a rights respecting school

This goes hand in hand with our school TREE values

We create charters in the first two weeks at school that help the children to recognise children's rights and how we demonstrate responsibilities

We display the charters in each classroom – these help form the basis of expectations for the year. Children and teachers sign up to these

The basic rights are food, water, shelter, family and play – these are the main rights we teach in Year R.

SUPPORT IN SCHOOL

We have lots of tailored support in school for children who may need a little extra support or an extra challenge.

We have a range of support programmes in place for supporting children’s learning, social, emotional and mental health. All of our support takes place in the classroom.

We have highly trained and skilled staff who have lots of expertise in many areas of support.

We have two trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) who support staff and children.

Please talk to your child’s class teacher or teaching assistant if you feel this may be of benefit – parents in partnership is the key!

Miss Barnes is the school Inclusion Manager/SENDCO if you wish to speak to her

Rainbow Island

Our ELSA room

UNIFORM

Our school uniform colour is navy blue.

Jumpers and cardigans in this colour with our school tree logo on can be purchased from Skoolkit.

Grey trousers, shorts and skirts with a white polo shirt.

White polo shirts with the school tree logo on can also be purchased form Skoolkit.

In the warmer summer term your child can wear a blue chequered summer dress.

It would be very helpful if all pieces of uniform are named to ensure they do not get muddled up or lost.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION - PE

Year R children take part in regular PE sessions twice a week.

Your child will need a named PE kit in school which contains navy blue shorts and a plain white top.

It would be really helpful if both shorts and top are named in case these items get muddled up with your child’s increased independence in getting changed.

Plimsolls will be required for outdoor PE in the summer term. Please can these be named also.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Breakfast and after school clubs are available which are based from the Junior School (Barn Owls).

If your child is staying for after school club then they will be taken to the school hall by their teacher or teacher assistant at home time and collected by a member of staff from Barn Owls.

Please let your child’s Class Teacher or Teaching Assistant know when your child is attending after school club.

Please ask the office for a leaflet and further details.

BOTTLES

Your child will need to bring in a named bottle everyday to school.

We will encourage children to drink regularly and these will need to be filled with water.

All bottles will be kept in baskets and will be easily accessible throughout the day.

LUNCHTIMES

All Infant aged pupils are entitled to a free school dinner everyday.

Each day their will be a red or yellow option which the children will choose when they first come in to school in the morning.

At the beginning of the year you will be provided with a menu to keep at home to help your child choose what they will like.

Packed lunches are always an option and you can pick and choose which days your child will have packed lunch or school dinners. Please can packed lunchboxes be named.

We are a nut free school so please be mindful what is in your child’s packed lunches.

PROJECTS

Throughout the year, your child will take part in an engaging and exciting project every half term.

At the beginning of each project, your child’s Home Learning will be shared for you to complete at home. This will need to come into school at the end of the half term.

Home Learning will consist of a ‘Child’s Challenge’ for your child to try and do independently, a ‘Parent’s Challenge’ which is complete by you and a ‘Joint Challenge’ to be completed together.

At the end of each project, parents and guardians will be invited to a Project Celebration to celebrate all of the learning carried out in school and share their Home Learning.

SCHOOL LIFE

Throughout the year the children will take part in music sessions linked to their project, exploring a range of instruments, songs and musical dimensions.

The children will take part in regular Writedance sessions which help build their arm, wrist and hand muscles ready for writing.

We will also share lots of Boogiemites songs to help with children’s communication and language.

Every Friday afternoon there will be a Well Done assembly where parents and guardians may be invited along to celebrate their children’s successes at school and from home.