Intent
The aim at Hamstead Infant School is to provide our youngest children within our Foundation stage with the following:
A happy, safe and nurturing environment where children develop their independence as learners
A curriculum that is ambitious, exciting and motivates our youngest children to develop a love of learning
An environment supports children in developing their independence, resilience and friendships where positive relationships are formed
Accessible for all where attainment and progress is a non-negotiable element of learning
A stimulating indoor and outdoor learning space where children will be encouraged to take risks, see mistakes as an important tool for their journey of learning
Positive relationships with parents and carers in order to ensure our children achieve their very best and a true reflections of children are gained
Preparing children in our early years for their next stages of learning
Learning through our key school drivers that promote language development, independence and outdoor experiences that children in our school particularly need as identified in each curriculum intent statements
Implementation
Across our early years we follow the Development Matters non-statutory guidance which supports children in gaining the necessary skills and experiences to move on to achieve the Early Learning Goals as set out in the EYFS statutory guidance. As part of the statutory requirements, the Early Years Foundation Stage Baseline is conducted within the first six weeks of a child starting our early years. The following are the areas of learning that children are required to cover within their time in early years:
Prime Areas of: Communication and Language, Personal and Social Development, Physical Development
Specific Areas of: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding of the World, and Expressive Arts and Design
Children will learn Phonics which is taught to the class as a whole in order that children are not left behind.
WELLCOMM screening tool is also used to assess children’s levels of Listening and understanding as a baseline within three weeks of them starting Nursery and also Reception. Where children score below, they revisit the assessment in the Spring term to monitor their progress and a final screen is completed during the Summer term.
Characteristics of Effective Learning are encouraged as part of children’s learning experiences both indoor and outdoor.
Long-term plans act as an overview of topics and learning in the EYFS. Medium-term plans detail the skills that will be taught and weekly plans deliver the same opportunities to all children where staff adjust concepts and learning to encourage all children to achieve.
Learning is monitored and children who struggle to grasp concepts are then included in ‘Catch up’ sessions which allow them to revisit a skill or concept in order to improve their understanding in order to achieve the skills and concepts.
Parents are provided updates of their child’s progress as part of three parent’s evenings each year. Children also receive school reports at the end of the academic year. Reception children’s parents also receive information of their child’s achievements regarding the Statutory profile assessment at the end of the EYFS.
Impact
Children who leave Hamstead Infant School will have achieved their personal best in all areas of learning, they will be more confident, independent learners who are ready for the next stage of learning in year 1.
Children will have acquired the skills that are needed to achieve the Good Level of Development at the end of their Reception year.
Children will be able to use their phonic knowledge to read accurately with increasing speed and fluency
Children will write simple sentences that can be read by others and where some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible. Children will use some simple punctuation correctly.
Children will have a secure understanding of early number skills and problem solving.
Children will have good personal, physical and social skills.
Children will enjoy listening attentively and they will respond to familiar stories and rhymes and respond with comprehension.
Children will demonstrate positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity, concentration, resilience and enjoyment. They will listen with focus to adults and each other.
Our early year’s experiences will provide children with a love of learning so that they ‘Know more’ and ‘Remember more’.
Our Early Year Curriculum is based on the EYFS Development Matters document:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters--2