by Mrs G Smith
We hope you find this area informative - a place where you can find out about the curriculum and the daily practise of your early years child. We are extremely passionate about ensuring children learn through play based activities both indoors and outdoors.
At St John’s Church of England Primary School and Nursery we understand that we are legally required to comply with certain welfare requirements as stated in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (April 2017). We understand that we are required to:
We endeavour to meet these requirements.
What does Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) look like at St John's?
At St John's Primary School and Nursery we have our new purpose built nursery (EYFS1), located behind the main school building in Laund Nook with independent access and has a classroom, quiet area, kitchen, toilets and change facilities. It also features outdoor safety play surfaces within a safe fenced area.
In January 2020, our new Early Years Foundation Stage classroom block opened to the children. We now have two Reception classes (with the use of three classrooms), which can open on to each other, so the children can learn and play in all three rooms together. We set up lots of different zones to explore. We have cosy book corners, special writing & craft areas (though we love to write wherever we can!), a brilliantly resourced maths areas, exciting role play areas, as well as lots of other inviting zones for us to learn in!
We also have a large outside area which wraps around the classrooms, so we can learn outside, as well as inside. Our children particularly enjoy baking in our Mud Kitchen and role playing in the pirate ship. The children have lots of fun learning through play!
Our Reception class teachers are Mrs Smith (EYFS Team Leader), Mrs Christie and Mrs Badhan, and we are supported by our Early Years practitioners Miss Fox, Miss Bailey and Mrs Lewis. We really love working in EYFS and want your child to be happy. If you have any questions or concerns, please come and see us!
The Early Years Foundation Stage is organised into seven areas of learning and development, which is split into 17 aspects.
These seven areas are as follows:
PSED - Personal, social, emotional development (developing self-confidence and self-awareness, making relationships as well as managing behaviour and feelings).
CL - Communication and Language (speaking, listening and understanding)
PD - Physical development (moving and handling as well as health and self-care)
LIT - Literacy (reading and writing)
MATHS - Mathematics (numbers, shape, space and measures)
UW - Understanding the World (people and communities, the world and technology)
EAD - Expressive Arts and Design (exploring and using media and materials as well as being imaginative!)
Children are also observed to see how they learn, through:
*Playing and exploring – engagement
*Active learning – motivation
*Creating and thinking critically – thinking
Learning Journals
Throughout your child’s time in Nursery and Reception we will collect observations about what your child can do. We take photographs of your child completing different activities and make notes about what they are doing. Don't forget to log on to 'Tapestry', so you can also let us know of any 'wow' moments you witness at home, to add to your child’s learning journal.
Parent Partnership
We believe in having a good partnership with parents and carers. Together we can help your child to become a happy and successful learner. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to come and see us. We are happy to give you lots of ideas of ways you can support your child in their learning at home.
Helping at Home
There are lots of things you can do to help your child. Below are some ideas of what you can do which are quick and easy and will help your child consolidate skills we have taught in school. If you would like any help or support please ask any member of the Reception staff. We would be more than happy to help with ideas!
In Reception:
Phonics
Your child will bring home sheets with the letter sounds on and actions which go with them. Please practice saying the sounds and complete the rainbow writing. We'd love to see these, so please bring them in to show us, once they've been completed.
Reading
Your child has a phonics reading book and reading record. Please share this book for 5 - 10 minutes every day if possible. We will hear your child read in school and will practise letter sounds and high frequency words in our daily phonics sessions. Each child will also have a choosing book to share at home, again please share this as often as possible and talk about the characters, setting and plot.
Writing
Encourage your child to practice writing using their name sheet. They can also write their names on invitations and cards, reminding them to have a capital letter at the beginning! As they learn their letter sounds, help them practise writing them, using the correct letter formation.
Mathematics
Play board games such as 'snakes and ladders' to encourage your child to count spaces to move their counters forwards or backward. When you are walking as the children to count how many foot steps from one place to another and ask the children to identify different numbers they see on doors or buses. Practise counting in order to at least twenty and backwards to zero.
Life skills
Encourage your child to put on and fasten their own coat, to put on their own shoes and to get dressed and undress by themselves. Remind them to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating a meal. When eating encourage your child to use a knife and fork correctly.
Targets
The children will be given termly targets, which will be put into their reading records. We will be busy working towards these in school, but would be very grateful for any extra help you can give at home, to help them achieve these.