Intent
- To provide first-hand learning experiences
- To build resilience, ambition and integrity
- To recognise every child as a unique individual
- To teach basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values
- To provide enhancement opportunities to engage learning and to increase our first-hand experience of school which should be happy and positive
- To encourage involvement with parents and to celebrate the children’s learnt skills
- To understand and follow children’s interests and to provide learning opportunities for these within our EYFS curriculum
- To support learning, consolidate and deepen knowledge through next steps
- To create an indoor and outdoor environment which supports all areas of learning
- To prepare children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception and to ensure children are making good progress from their starting point
- To support transition from the EYFS to KS1
Implementation:
- Recognise children’s prior knowledge from previous settings and their experiences at home
- Embed positive behaviours for learning through the Characteristics of Effective Learning facilatated by providing play and exploration, active learning, creative and critical thinking opportunities
- Recognise every child as a unique individual.
- Work collaboratively with parents and carers to encourage independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential
- Teach and build upon early skills, knowledge, concepts and values
- Provide enhancement opportunities to engage and enhance learning
- Provide quality, continuous indoor and outdoor provision, that follow children’s interests, supporting learners in investigating, developing and challenging their skills and knowledge
- Support transition so that children are prepared and ready for Reception and Key Stage 1
Impact:
- Children will progress across the EYFS curriculum from their starting point
- The majority of children will reach the Early Learning goals at the end of Reception
- Children will have support throughout the year in order to progress
- Children will investigate, build resillience, concentrate and encounter difficulties which they can overcome with confidence
- Children will have developed their own ideas
- Evidence in children’s learning journeys support all areas of the EYFS curriculum
- All children’s needs will be met to enable them to learn to their full potential
- Children will develop into well rounded individuals who embody our valves and carry with hem the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learnings.
- Children will be ready to start Year 1
"When we give every child the best start in their early years, we give them what they need today. We also set them up with every chance of success tomorrow." - Development Matters 2021
Teaching and Learning
Our Curriculum for the Early Years Foundation stage reflects the learning aims and objectives set out in the Early Years Stage Curriculum.
EYFS has four of these, each with principles that inform them:
At Tregony school, we provide a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities to allow children to develop to their full potential. We provide the children with opportunities to obtain a good level of development at the end of Reception. To achieve a good level of development, children need to achieve their Early learning goals in all of the prime and specific areas.
Prime Areas
*Communication and language - Listening and attention and understanding, speaking
*Personal, Social and Emotional Development- Self Regulation, Managing Self, Building Relationships
* Physical Development- Gross Motor Skills, Fine Motor Skills
Specific Areas
*Literacy- Comprehension, Word Reading, Writing
*Mathematica- Number, Numerical patterns
*Understanding the World- Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities, The Natural World
*Expressive Arts and Design- Creating with Materials, Being imaginative and Expressive
Importance of Play:
Through play, children develop language skills, their emotions and creativity, social and intellectual skills. For most children their play is natural and spontaneous although some children may need extra help from adults. Play takes place indoors and outdoors and it is in these different environments that children explore and discover their immediate world. It is here they practise new ideas and skills, they take risks, show imagination and solve problems on their own or with others. The role that adults have is crucial. Adults provide time and space and appropriate resources. These might include clothes, boxes, buckets, old blankets that will inspire play and fire children’s imaginations. They observe play and join in when invited, watching and listening before intervening. They value play and provide safe but challenging environments that support and extend learning and development.
(Early Years Matters, 2022)
Characteristics of Effective Learning:
In Reception class, we support the Characteristics of Effective Learning through animals and their actions. This helps children to recognise what they are and how they can achieve them.
Assessment
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework is clear that assessment needs to be carried out in a way that minimises the time that the adult is taken away from the children since we know children learn best through positive sensitive interactions with adults. In Tregony, assessment happens all the time through interactions and spotting what children can do and their next steps. Where children are making little or no progress, we would identify barriers to learning and implement support in order to support all children to succeed.
In Nursery, we use OPAL as a form of assessment. Opal works on the basis of having very simple, six-monthy child developmental milestones, which we use to monitor children's development. These milestones reflect what we believe a `typical` child, the child has met the milestones and record a simple `yes` or `not yet`. We know that not children will have `typical` development. Opal allows Tregony to celebrate each child's story and focus on the support they need from us. Each child will recieve a starting point report as well as two spotlight progress checks per year which will be held the month of your child's birthday along with another six months before or after. Parents will be invited to take part in this check with a parent consultation.
The Nursery also uses OPAL to carry out two year checks. This is a statutory check which is carried out between our Two year old Lead- Mickaela, the child's parent/carer and the child's registered health visitor. For more information, please see the information below.
In Reception, we use a target tracking system this allows us to see and record children who need extra support. Target tracker links with the Early years statements from Development Matters and is an effective way to track progress not just through Reception years but the whole school.
At the beginning of the first term in Reception, it is an expectation that all schools complete a Reception Baseline Assessment of your child. The purpose of the assessment is to provide the starting point for a new measure that will help parents understand how well schools support their pupils to progress between reception and the end of key stage 2 (year 6).
Important Parent Information
Starting Reception information:
Information you need to know:
School Lunches
A hot school lunch is available for all children ifrom our School kitchen. In Nursery, these are charged for and require a cash payment. In Reception, our children are eligible for Universal Free School meals. At present the government scheme enables all children in Reception , Year 1 and Year 2 to access free school meals. All children in Reception are eligible for Universal Free School meals. At present the government scheme enables all children in Reception , Year 1 and Year 2 to access free school meals.
Pupils Premium
•The pupil premium is additional funding given to schools in England to help raise the attainment of a group of pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.
•Children who can benefit from pupil premium funding are those that will be entitled to free school meals once they reach KS2.
•In the past we have put the money towards additional teaching assistants to work with small groups/individuals. It also subsidises swimming sessions and camps for those children identified.
Looking to enroll your child at Nursery?
Please see our welcome pack below and contact ewood@tregonyschool.co.uk for enquiries about our nursery or to book a visit.
New to the School?
Please contact our secretary Debbie Kirby at dkirby@tregonyschool.co.uk or phone 01872 530643 to find out more information and to organise a tour of the school.