NURSERY - RECEPTION

E.Y.F.S. NURSERY

Welcome to E.Y.F.S. NURSERY

Nursery is the first year of the Early Years Foundation Stage in St. Anne’s.
This period of education is from 3 to 5 years.
This important part of children’s early development is divided into 7 learning areas:

Personal, social and emotional development. This area focuses on relationships and how children develop a positive sense of themselves and of others that they come into contact wth.
Communication & language. This is concerned with communication, providing children with a language rich environment to develop their confidence and ability to express themselves and listen in a range of situations.
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading and writing materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest. Towards the end of the year we begin to prepare the children for the Read Write Inc. phonics system which we use from Reception up to Year 2 of Primary to teach reading, writing and comprehension.
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. Here, the children concentrate on developing skills such as; counting, matching, sorting, identifying and repeating patterns, number work and recognising different shapes and their properties.
Knowledge and understanding of the world. This area helps the children to develop an understanding of the world they live in and gives them a sense of why things are the way they are.
Physical development. The children develop skills such as coordination, movement, spatial awareness, as well as pencil control and fine motor skills. Expressive arts & design. This area focuses on art, music, dance, role play, imaginative play & design & technology.

General objectives in Nursery:
To promote learning. Young children learn principally through play, both structured and unstructured activities. We make sure that all aspects of play are covered in our planning using both indoor and outdoor resources.
To promote the children’s intellectual, emotional, social, personal, physical and creative development through fun, daily activities which help them to develop a sense of the “whole child”....
To develop self-esteem, identity, confidence and self-awareness by talking about their emotions and feelings. As each child is unique, we assess the children’s development on an on-going basis, enabling us to adjust the activities to each individual child’s needs and capabilities, encouraging development and avoiding frustrations.
Learning English is obviously a priority for us and they are immersed in an English speaking environment the vast majority of the day throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Other important information:
Parents as Partners: Effective communication means there is a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise between parents and practitioners. We believe in developing positive relationships between educators and parents. This has a positive impact on the children’s learning. We have general parent’s meetings throughout the year, and also the parents are invited to make individual appointments with the teacher to discuss their child’s learning requirements.
Learning through play: One of our main aims for the children in Nursery Class is to create a positive and safe environment where they can enjoy learning through play. We encourage curiosity and imagination inside and outside the classroom and believe that well planned play with the right level of structure and the right level of adult intervention is a key way for young children to progress and enjoy new challenges.
Classroom organisation: In Nursery, the children learn as a whole class, in small groups and individual situations. They also learn a lot from each other, especially the younger children who watch and learn from the older children, and therefore we believe in mixing older children with younger ones in small group activities. We organise a variety of activities regularly across the year with children from the Reception class and the year 5 and 6 Primary classes. Carpet time. Carpet time is an important part of the morning. The children are encouraged to express ideas and to discuss, share ideas and take turns in talking and listening. It’s an opportunity for the children to learn new concepts and further develop their vocabulary.

During carpet time we:
Greet the children by taking the register.
Use the home to school board where we bring things into school to show the class.
Talk about the day’s activities.
Read stories.
Talk and sing about the weather and the days of the week.
Sing nursery rhymes and action songs.
Have general discussions.

Listen to others.
Role-play area: We have a “role-play area” in the classroom which changes theme on a regular basis along with the topics in the class. Here the children are able to develop a variety of fundamental social and emotional skills such as; story telling, recounting events, exploring feelings, cooperation and negotiation with their peers, as well as providing them with an opportunity to enhance their learning and vocabulary.
Construction area: We provide the children with both small and large construction kits which they can use to explore their imagination in many ways, develop their hand-eye coordination, and construct freely, both inside the classroom and outside on the playground.
Outdoor play: We provide the children with a safe outdoor play area that gives them the opportunity to explore, learn and extend their physical capabilities. They are encouraged to move in a variety of ways while keeping in mind the well-being of others too. There are also sandpits and water trays outside for their use. Writing table: Here the children can experiment with making marks. They frequently paint, draw, cut, stick and model. This encourages them to explore forms of self-expression, handle and correctly use a variety of tools and use a range of materials and textures. They learn about colour mixing and develop their fine and gross motor skills.
Pre-writing. The children are encouraged to experience the early stage of writing through the use of paintbrushes, crayons, and pencils. They will learn how to hold a pencil correctly, whilst developing their hand-eye coordination. They begin to understand that writing is about communicating ideas and feelings.
Snack time. It is a social occasion and an opportunity for the children to join in conversation with each other and develop vocabulary and listening skills. It allows the children to take responsibility for themselves and encourages them to become more independent. The children learn about different types of foods and it is a time when we encourage the children to be aware of personal hygiene.
Assessments. As the children develop at different times, we assess their learning on an on-going basis and can therefore plan for activities that encourage the development of their skills. Examples of the children’s work from every term are kept throughout their time in the EYFS and Primary. We use the Tapestry assessment software to record children’s achievements across the Early Years Foundation Stage in both Nursery and Reception.
Displays. It is important that the children are proud of their work and in Nursery, all their work is displayed within the classroom on a permanent basis. We like you and them to see the results of their work to encourage them to make an effort and try their best.

E.Y.F.S. RECEPTION

Welcome to E.Y.F.S. RECEPTION
This is another important year for the children in terms of their emotional, social and physical development. Having settled into school and having learned to integrate themselves into a new social environment, they are now ready to enter the second year of the Foundation Stage of their education..

During this coming year in Reception Class, the children will come into contact with new teachers and auxiliary staff (as well as those they already know) and will have many new and exciting experiences that will build on and develop their knowledge gained during the past year in Nursery and stimulate their learning capabilities as much as possible.

What is the Foundation Stage?
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the British National Curriculum. The EYFS is the period of education from birth to five years. During the Nursery and Reception classes, the children work towards the “early learning goals”. Most children are expected to achieve the early learning goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. There is a strong emphasis on learning through play, both child initiated and planned play. The curriculum is delivered through a combination of whole class activities, adult-led focused activities and child-initiated activities.

The Early Years Foundation Stage brings together: Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (2000), the Birth to Three Matters (2002) framework and the National Standards for Under 8s Daycare and Childminding (2003), building a coherent and flexible approach to care and learning. All providers are required to use the EYFS to ensure that whatever setting parents choose, they can be confident that their child will receive a quality experience that supports their development and learning.
The EYFS is based on principles of inclusion which means that early years providers oppose discrimination and prejudice and welcome all families and children. They provide care and education for a wide range of children in environments that enable children to feel safe and supported and which extend their learning and development.
Throughout the EYFS stress is placed upon understanding each child and their family as unique, with different needs and concerns. Children’s development is presented under six overlapping phases. This overlap is intended to emphasize the fact that there can be big differences between the development of children of similar ages. At the same time, age can be a cue, when taken with all other factors, to indicate that development may be atypical and that a child may need extra support.... Every Child Matters. This is the government agenda which focuses on bringing together services to support children and families. It sets out five major outcomes for children: being healthy, staying safe; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution; economic well-being. For further information visit www.everychildmatters.gov.uk

The children will be immersed in the English language from the first day and will soon begin working on covering the seven main areas of learning as detailed in the EYFS Guidelines:
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Communication and Language
  • Literacy
  • Mathematical Development
  • Knowledge and Understanding of the World
  • Physical Development
  • Creative Development

All EYFS documents can be found on the Internet http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/eyfs-statutory-framework/
Learning Objectives in the Foundation Stage for Reception children.The EYFS is arranged into 7 key learning areas. Then they are divided into further specific areas for your child to explore and investigate through the topic areas (listed below).
  • Personal Social and Emotional Development: Dispositions and attitudes, Social Developmen, Emotional Development.
  • Communication and language Language for communication and thinking, Listening and speaking, Vocabulary.
  • Literacy Linking sounds and letters, Reading, Writing.
  • Problem solving, Reasoning and Numeracy: Numbers as labels and for counting, Calculating, Shape, space and measures.
  • Knowledge and Under-standing of the World: Sense of time, Sense of place, Exploration and Investigation, Designing and making, Information technology.
  • Physical Development: Confidence, imagination and safety, Control and coordination, Sense of space, Health and body awareness, Using tools and equipment.
  • Creative development: Media and materials, Music, Imagination, Expressing and communicating experiences.

These areas will be covered through topic work.
  • Autumn Term 1: Myself and My Family, Weather and Seasons, Christmas.
  • Spring Term 2: Fun with Food, Minibeasts.
  • Summer Term 3: The Farm, Summer and the Seaside.

ENGLISH AND MATHS
In both Maths and English, the class is divided as follows:
  • 15-20 minutes whole group time with the teacher.
  • 15-20 minutes small group work.
  • 15-20 minutes plenary to reinforce their learning.
Speaking in English. In Reception we expect the children to start using more and more vocabulary in English on a daily basis. They will hear the same phrases relating to routines and class tasks repeated various times during the day and it never takes them long to pick them up. English is encouraged but we also understand that every child learns at a different rate and therefore we never over-encourage them to speak English if it means that they feel uncomfortable. We would also encourage English at home whenever possible.
Listening in English. Children at this age have an amazing ability to pick up new vocabulary and are encouraged to ask when they don’t know what something means. As the year progresses, their listening and concentration skills will improve greatly. Where possible, it is beneficial for the children to be exposed to some English whilst at home either on DVD, television, radio or by reading them a book in English. Older brothers and sisters can always help too.
Writing skills. During the Autumn term, we will be focusing on developing the children’s pre-writing skills. This includes, making sure they can hold a pencil properly, trace over lines, draw shapes in pencil and colours.
Reading skills. In Reception, we will be concentrating on learning to read the most commonly used words in English through flash-cards and well-known stories. As your child recognises more and more words, they will then take their own flash-cards home to practise.

Mathematical development.

During this year the children will be expected to:
  • Learn number rhymes, songs and stories.
  • Count objects.
  • Develop their 1:1 correspondence (counting accurately).
  • Sort and match similar objects.
  • Name the colours and basic 2D shapes.
  • Compare objects by height and size.
  • Recognise and write the numerals to 10.
  • Use mathematical language like “how many, to count, more or less, bigger or smaller” etc.
  • Count by rote to 20.

General information.
Bathroom and hygiene. All the children in Reception are expected to go to the bathroom independently, however, during the first term they are closely supervised to ensure they clean themselves properly and always wash their hands afterwards. It is important that these routines are reflected at home.

Homework. This year every Friday homework will be given out (starting in October). There are various reasons for giving out homework at this age:
  • To encourage independence.
  • To help them to understand the importance of their school work.
  • To build more links between their school and home life.
  • To build their self-confidence.