Within the Reception classroom at Ewyas Harold Primary School we will provide an interesting, relevant environment and wide opportunities in which children can actively be involved in their learning. We have developed our classroom space to create an interesting and stimulating environment which changes regularly.
We strive to ensure we provide outstanding opportunities for children to learn and develop we understand that Children learn when:
- They feel secure, valued and confident
- They find learning to be a pleasurable and rewarding experience
- They are supported in school and at home
- They are interested and positive
- Their physical, intellectual, social and emotional abilities are taken into account
- They are encouraged to think about their learning and to develop independence
- They are provided with first-hand experience and appropriate adult intervention
- They are encouraged to use play and talk as media for learning
- Their progress is assessed and recorded and used to inform future planning
At Ewyas Harold we teach through topics and themes that the children are interested in. By doing this we capture children’s imaginations by immersing them into a particular topic such as, Space, Under the Sea and many more.
We aim to provide a curriculum that should underpin all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children.
At Ewyas Harold we are very proud of our Early Years Space. Through this we provide a secure, stimulating and positive learning environment where children can:
- Develop intellectually, socially and emotionally
- Develop curiosity in the world around them
- Develop a good moral judgement
- Develop good communication skills
- Become independent learners and creative thinkers
- Become happy and confident learners, with high self-esteem
The Staff in the Early Years aim to achieve these objectives by:
- Ensuring that each child is equally valued and reaches their full potential
- Providing a safe, stimulating environment, both indoors and outdoors
- Planning for and delivering a broad, balanced curriculum
- Recognising and recording individual children’s progress and achievements
- Establishing a positive, on-going partnership with parents and families, acknowledging the vital role they play in their child’s education Ewyas Harold’.
Areas of Learning
The EYFS is made up of seven areas of learning.
Three Prime Areas:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
Four Specific Areas:
- Literacy
- Maths
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Prime areas are fundamental, work together, and move through to support development in all other areas. They begin to develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences, and continue to be fundamental throughout the EYFS.
Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society.
The Unique Child reaches out to relate to people and things through the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which move through all areas of learning.
- Playing and exploring
- Active learning
- Creating and thinking critically
All areas of learning are delivered through a balance of adult led and child initiated activities in response to children’s needs and interests. We have a large outdoor classroom that children have access to all day. We provide opportunities in this outdoor area for children to develop their gross motor skills , develop creative and critical thinking.
At Ewyas Harold we start off Autumn Term with a more informal learning style we then gradually add more formality as the children progress through the Spring and Summer Term. This supports children with the transition to KS1 and also ensures all children are challenged and reach their full potential.
We believe it is really important that our children enjoy a range of experiences and with this in mind we always plan a range of trips: some local and some further afield. These include visiting local areas such as Ewyas Harold village; playing field, shop/post office and Pontrillas timber yard, as well as trips further afield such as the Safari Park.
At Ewyas Harold we recognise that every child is a competent learner who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. We recognise that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates. Children’s attitudes and dispositions to learning are influenced by feedback from others; we use praise and encouragement, as well as celebration assemblies, sharing circle times and reward stickers/certificates to encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning.
Inclusion
We value the diversity of individuals within the school and do not discriminate against children because of ‘differences’. All children at Ewyas Harold Primary School are treated fairly regardless of race, religion or gender.
Welfare
“Children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure, when their individual needs are met and when they have positive relationships with the adults caring for them.”
We understand that we are required to:
- Promote the welfare of children.
- Promote good health, preventing the spread of infection and taking appropriate action when children are ill.
- Manage behaviour effectively in a manner appropriate for the children’s stage of development and individual needs.
- Ensure all adults who look after the children or who have unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.
- Ensure that the premises, furniture and equipment is safe and suitable for purpose
- Ensure that every child receives enjoyable and challenging learning and development experiences tailored to meet their needs.
- Maintain records, policies and procedures required for safe efficient management of the setting and to meet the needs of the children.
At Ewyas Harold Primary School, we are committed to the welfare of all children and staff. Therefore, we ensure that no mobiles phones are switched on within our Early Years setting, staff devices are kept securely within the Early Years classroom and all photographs that are taken are used only for assessment purposes, unless permission to use publicly has been gained by parents/carers.
Parents as Partners
We recognise that parents are children’s first and most enduring educators and we highly value the contribution that parents make. At Ewyas Harold we make sure all parents feel valued. We recognise that children learn to be strong and independent from secure relationships. We aim to develop caring, respectful, professional relationships with the children and their families.
We recognise the role that parents have played, and their ongoing role in educating the children. We do this through:
- Talking to parents prior to the children starting school about routines, expectations and looking at the environment we offer.
- We welcome parents into the classroom for our “Induction Sessions”. This is when the children have the opportunity to spend time with their teacher.
- We visit our children and parents in their own home to help develop relationships.
- We offer parents regular opportunities to talk about their child’s progress.
- We arrange a range of activities throughout the year that encourage collaboration between child and parents. For example, PTFA events, EYFS workshops, concerts including our Nativity play.
- Parents’ evenings are held termly and an annual report is sent home in the Summer Term.
Assessment
Assessment in the EYFS is of two main types – on-going assessment which is what practitioners do on a daily basis to make decisions about what the child has learned or can do already so as to help the child move on in their learning – this is sometimes called ‘formative’ assessment because it informs the next steps that are planned with the child and the parent. Another type of assessment known as ‘summative’ assessment takes place towards the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage when children are in the final term of the reception class. This ‘sums up’ all the different information from on-going assessments that have been made about the child. This information is added to a record of children’s achievement which is related to the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) – showing the levels different children have achieved in the seven areas of learning and development in the Revised EYFS.
Early Years Profile data and assessment books will be passed on to Year 1 teachers to help smooth the transition to Year 1.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
‘Characteristics of Learning’ is reported on to enable the next teacher to find out how that child learns best.