Early Years Foundation Stage Policy

Updated October 2016

Early Years Foundation Stage

Introduction

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.”

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years (EYFS) is the period of education upon which young children build the rest of their lives. It is a single framework for care, learning and development. All children should be given the opportunity to experience the best possible start to their education to develop solid foundations which will ensure that they flourish throughout their school years and on into adulthood.

For young children there is no distinction between work and play and in Ponteland First School Early Years Foundation Stage we do not see teaching as separate from play; we consider teaching to mean the many different ways in which adults interact with and help children to learn. Learning for young children is a rewarding and enjoyable experience in which theyexplore, investigate, discover, create, practise, rehearse, repeat, revise and consolidate their developing knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes. We bring these aspects of learning together effectively through playing and talking.

All children begin school with a variety of experiences and learning and it is the responsibility of all practitioners working in the Early Years to build upon that prior learning and experience. At Ponteland First School, this is done through a holistic and multi-sensory approach to learning, ensuring that parents/carers, childminders, support staff and Early Years practitioners work effectively together to support children’s learning and development.

At Ponteland First School, children are admitted to Nursery in the September or January following their third birthday where they receive their fifteen hours of flexible provision according to parental choice. Children are admitted into Reception in the September following their fourth birthday.

Aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Through an imaginative and immersive curriculum, we aim to inspire children to become independent and collaborative and resilient learners who have inquisitive minds and the skills to solve problems.

We aim to support each child’s welfare, learning and developmental needs by:

  • Recognising that all children are unique and special.
  • Understanding that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates - physically, cognitively, linguistically, socially and emotionally.
  • Providing a safe, secure and caring environment where children feel happy and know that they are valued.
  • Fostering and nurturing children’s self-confidence and self-esteem through their developing awareness of their own identity and role within the community.
  • Teaching them to express and communicate their needs and feelings in appropriate ways.
  • Encouraging children’s independence and decision-making, supporting them to learn through their mistakes.
  • Developing children’s understanding of social skills and the values and codes ofbehaviour required for people to work together harmoniously.
  • Supporting children to develop care, respect and appreciation for others,including those with beliefs, cultures and opinions which differ to their own.
  • Understanding the importance of play in children’s learning and development.
  • Providing learning experiences in play which reflect children’s personalinterests and areas of curiosity in order to encourage and develop their naturaldesire, interest, excitement and motivation to learn.
  • Providing experiences which build on children’s existing knowledge andunderstanding in order to challenge, stimulate and extend their learning anddevelopment as well as provide them with opportunities to master skills.
  • Providing effective learning opportunities in a range of environments, insideand outside.

At Ponteland First School we aim to achieve these outcomes by:

  • Making the child’s first experience of school happy, positive and fun.
  • Providing a happy, safe, secure, challenging, creative and stimulating environment which is sensitive to each child’s individuality, talents and potential.
  • Using and valuing what each child already knows and can do.
  • Developing a working partnership between parents/carers and school in order to establish an accurate understanding of each child’s individual needs.
  • Enabling choice and decision making, fostering independence and self-confidence.
  • Developing a team approach to Early Years education in which all adults are responsible and their expertise is valued and respected.
  • Emphasising the enjoyment of learning and encourage a positive attitude and an active interest in the world around them.
  • Ensuring that all children, irrespective of ethnicity, culture, religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties, disabilities, gender or ability have the opportunity to experience a challenging and enjoyable programme of learning.
  • Providing rich, stimulating and appropriate experiences to give each child the opportunity to develop their skills, competencies and their thinking to the best of their ability across all areas of learning.
  • Providing a broad, balanced, relevant and creative educational programme which reflects the needs of the individual child.
  • Monitoring progress throughout the EYFS, while taking action to identify areas of concern and provide appropriate support.
  • Ensuring a smooth transition from the Foundation Stage to Year 1.

The EYFS is based upon four principles

  • A Unique Child
  • Positive Relationships
  • Enabling Environments
  • Learning and Development

A Unique Child

“A Unique Child recognises that every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.”

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

At Ponteland First School we give every child the opportunity to achieve their best. We have realistic and challenging expectations that meet the needs of all our children across the areas of learning and development. We achieve this by planning to meet the needs of boys and girls, children with disabilities, children with additional educational needs, children with medical needs, children from all social and cultural backgrounds, children of different ethnic groups and those from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

We recognise that children develop in individual ways, 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 and reward systems, to encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning.

We meet the needs of all our children through:

  • Planning opportunities that build upon and extend children’s knowledge, experience and interests, and develop their self-esteem and confidence.
  • Using a wide range of teaching strategies based on children’s learning needs.
  • Providing a wide range of opportunities to motivate and support children and to help them to learn effectively.
  • Providing a safe and supportive learning environment in which the contribution of every child is valued.
  • Using resources which reflect diversity and are free from discrimination and stereotyping.
  • Planning challenging activities for children whose ability and understanding are in advance of their language and communication skills.
  • Monitoring children’s progress and taking action to provide support as necessary.

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.”

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

It is of paramount important to us that all children in the school are safe. We educate children on boundaries, rules and limits and help them understand why they exist. We provide children with choices to help them develop this important life skill. Children should be allowed to take risks, but need to be taught how to recognise and avoid hazards. We aim to protect the physical and psychological well being of all children. (See Whole School Safeguarding Children Policy.)

At Ponteland First School we understand that we are legally required to comply with certain welfare requirements as stated in the Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage.We understand that we are required to:

  • Be alert to any issues for concern in the child’s life at home or elsewhere and communicate these to the designated child protection officer in school.
  • Train all staff to understand their safeguarding policy and procedures, and ensure that all staff have up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues.
  • Ensure all adults who look after the children or who have unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so and have the relevant training.
  • Ensure staffing arrangements and ratios meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety.
  • Have at least one person available on the premises at all times who has a current paediatric first aid certificate.
  • Assign a key person to each child.
  • Promote the welfare of children.
  • Promote good health, preventing the spread of infection and taking appropriate action when children are ill.
  • Follow the school’s policy of managing medicine and ensure there is a first aid kit available at all times.
  • Ensure suitable facilities for the hygienic preparation of food for children and provide healthy, balanced and nutritious snacks.
  • Manage behaviour effectively in a manner appropriate for the children’s stage of development and individual needs.
  • Ensure that the premises, furniture and equipment are safe and suitable for purpose and that children have access to the outdoors.
  • Ensure that we only release children into the care of individuals who have been notified to the provider by the parent, and must ensure that children do not leave the premises unsupervised.
  • Ensure that every child receives enjoyable and challenging learning and development experiences tailored to meet their needs.
  • Maintain records, risk assessments, policies and procedures required for safe efficient management of the setting and to meet the needs of the children.
  • Enable a regular two-way flow of information with parents and/or carers, and between providers, if a child is attending more than our setting.

We ensure we meet all these requirements.

Positive Relationships

“Positive Relationships describes how children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and / or a key person.”

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

At Ponteland First School we believe that the positive relationships we build are the key to effective partnerships between all practitioners, parents, carers and families. Each child has a key person who is responsible for ensuring that the child feels safe and cared for, in order to develop a positive sense of well-being and achievement. However, all members of the Early Years team see it as their responsibility to develop nurturing relationships with all of the children.

We meet the needs of all of our children by:

  • Working with parents / carers and other childcare settings right from the start to find out about their child’s needs, feelings and interests.
  • Developing effective partnerships and two way communication with families throughout the year by offering regular opportunities for them to talk about their child’s progress through informal discussions, invitations to open weeks and communication via Tapestry.
  • Helping parents to support their children’s learning and development.
  • Recognising that friendships and relationships are an important part of a child’s development from birth and supporting children to develop them.

Parents as Partners

We recognise that parents are children’s first and most enduring educators and we value the contribution they make. We value the role of parents and carers in the education of their child and believe that a good working relationship between home and school is vital to enable children to realise their full potential. A successful partnership needs to be a two way flow of information, knowledge and expertise. We aim to develop this by:

  • Offering parents regular opportunities to talk about their child’s progress and allowing free access to the children’s Tapestry online learning journal as well as encouraging parents to use the journal to upload photographs and make comments relating to their children’s achievements.
  • Arranging a range of activities throughout the year that encourage collaboration between child, school and parents: open days, workshops, class assemblies etc.
  • Inviting prospective parents and children to open days.
  • Holding induction meetings for new parents of Nursery and Reception children to familiarise them with school, staff, PTA, curriculum etc. prior to their child starting.
  • Inviting parents and children to visit Nursery and Reception classes the term before they are due to start and to offer home visits where there are any concerns around induction.
  • Providing an Early Years brochure to ensure that parents understand the organisation, management, ethos and aims of the Foundation Stage.
  • Operating an open door policy, whereby parents can come and discuss concerns and developments in an informal manner.
  • Inviting parents to help in Early Years classes and to accompany children on school visits.
  • Inviting parents to share their experience and expertise with children and bring in items for topic displays.
  • Displaying topic overviews and planning for parents in each classroom.
  • Sending home termly topic overviews, informing parents of the learning that will be taking place.
  • Holding information/workshop sessions, in school, for parents on topics such as phonics, literacy and maths.
  • Encouraging parents to listen to Reception children read regularly and to comment on reading progress in a home/school diary.
  • Encouraging Nursery children to share books with their parents by developing a home/school lending library.
  • Holding parent consultation sessions and open weeks each term and providing an annual written report to parents in June/July summarising each child’s progress against the early learning goals and commenting on the characteristics of learning.

Transition

We have good links with local and feeder preschool settings. The EYFS teachers meet with staff and childminders to discuss new intake children. Where children continue to attend preschool provision, while attending Nursery part time, we aim to ensure continuity and coherence by sharing information about the children’s achievements as necessary throughout the year.

At PFS our induction period is a most important and sensitive time. Parents and children have all had a visit at the end of the Summer term and parents have received relevant information (See Home /School Links section).

During the first weeks of the new school year we gradually admit children in small groups according to age. In the case of Reception children we admit children who have not attended our Nursery in the first group.

Children are given uninterrupted time to settle in. Reception children are not expected to attend assembly until it is deemed appropriate and are gradually introduced into the large whole school playground. Reception staff eat with the children in the dining hall for as long as necessary, during the first half term period. Reception parents are encouraged to bring their child into class each morning and help to settle them in before leaving. Nursery parents are encouraged to stay with their child if necessary during the first weeks.The induction process into the Foundation Stage allows:

  • Children to feel secure in their new environment.
  • Children to be gradually introduced to all aspects of school life.
  • The practitioners to get to know the children individually and establish good relationships.
  • Practitioners to carry out a baseline assessment

Foundation Stage to Year 1

Transition to another class and Key Stage are very important times for the child and family and we aim to make it as smooth as possible. At Ponteland First School we feel that it is important to work together as a whole school. We have developed whole school policies for issues which affect everyone and this is designed to ease the transition from one class to another. To ensure a smooth transition for all involved we work closely with Year 1 staff in the following areas:

  • Reception practitioners plan for more structured activities to be undertaken during the summer term, encouraging less dependence on adult support.
  • Reception children meet Year 1 teachers during assembly and other whole school activities throughout the school year.
  • Staff from Reception, Year 1 and special needs support meet to share information with regard to children’s progress and individual needs in July.
  • Year 1 classrooms reflect EYFS reception class practice in the Autumn term.
  • Reception Profile information and copies of end of year reports are passed on to Year 1 teachers.
  • Year 1 teachers are involved with in-house moderation of the Reception Profile with EYFS staff.
  • Year 1 staff are given release time to observe teaching and learning in Foundation Stage to ensure continuity of planning and experiences as well as to get to know the children.
  • Reception children visit their new Year 1 class and teacher in July.
  • Parents of Reception children attend a transition meeting with Year 1 staff and the Headteacher in July.

Enabling Environments