Early Years
Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage at Abbey Village Primary School. We hope you and your child/children will enjoy the time you spend with us and find this information useful. We offer a Foundation Stage, full of fun and excitement, within a wonderful learning environment. We are committed to working together with you to ensure that your children have a happy and successful experience during their time in the Early Years. We know that children learn best when parents, carers and staff work together to encourage and support children’s learning experiences.
The team that will be teaching and looking after your child/children are Mrs Bateson and Mrs Williams. Mrs Todd may also be in to cover when required.
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Mrs Bateson Mrs Williams
We will all work as a team so please feel free to come in and talk to any one of us if you have any concerns or news you would like to share. As part of that team, both Mrs Bateson and Mrs Williams will be working together as the key people for your child/children, but we do like to encourage the children to make their own decisions and to develop independence in approaching whichever adult they feel most comfortable with.
We have an Early years class where:
- every child matters
- children are eager to learn and thoroughly enjoy their learning experiences through practical, challenging activities
- children quickly develop a good level of independence which helps them to confidently approach a range of tasks
- the individual needs of the child are catered for within their programme of study
- each child’s progress is carefully monitored, recorded, and then used to further enhance their learning
- strong links are formed between home and school and the wider community
- the children are well behaved and considerate towards others
- the highly skilled staff in this class are able to draw on their knowledge of each child to ensure they develop in all areas
The combination of this stimulating environment, responsive practitioners and children, and involvement from parents ensures our children make excellent progress.
“Children get off to a flying start to their time at Abbey Village School because of highly effective teaching and learning in the early years. Staff have made good use of the large classroom that is shared by Reception and Year 1 so that children have access to all areas of the early years curriculum. There is an appropriate balance of activities led by adults and ones that children choose for themselves.” - OFSTED 2017
Useful Links
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/group/b08bzfnh
https://nrich.maths.org/early-years
http://development-matters.org.uk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks
https://www.childnet.com/resources/keeping-under-fives-safe-online
Learning to talk 3 to 5 years - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Support your child at home and understand the development stages that children go through. Click on the images below.
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During the first 6 weeks of your child being in EYFS Reception, school staff will undertake a Baseline Assessment with your child. This is an informal assessment with a familiar adult to your child, so your child is likely not to realise that they are being assessed- they are likely to see it that they are working with their key adult - as they do daily. There will be information given about this during Welcome Meetings in September, but if you would like more information, please click the link below or come and speak to us.
Reception baseline assessment: information for parents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
In order to identify and plan for children’s successful learning and development, staff observe children throughout the day to identify their interests, how they learn, and their progress in each area of learning and development. Staff use Development Matters and the EYFS Statutory Framework to inform understanding of child development through the early years and work closely with parents to build successful home-school partnerships. Staff report to parents termly via ‘Rocket Letters’ and through termly face to face parents’ meetings. The results of the early years profile (EYFSP) is also reported at the end of the reception year.
A learning journal is also maintained for each child and is shared with parents and carers. Homework is an extension of the week’s learning and facilitates the discussion between home and school. It is widely recognised the vital role that parents have in supporting their children’s learning and development.
Parents need to know what to expect in relation to their child’s development. The information from the DFE around child development is shared on our website and sent out to parents at the beginning of each academic year- ‘What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage:a guide for parents’.
At the end of the Reception Year, your child will also be assessed on the Early Learning Goals. Again, this is done informally so the child will not realise that they are being tested, it is completed using the strong knowledge of what your child can do that has been gathered throughout the year. Again, information about this will be communicated during the Summer Term, if you would like to know more, please see EYFS-Explanatory Notes for Parents 2023 below or come and speak to us. We will be happy to help.