CONSTANTINE PRIMARY SCHOOL

FOUNDATION STAGE POLICY

INTRODUCTION

THIS DOCUMENT IS a statement of the aims, principles and strategies for provision of children at Constantine Primary School.

LEA GUIDELINES have been taken into consideration in the formulation of this policy.

IT WAS DEVELOPED through a process of consultation between all members of the school community including teaching and non-teaching staff, parents, governors and pupils.

IT WAS APPROVED by the governing body in March 2015

REVIEW OF THIS POLICY is ongoing but will be subject for formal review as per the School Improvement Plan.

THE FOUNDATION STAGE

This begins when the child reaches the age of three and continues until the end of the Reception year. We recognise it as a crucial stage in education, both in its own right and in preparing children for learning in Key Stage 1. We believe that all children should be given the best possible start to their education. We therefore place great value on the quality of our provision in the Foundation Stage.

AIMS

  • To foster positive attitudes to learning including confidence, curiosity, responsibility and independence.
  • To promote an inclusive ethos and approach to learning for all our children to ensure that none are excluded or disadvantaged (please see Equal Opportunities Policy).
  • To provide children with a well planned curriculum which fosters enthusiasm for learning and is challenging and progressive within a stimulating environment.
  • To develop children’s knowledge, understanding and skills in all areas of learning through first hand play based experiences.
  • To provide opportunities for children to make choices and become independent in their learning in a variety of safe and stimulating environments.
  • To establish and maintain a close partnership with parents/carers, families , key stage 1 staff and pre-school providers in our community.
  • To use focussed assessment and record keeping based on direct observation of children and discussion with them. To use this to inform future planning, monitor progress and build on children’s prior learning.

ADMISSION

Our school follows the Cornwall Primary School Admission Arrangements as set out in the annual admissions booklet given to the parents of prospective pupils in the autumn term. Currently, from the term following their fourth birthday, all children are entitled to three terms of part time education. In our school we offer full time education from September to all children. As an alternative, we offer part time education (mornings or ½ day) from September to January to all children born after 1st March, changing to full time from January. From September 2016 new legislation means that parents of Summer born children (May onwards) can choose to defer entry for a year; however these children will move through school in that year group (ie the year younger than most of their peers).

Prospective parents at Constantine School are welcome to make appointments to meet our Reception year teacher and look around our school with the Headteacher or Secretary prior to admission.

STARTING SCHOOL

Arrangements for children settling into our school are flexible, so that children are given enough time to feel secure in their new environment. Due to the fact that Constantine Pre-School is situated on site, we have developed a close involvement with them. Before the beginning of a new school year, children attending the Pre-School come to Fal class once or twice a week (along with the Constantine Pre-School Supervisor and assistants) to experience the school atmosphere and get to know any other children from KS1 who may be in their class in the year to come. Any children who have not attended Constantine Pre-school are also encouraged to visit and the Reception Teacher will visit the child in their setting where possible. Towards the end of the year before the children attend school they are also invited, to attend an afternoon of fun and games (such as a teddy bears picnic). Parent Information Meetings are held in Julyand September, to explain school life and routines, learning and teaching and assessment including the Foundation Stage Profile. All these arrangements ensure a smooth transition.

ACCOMMODATION

The Foundation Stage at Constantine School is accommodated within the main school in a classroom (Fal Class) adjoining Constantine Pre-School. Visitors access the school by way of the Main Entrance, which has a computerized admission keypad and is controlled by the school secretary. The indoor accommodation is bright, modern and attractive and offers a wet play area, a carpeted area, a role play area and toilets separate from the rest of the school and designed with the Foundation Stage in mind. The class contains a range of resources to provide for the seven areas of learning in the Foundation Stage and comprises of good quality and appropriate furniture which offers the children the opportunity to be quiet, comfortable and relaxed, as well as more boisterous. We constantly strive to provide a stimulating environment in which the children can play and learn.

The children have access to the outdoor accommodation by way of the Foundation Stage classroom. This consists of two enclosed playgrounds (hard court and rubber floored), a playhouse, a large field, a garden area and a climbing frame/adventure playground.

We review our accommodation annually to ensure that it meets statutory requirements.

RESOURCES

We review our resources annually to ensure that they are:

  • Suitable to meet the needs of the children
  • In a safe and clean condition for use
  • Appropriate for all seven areas of learning both inside and out.

Our resources include the following:

  • A good range of books, displayed in a comfortable area
  • Sand and water with a variety of equipment
  • Mathematical and scientific equipment
  • Materials for imaginative play including some equipment for different role play areas
  • A variety of papers and tools/implements to make marks and write
  • A variety of creative media such as paint, clay, wood and junk materials
  • Small and large construction equipment
  • A variety of Information Communication Technology including P.C.s, i-pads, beebots
  • Growing and living things
  • Artefacts and interesting objects to handle
  • Outdoor play equipment (wheeled toys, climbing frame, huff and puff toys)

STAFFING AND ORGANISATION

Our Reception children are taught by a teacher with Early Years experience and training. In addition, the class has a full time support assistant. We also welcome parental help in the classroom and on trips and visits which are planned regularly. We believe strongly in the importance of keeping our practice up to date. We therefore ensure that all our staff working in the Foundation Stage attend courses and training on a regular basis as part of our school Professional Development Programme.

In order to encourage a smooth transition when children progress to Key Stage 1 there is a close working relationship between Year One and the Reception, which includes:

  • The sharing of resources
  • Key Stage 1 teachers working together on planning
  • Fal Class making regular visits to the other Key Stage 1 class during the summer term.
  • Sharing of the child’s Learning Journey and discussion meetings between the two teachers for each child, to ensure transfer of knowledge.

CURRICULUM

Our core reference document is the “Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage” which includes the principles for good practice which underpin our provision at this school.

Our planning is a clearly structured cross curricular approach and is based on a rolling programme of termly whole school topics. This ensures high expectations and standards for our children. The curriculum is organised into seven areas of learning:-

  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Maths
  • Literacy
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Art and Design

Within these seven areas of learning, the early leaning goals establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage. Some children in our schools will exceed these goals and others will still be working towards them as they enter year 1.

Although the seven areas of learning form the framework for our planning, we know that children’s learning is not divided into distinct areas. Often, one experience helps a child to develop a range of new skills and concepts across several areas of learning and our planning reflects this.

Our current medium term plans are displayed in the classroom and are easily accessible to parents and visitors.

We encourage parents to become actively involved in their children’s learning by sharing curriculum information with them, (e.g. in our termly class newsletter giving an outline of each term’s topics and by involving them in their child’s learning – particularly linked to reading and sounds). We also encourage parents by giving them plenty of opportunities to share information, experiences, thoughts, concerns and resources with us. We invite them to come into school and help with or run classroom activities, ask for support on trips andhold regular formal and informal chats.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

At Constantine we believe that our children learn best by being actively involved in activities, through first hand experiences and using all their senses. We therefore provide a range of activities which are interesting, challenging and fun! Through these, we encourage our children to explore, experiment, question, investigate, discover, create, practise and consolidate their developing understanding, knowledge and skills.

We firmly believe that if a child is excited and motivated by learning, then we are already helping that child to become a lifelong learner. We provide time for children to make choices and explore ideas and interests in depth. This means that our timescales are flexible. We cover all elements of literacy and numeracy across the whole day rather than single units of time as in year 1 and beyond. We place particular emphasis on children developing their speaking and listening skills through the modelling of appropriate language, play and rich, first hand experiences. Towards the end of the Reception Year, we prepare children for the move into Key Stage 1.

PLAY

We believe that “well-planned play is a key way in which children learn with enjoyment and challenge during the foundation stage” (QCA Guidance).

We therefore ensure that children have plenty of opportunities to learn through play in a secure environment with effective support from caring adults. We use the classroom to enable children to access both planned, structured play activities and self-initiated, spontaneous play activities.

ASSESSMENT

Our assessment of pupil progress through the Foundation Stage is based on regular and close observations as well as questioning, listening and discussion with individual children. In this way, we are able to make professional judgements about what children have learnt as well as through the activities children have completed. We involve all adults who come into contact with the child and regard parents as especially important in this respect. We therefore want to ensure that parents are able to contribute to the assessment process through an ongoing dialogue between home and school.

On entry to school we make early assessments of what children already know, understand and can do. We then share this information with parents and talk about next steps. On a regular basis we track each child’s progress against specific learning objectives, record significant achievements. During the school year we hold Parents’ Consultations with an appointment system as well as opportunities for informal discussions between home and school. At the end of the school year in the summer term, we give parents a report which shares information about their child’s progress, invites comments and provides an opportunity for discussion.

During the summer term each child’s achievements within the Foundation Stage Profile are summarised and data submitted to the LEA as part of statutory assessment. (EYFS Profile Assessment)

MEETING INDIVIDUAL NEEDS

We provide a safe and supportive learning environment at our school where the contribution of all children is valued. We also employ a wide range of teaching strategies based on children’s experiences, interests, skills and learning needs. In particular we plan carefully to meet the needs of:

  • Boys and girls
  • Children with special educational needs
  • Children with disabilities
  • Children from all social, cultural and religious backgrounds
  • Children of different ethnic groups including travellers and refugees
  • Children from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

In addition, we select our resources, equipment and materials thoughtfully, choosing those, which positively reflect diversity and are free from discrimination and stereotyping. Please refer to the following policies:

  • special educational needs
  • equal opportunities
  • children with English as an additional language

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND OTHER AGENCIES

We firmly believe that “parents are children’s first and most enduring educators” (QCA Guidance).

To this end we work hard to promote a successful partnership with a two-way flow of knowledge, information and expertise. The following are ways in which we put this philosophy into practice:

  • Parents are welcome to come into school and the class at any time to talk with the teacher.
  • Parents are able to come into school with their child if appropriate and necessary to help their child settle down and feel secure in the new environment e.g. assisting the child with hanging their coat up.
  • Voluntary support from parents is welcome.
  • Parents views and knowledge about their own child are listened to e.g. on admission arrangements are made for formal and informal consultations with the teacher.
  • Parents are given clear information about the school by means of weekly newsletters, displays, meetings, curriculum evenings, prospectus and the placing of relevant policies on the Constantine School website.
  • Parents and other family members are encouraged to support their child’s learning in many ways, which include visits and celebrations (e.g. harvest, class assemblies and the Christmas play), writing postcards and books about their holidays, sharing reading books together and the use of home and school sound activity books.

Our school has close links with Constantine Pre-School. We maintain a close liaison in the following ways:

  • visits to the pre-school by the class teacher (in the summer term)
  • visits to the school by the relevant pre-school children prior to admission
  • regular meetings between the class teacher and pre-school leader to discuss planning, transition and assessment
  • regular meetings between the class teacher and key stage 1 teachers to discuss planning, transition and assessment
  • informal social occasions (Christmas plays, class assemblies and teddy bears picnic)
  • professional development and training.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

This policy is monitored on an annual basis by:

  • Headteacher
  • Governor responsible for the Foundation Stage/Early Years
  • Subject Leader for the Foundation Stage

It also forms part of our annual school self evaluation process and will therefore be incorporated into our School Improvement Plan as appropriate.

Policy adopted by staff:

Policy Approval History

6th July 2006

14th July 2009

14th March 2013

March 2015

March 2016

April 2017