EYFS

The Foundation Stage at Thomas Reade consists of a Nursery class and a Reception class. Mrs Smith and Mrs Wray are the two Nursery Nurses who lead the Nursery class and Mrs Blagrove is the Reception class teacher and EYFS Leader.

In Reception, the children have PE every Tuesday with Mrs Moulster (PE leader and Deputy Head) and Reading Groups every Thursday. 

EXPECTATIONS OF OUR CLASS

Our aim is for children to have fun learning at school and we will help them on their way to becoming independent learners. Children at Thomas Reade are expected to be kind to others, to share and take turns and to listen to others. We hope that all children are motivated and enthusiastic in their learning. 

Before children start school it is helpful if they can do the following:

• - Enjoy listening to a short story
• - Put on and take off their shoes and socks independently
• - Hold a pencil to make marks or draw pictures
• - Put on and take off a coat independently
• - Manage their own toileting skills

To find out more about the Foundation Stage click on the link below 

What-to-expect-in-the-EYFS

You can also learn more about our setting here:

New parents information booklet September 2023

INTENT

At Thomas Reade Primary School we offer a curriculum rich in wonder and memorable experiences. We work hard to provide a stimulating environment that provides exciting opportunities, promotes challenge, exploration, adventure and a real love of learning. It is our intent that all children develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally in an environment which values all cultures, communities and people. We aim for our children to be confident and independent, to believe in themselves and interact positively with others. We understand that play is an integral part of learning and this is at the heart of our Early Years curriculum. We believe that the correct mix of adult directed and uninterrupted child-initiated play ensures the best outcomes for pupils. Warm and positive relationships between staff and children, consistent routines and strong relationships with parents are key. In the Foundation Stage practitioners value the whole child. We recognise the crucial role that Early Year’s education has to play in providing firm foundations upon which the rest of a child’s education is successfully based. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

At Thomas Reade Primary School we meet the welfare requirements laid down in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and actively safeguard and promote the welfare of all of our children. We prioritise creating a ‘language rich’ environment through the use of songs, nursery rhymes, stories and providing time for quality interactions between adults and between peers. Our staff ensure that interactions are positive and progressive, allowing children to flourish and gather words at pace in order to become confident communicators. Children are encouraged to become early readers through enjoyment of books and the progressive teaching of phonics following the Essential Letters and Sounds synthetic phonics programme. The children learn, consolidate and develop their mathematical thinking through direct teaching and exploration. We want our children to become confident mathematicians who can apply what they have learnt to real life experiences. Our school environment enables children to strengthen their core muscles through physical play, children spend time outdoors in their natural environment in all weathers. They develop through wonderful, exploratory, sensory experiences in our mud kitchen, sandpit, messy play and water play. Our learning environment is adaptable in order to reflect children's interests and progression. The children are supported to learn to work together, manage their feelings and ask questions through skilled adult facilitated play. The curriculum is taught through topics which are enriched with classroom enhancements, trips and visitors. Topics are supported by quality key texts. These are chosen carefully to encourage children's speech, language and communication development. All planning, however, is flexible and responsive to children’s needs so plans can be changed and adapted dependent on children’s interests. We understand the importance of parental engagement and believe that our parents have a crucial role to play in their children's education. We work hard to create strong partnerships between home and school.  Parents receive knowledge organisers each half term to inform them of what their child is learning each half term and to explain how they can support this at home. Parents use Seesaw to engage in their child's learning and share experience from home. As part of the learning and teaching process, children are assessed in relation to their progress towards the Early Learning Goals throughout the year. These judgements are made on the basis of accumulative observations and in depth knowledge of the children acquired through ongoing assessment. These ongoing assessments are used to inform planning and next steps in teaching and learning for all children throughout the year.

IMPACT

The Foundation Stage team are continually observing children to ascertain whether they are in line with expectations for the Nursery/Reception expectations. A teacher judgment is made at the end of each term to reflect whether the children are 'on track' or 'working towards' year group expectations. Reception children complete assessments in Phonics to assess their GPC recognition, their blending ability and their ability to read tricky words. This information is shared with parents at the end of each term. At the end of a child's time in Reception they will be assessed against the 17 areas of learning and a teacher judgement will be made about whether the are 'on track' or 'working towards' the Early Learning Goals.