Children join our Foundation Stage  from a range of nursery settings and we visit all of these prior to the children starting to ensure we support a smooth transition to our school. We also offer a range of transition sessions over the Summer Term so that our new children are familiar with school before they start.

Our learning environment is welcoming, inspiring and engaging and the children have access to three main learning spaces, including an outdoor courtyard as well as the playground. 

The curriculum is based around the latest EYFS Curriculum and Development Matters, yet the team have adapted it to ensure it is relevant to the needs and interests of the children and also has the right amount of ambition and challenge to maximise their progress and access to a wide range of learning experiences. With the new ELG and Development Matters we have developed a summary termly overview of how we see knowledge and skills developing throughout the year in Foundation Stage and this is attached below. Each area of learning also has termly progressive milestones which are available- please just ask. We then ensure this prepares them for their curriculum in Year One and onwards.

More recently we have also added in 7 specific concepts we wish the children will also be able to achieve at the end of Foundation and all the components needed to make this happen. These are outlined in the document below.

The team work collaboratively to share the learning space and hold weekly 'pupil progress' meetings informally to assess the children's learning and adapt provision as required. We are developing the children's ability to edit and improve their learning so that they are able to refine and develop knowledge learnt.

Phonics and reading play a crucial role in the Early Years and the team have designed their learning around key books and texts so that the children develop a love and interest in texts and can then link this to the other areas of learning. These texts develop progressively across the year to ensure we support good quality and ambitious language development and a love of books from an early age. 

We follow the Read, Write Inc Scheme for Phonics and we link the child's reading book to the sounds they have learnt. We also invite parents to Phonics and Reading Workshops and we have regular 'See Us Shine' sessions during the year that allow the children to share their learning with their families.

The children have key literacy inputs throughout the day (including phonics, reading, story time and discussing stories) and a Maths input so that we are giving them the key knowledge to then apply and use in their creative and child-led learning.

The classrooms are set up with interactive displays, role play areas, construction, imaginative play areas, sand and water and there is always access to a range of materials for the children to be creative and artistic with. 

Watch the video below which shows how we teach Phonics at school.  There is a presentation attached to accompany this.