Kilham Church Of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Curriculum & Policy - Early Years Foundation Stage

At Kilham Primary School, we are proud of the warm and welcoming environment we offer to children starting their educational journey. Children are welcome to join our nursery the term after they turn 3, and will remain in the same environment until the end of their Reception year. This means that children become extremely comfortable with staff, the classroom (known as Class 1) and their peers. As a small setting, we are extremely proud of how well we get to know our children and how quickly they become part of the wider school community. All children have access to an exciting classroom full of carefully planned activities, plus a large outdoor area which they have free access to in all weathers. Our intent for EYFS at Kilham Primary School is to inspire and engage children in their learning, and therefore encourage them to become confident and independent learners. Our curriculum is underpinned by our school vision, 'Encourage one another and build each other up' (Thessalonians 5:11). We intend to teach our children the importance of kindness and togetherness, and as a class support and encourage one another to become the best learners that we can be. 

Our approach is implemented by our carefully designed longterm planning, which is based upon our 'Cornerstones' curriculum. This is the same curriculum used throughout the school, and skills and knowledge are clearly built upon year after year. Exciting themes and topics are chosen, and a range of adult and child led activities are then planned that link to both our topic and the EYFS framework. We introduce children to key skills and knowledge that will set them up for the rest of their time at Kilham School. We have a sharp focus on ensuring that our children are exposed to a wide range of vocabulary that is then acquired and used during their independent play. We believe that  knowledge and skills are best learnt through play and hands-on experiences. We recognise that all children are unique, and take the time to get to know our parents and children in order to appropriately plan next steps.

The Early Years curriculum, which all children follow, is divided into 7 areas:

Prime areas:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

We recognise the importance of keeping parents up to date with their child's education. We use the online learning journey 'Tapestry', which allows us to send videos and photos of your child straight to a secure app which you can view from home. This allows parents to experience these 'wow' moments and the formation of friendships as they happen. Parents can also use this platform to share moments from home, allowing us to celebrate all of our children's achievements and experiences. We also hold 'stay and play' sessions for all prospective children, allowing both children and parents to get a better feel of the environment. Regular 'Drop Everything And Read' sessions allow parents to join us in the classroom to read with their children, and termly family worships allow us to celebrate our learning together. 

Our journey to becoming readers begins in Nursery, where we start to teach the building blocks through early exposure to texts, language and through sound discrimination activities. These sessions are fun, active and carefully planned. We use a dedicated phonics scheme called Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which staff use to plan progression in phonics skills from Nursery right through to the end of Key Stage 1. It builds children's speaking and listening skills as well as preparing children for reading. We also use the White Rose Maths scheme in EYFS, which is also used throughout the school. It mixes teacher led sessions with independent activities to ensure children are confident with all areas of mathematics. 

The impact of our curriculum is measured by carefully designed assessment procedures linked to our unique curriculum. Any children found to have gaps will recieve age appropriate keep up support if and when needed. We also complete the 'Statutory Reception Baseline Assessment' within the first 6 weeks of a child's reception journey. By carefully designing an exciting, knowledge rich curriculum and working closely with KS1 staff, we find that children leave EYFS as confident learners ready to begin the next steps of their education. 

How to prepare your child for starting school

1. Reassure your child that there are lots of new children starting school at the same time as them. Remind them that making new friends is an exciting part of going to school. 
2. Show children their uniform and allow them to try it on when possible. 
3. Discuss with your child their daily routine, and remind them that you will be there at the end of the day to pick them up.
4. If possible, attend the stay and play session so your child can become familiar with the classroom, toilets and where their peg is. This will also give them the opportunity to meet the staff. 
5. Sing lots of nursery rhymes and read as many stories as possible, as this will improve children's listening skills and vocabulary. 
6. Reassure your child that they only need to ask a member of staff if they need help with anything. 
7. Support your child to be independent when using the toilet, washing their hands, eating and drinking. Also try to ensure that they are wearing shoes that they are able to take on/off with little support. They will feel much more confident if they are able to perform simple tasks for themselves.
8. Support your child to develop their attention span so they can take part in simple games, wait for their turn, listen to others and follow simple instructions

Here are some useful videos to help prepare your child for school:

How to support your child to be independent - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zrg8gwx

Top tips for toilet training - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zdv9382

How do I know if my child has SEND? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zkmhmfr

Starting primary school with SEND - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zv8q8xs

How to build resilience in your child - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbbrrj6

How to help your child make friends at school - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z6qtqp3 

Class 1 Autumn 1 Long Term Plan Cycle A

Class 1 Long Term Plan Cycle B