Bedfont Primary School

Hatton Road Bedfont

Middlesex TW14 9QZ

Telephone: 020 8890 7472 020 8890 4755

E-mail: office@bedfont.hounslow.sch.uk Website: www.bedfontprimary.com

Welcome to our Early Years Foundation Stage. We are looking forward to working with you and your child. Please ask us if there is anything you do not understand.

The Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) runs from age 3 to the end of Reception. From the time your child first enters Bedfont Primary School we seek to build on their early experiences. Activities in the Foundation Stage are carefully planned to ensure that children will experience a variety of quality provision from the Under Fives Curriculum. This will lead into the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. By providing a secure and stimulating learning environment we aim to encourage every child's unique potential to thrive and develop. We consider all aspects of the child - emotional, social, physical and intellectual - when planning our provision for their care and education, building on their previous experiences and taking into account their interests. We believe in providing the children with a wealth of first hand activities which will enrich their experience of the world and also enable them to be actively involved in their own learning, planning and assessment. Our topic based curriculum provides opportunities for teaching and learning both indoors and outdoors. We also provide flexibility for child initiated activities, which build upon their curiosity and allow them to explore the world around them. We value each child’s interests, encouraging them in making choices and developing independence. People you will meet in the Early Years Foundation Stage Mrs Dhani (our Early Years Leader), Ms Rozario, Mrs Desai, Mrs Redmayne, Mrs Lines (our Nursery lead teacher), Miss El-Ghitaoui and Mrs Taylor are all teachers. Mrs Yearwood, Mrs Siddall, Mrs Gray, Ms Couglan and Miss Kodia are all early years support staff. There are lots of other people who come to support in Nursery and Reception and we often have students on work placements.

Nursery Our Nursery is a large, purpose-built unit. It is self contained, having its own playgrounds, toilet facilities and separate entrance. We have 78 part-time places, either five morning or five afternoon sessions of 3 hours. Session Times: 8.40 am - 11.40 am (morning children) 12.30 pm - 3.30 pm (afternoon children) Children are admitted to the Nursery in the academic year in which they will reach four years of age. Children usually spend three terms in the Nursery. In the Nursery we operate a key person system. This means adults are assigned a small group of children for whom they will be key person. Although all staff will care for, observe and interact with all children, the key person is the one who will take responsibility for collating observations and ensuring the child’s individual needs are met. Children spend time in their home base group each day but will have many opportunities to work with all members of the Nursery staff. We also have support for children for whom English is an additional language. The adult/pupil ratio exceeds the 1:13 requirement. Reception We have three Reception classrooms with up to 30 pupils in each. The Foundation stage staff work closely together to ensure the transition from Nursery is as smooth as possible. We also welcome children into Reception who have not been in our Nursery, these children will start school a few days before other pupils. Home Visits We will come and see you and your child at home before the children start Nursery. This is a valuable opportunity for children, parents and staff to meet in an informal setting and to begin to build a positive working partnership. The home visit is also a good opportunity to discuss any personal, confidential or medical matters that you wish us to know about. Children new to Reception receive a home visit at the beginning of the Autumn term.

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

Our Early Years curriculum is topic based and incorporates the seven areas of learning. The Prime Areas

Communication and language Listening and attention, understanding, speaking Physical development Moving and handling, health and self care Personal, social and emotional development Self confidence and self awareness, managing feelings and behaviour, making relationships The Specific Areas

Literacy Reading, writing Mathematics Numbers and shape, space and measures Understanding the world People and communities, the world, technology Expressive arts and design Exploring and using media and materials, being imaginative The curriculum is focused on characteristics of effective learning which include: Playing and exploring Children investigate and experience things and 'have a go‘ Active learning Children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements Creating and thinking critically Children have and develop their own ideas and develop strategies for doing things.

Learning is planned around the children’s interests and experiences. Close observations are made of children engaged in self chosen everyday activities to monitor their preferences and interests. In this way learning opportunities can be provided that motivate and enthuse all children, with specific regard for their individuality, prior learning, age and ability. Observational evidence is recorded in each child’s Learning Journey. This is based on the child’s strengths and achievements. Parents and carers are encouraged to contribute to their child’s Learning Journey. Communication and language We listen very carefully to the children and encourage them to listen to us and to each other, aiming to encourage language development through conversations and open-ended questioning. We are an ECAT setting. Every Child a Talker (ECAT) helps practitioners and parents create a supportive and stimulating environment in which children can enjoy experimenting with and learning language.

ECAT encourages early language development by supporting children through fun and interesting experiences which reflect their interests. Our practitioners extend children’s vocabulary so that they become confident and skilled communicators.

The use of nursery rhymes, songs, games, alliteration and poems helps to raise the children’s phonological awareness. Role-play makes a significant contribution to cross-curricular topics. Through providing many examples of environmental print in our role-play area, we can support the children to read and write in a meaningful and purposeful way. Physical Development We help children to develop gross motor skills through P.E. lessons and outdoor play. Formal PE lessons start in the Spring Term and children will need to have a PE kit in school. Fine motor skills and hand eye co-ordination are developed through activities such as mark making on chalk/white boards, drawing, cutting, painting, manipulating clay and play dough, pouring sand and water, threading beads and manipulating equipment such as construction kits and tools. Personal, Social and Emotional Development Throughout the school we aim to encourage caring, warm relationships and awareness and appreciation of different cultures. We encourage children to become confident, independent learners, and we value self-discipline. We plan for the children to work independently and also in collaborative groups where they need to share and co-operate.

Literacy Children are encouraged to take time to enjoy books and to treat them with care. They are encouraged to share books with other children, staff and parents, taking home new library books on a weekly basis. We use Big Books with children to look at aspects such as pages, words, left to right orientation, chapters, contents page, and individual letters. Levelled reading books are introduced to children in Reception along with keywords to read at home. Children are asked to bring bookbags in every day as we listen to them read throughout the week. Role-play makes a significant contribution to cross-curricular topics. Through providing many samples of environmental print in our role-play area we can support the children to read and write in a meaningful and purposeful way. A writing area where the children can enjoy writing independently is provided to encourage children to write for many different purposes using many different materials. We place a high value on children’s emergent writing.

Mathematics Many opportunities are provided for sorting, matching, ordering, sequencing and counting everyday objects. Practical activities and first hand experiences are vital to the children’s understanding and confidence in numeracy. We encourage the correct use of mathematical language. We talk to the children about the mathematical activities that they are engaged in to discover what strategies they are using, to uncover any misconceptions they may have, to help them consolidate their understanding and to extend their learning. Role-play is also used to put mathematical experiences in a meaningful and purposeful context. Role-play lets the children feel safe and it allows them to practise their new skills without the fear of failure. Sorting, counting, shopping, weighing, measuring and telling the time can all be incorporated into a variety of role-play situations. Volume and capacity can be explored using sand and water. Building and construction materials can be used for investigating the properties of different shapes.

Understanding of the World We capitalise on the children’s natural curiosity for living things, their desire to investigate materials, to explore their immediate environment and to find out about the world around them. We encourage them to observe using all of their senses, to question, to discuss objects and situations, to notice similarities and differences and to make comparisons. They are provided with experiences which help them to predict outcomes and test out their ideas and to record their findings in a variety of ways, including talking, drawing, painting and modelling. We aim to make history meaningful to the children. We might look at artefacts, discussing their uses, and making comparisons with modern equivalents. Stories can help give the children a historical perspective. We explore the local environment and encourage the children to make careful observations, reflecting on the quality of the environment and how we can take care of it. Mini-worlds such as road play mats and garages introduce children to positional language, plans, maps and scale. We teach the children how to use a range of ICT equipment and build skills on a daily basis to access and use computers, laptops, tablets, cameras, programmable robots, listening stations and interactive white boards. Expressive Arts and Design We value children’s creativity throughout the school. Children are encouraged to express themselves through language, music, drama, art and dance. We believe in giving young children access to a wide range of art materials. Imaginative play is encouraged, especially in the role-play area, often using dressing up clothes, but also in sand and water and with building construction materials. Indoor and Outdoor Play We see our outdoor area as an extension of the classroom and believe that children should be given daily opportunities to play and exercise in fresh air. Children are welcome to choose whether they are inside or out, otherwise known as ‘free -flow’. The Early Years gardens are secure and safe environments where children get to explore and play in several areas including a playhouse, sand pit, water tray, flower beds, natural habitats, construction areas and writing tables. Purposeful activities are planned providing the children with stimulating experiences, many of which promote the importance of health and well being.

Behaviour Management In the Foundation Stage we seek to develop a positive climate based on realistic expectations of considerate behaviour at all times, drawing strength from consistency of practice and constant encouragement. In cases of undesirable behaviour a child will be given help in a positive manner which will assist and encourage him/her to overcome any difficulties. Project Achieve is a very successful social skills training programme taught across the school. All classes have weekly social skills lessons on a variety of issues, such as how to interrupt politely or how to deal with feeling cross. Children are taught to "Stop and Think" about their behaviour. If a child is acting inappropriately she/he will be asked if they wish to make a Good Choice or a Bad Choice. The child is then helped to decide what they wish to do and the consequences of their choices are discussed. Pupils are praised for making a good choice.

Eating and Drinking We are proud to have Healthy Schools status. Children have access to water throughout the day and are provided with fruit as part of the Fruit for Schools scheme. Your child can bring a drink of fruit juice or water from home (no fizzy drinks please), or order milk from us. Please ensure that drink containers are clearly labelled. In Reception the children are encouraged to bring in a healthy lunch box or have a hot school meal which is cooked on site. All children in Reception are entitled to a free school meal. We do allow treats in school to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, but please be aware that we are a nut free school, so all food items sent in to school must be nut free. Please do not send in tins of mixed chocolates or cakes as we will be unable to distribute these. Small chocolate bars or lollies are the most suitable items. Safeguarding and Child Protection Child protection is a high priority and we are committed to ensuring the safety of every child. Staff are trained in child protection and are required to report any concerns to the Designated Person for Child Protection, Mrs Ann Broughton, our Headteacher. Our policy for Safeguarding and Child Protection can found on the school website and in the entrance foyer. Paper copies are available from the office on request.

Inclusion All children and their families are valued within our school. We believe that children should be treated as individuals and should have equal access to the EYFS curriculum. We give our children every opportunity to achieve their best. We help them do this by planning to meet the needs of both boys and girls, children with special educational needs, children who are more able, children with disabilities, children from all social and cultural backgrounds, children from different ethnic groups and those from diverse linguistic backgrounds. We strongly believe that early identification of special needs is crucial in enabling staff to support the development of each child and fully meet their needs. Concerns are always discussed with parents/carers at an early stage in an open, honest and sensitive manner and we will always seek their support and involvement. The school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is responsible for providing additional information and advice to practitioners and parents, and for arranging external intervention and support where necessary. Partnerships with Parents We place high importance on the partnership between home and school. Regular newsletters are sent home on Fridays, usually every fortnight. We have a home/school communication system in the form of a ‘message bottle’ in Nursery and bookbags in Reception. Curriculum plans are sent home and displayed in classrooms. We also communicate with parents via a text messaging system and our website (www.bedfontprimary.com). The Early Years Practitioners are happy to see parents and discuss their concerns at the end of the day. We would rather issues are shared early so that appropriate measures can be taken and anxieties can be allayed. End of year reports are given out during summer term. Parents are also encouraged to volunteer in school. All volunteers are required to have an enhanced DBS check.

Attendance and Admission Children come into Nursery in small groups according to age, rather than all at once. This helps to create a calm and secure environment in which the children settle quickly. It takes two weeks to get all the children into Nursery. Children also have a staggered start in Reception and gradually build up to attending school all day. Your child’s start date is written on the front of this brochure. Good attendance is vital. We monitor attendance very carefully in conjunction with our Education Welfare Officer and do not authorise holiday leave. Children who are not statutory school age can be removed immediately from the school roll if they take unauthorised leave. Children attending the Nursery are not automatically guaranteed a Reception place in Bedfont Primary School. The admission process is co-ordinated by the Local Education Authority at the beginning of the year for the following September.

Collecting Children We ask you to collect your child promptly at the end of the session. Please inform staff if somebody we don’t know is to collect your child. This is very important for security reasons. In case of emergency or unavoidable lateness, please telephone the school office to let us know and arrange for someone else to collect your child. Clothing Children are expected to wear school uniform. This is available on line from Price and Buckland, via the link on our website. In addition, we have regular nearly-new uniform sales. Children need sensible clothing with simple fastenings that they can manage themselves; this includes footwear with velcro fastenings or buckles they can undo and do up by themselves. Children will also need a warm coat for outdoor play. Please help us by writing your child’s name or sewing a name label in all clothing which they may take off, such as coats, sweaters and socks. We provide aprons for messy activities such as painting and sticking. Children will be bringing home books to share and enjoy each day. Book bags with the school logo on can be bought from Price and Buckland. Please look after the books as we will have to charge you if they are lost or damaged, and make sure that you label your child’s book bag. Jewellery We do not allow any jewellery unless worn for religious reasons. Small stud earrings are permitted but must be either removed or covered for PE sessions.

Medical Matters It is important that children attend school regularly. However, if your child is ill or unable to attend, please telephone the school on the first day of absence explaining the reason for absence on his/her return. If your child has sickness and/or diarrhoea they must not return to school until they have been clear for 48 hours. We will telephone you and ask you to collect your child if he or she becomes ill during the day. We will always contact you if your child suffers anything more than a trivial injury, or if we have any worries or concerns about his or her health. We would be grateful if you would complete and return the medical questionnaire enclosed in your New Pupil Pack before your child joins the school, so that we are aware of any medical condition which may require special adjustments. Extended Schools We are a fully extended school and have Before and After School care schemes open to children from Reception upwards. Please ask at the office for details. We also have a large number of after school clubs, some of which are open to Reception pupils.

And Finally ... I’m sure you will have lots of questions which we haven’t covered, so please do ask us. Mrs Broughton, Headteacher and Mrs Swasbrook, Deputy Headteacher are always in the playground before school, so do catch us then or just come and introduce yourself. We are looking forward to a happy and productive relationship with you and your child.