Early Years

Early Years at Littleborough

Nursery Teacher & Early years co-ordinator - Marjorie Blinkhorn
Class 1 Teacher - Ms Moore
Class 2 Teacher - Mrs Wright Early Years Policy

Aims and Principles of the Early Years Key Stage

Early Years education is a distinct phase. We recognise the need to provide enjoyment awe and wonder in activities provided for the children.
To help children to feel secure, included and valued.
To meet the needs of boys and girls, children with special needs, children who are more able, children from all social and cultural backgrounds and different ethnic groups.
To use materials that are free from discrimination and stereotyping.
To promote concentration skills, confidence and enthusiasm for knowledge and learning.
To provide an appropriate curriculum encouraging first hand experiences, opportunity to talk, active learning and purposeful play which are all crucial to the provision of a meaningful context for learning.
To plan the curriculum under the Areas of learning through the early learning goals. However it is important to remember that children's learning is not compartmentalised. Topic based curriculum planning provides an integrated approach. Skilled and careful observations which are evaluated, recorded and shared with parents are the key to helping children learn and these inform curriculum planning. Individual children's needs should inform curriculum planning.
To provide opportunity for children to engage in activities planned by practitioners and also those they plan and initiate themselves.
To develop active partnerships with parents where we work together. To make parents feel welcome in the Early years classrooms, valued as educators and necessary to the continued progress of their children.

Organisation

Management, Organisation and Staffing

The Early Years is a distinctive key stage within the school organisation. Strategic planning for the Foundation Stage is outlined in the Whole School Improvement Plan. The Early Years Coordinator represents the Foundation Stage on the Senior Management Team.
Early Years facilities are situated on the ground floor of the building. The spacious Nursery is divided into areas of learning. In addition, there is a small teacher's office which doubles as a quiet room for circle time and TV. There is a kitchen and a sluice room which is currently used as an outdoor play store room. There are 52 part time places in Nursery with one teacher and one nursery nurse.
The Reception Unit consists of a large room, part of which is carpeted for group activities and a smaller room with two smaller carpeted areas and unfortunately, no natural light. The children are organised into two classes and alternate between the two rooms. There are 60 full time places in Reception with 2 teachers and one full time nursery nurse.

Early Year Assemblies

Reception children attend whole school assemblies on Mondays and Fridays after they have settled into full time school routine and when teachers judge them to be ready. Nursery children attend whole school assemblies only on special occasions where the content is appropriate for the age group or they are actively involved; usually the Harvest Festival, Fancy Dress competition and end of year awards assembly.

Nursery and reception children meet twice weekly for one morning and one afternoon Early Years assembly. The assembly takes the form of either sharing classroom experiences and or a short story or discussion which is usually topic related. During the course of the year the children listen to a variety of music related to the topics.

There is usually also a hymn and a prayer.
Assembly topics include:

Sharing Learning and Celebrating Good Work
Stories Jesus Told
Old Testament Stories - Joseph and his Brothers, Noah's Ark
Stories from other Cultures
Festivals and Celebrations - including Christmas, Easter/New Life, Chinese New Year

The Curriculum

Nursery

The Nursery learning environment is arranged into distinctive areas of learning each offering opportunity for child directed activities. The provision is based upon an understanding of age-appropriate activities based upon play, talk and first hand experiences with opportunity for exploration and investigation. Staff engage with children upon directed, differentiated tasks with individuals and small groups of up to six children encourage skill development in all curriculum areas. There are whole group register, topic input, circle time and story times and also smaller half class groups for story and discussion.

Reading Area - provision includes information books, fiction books, magazines, home made books
Each half term the books are changed to support half termly topic work.
Writing Area - children select from a range of writing materials including white boards and markers
Maths Area - table top with space for floor activities using a variety of practical resources
Imaginative Play Area - provision for table top and carpet activities which includes large and small construction materials
Role Play Areas - two role play areas support topic planning and are changed each half term
ICT Area - two PCs are linked to the internet and there is another stand-alone computer. Each computer has a 'Kidsball' mouse device. There is one 'Big Keys' children's keyboard. A selection of age appropriate software is constantly updated according to ICT policy. A Ladybird , ( programmable toy) is available to use for adult directed activities in small groups.
Construction Area - provision for table top and carpet includes large and small construction materials.
Creative Area - provision includes a tray for water and another for sand or other materials, an easel for chalk and painting, table top for painting and craft activities and a separate area for malleable materials which alternates with cutting and sticking activities.
In addition there are table top activities each day to promote fine motor skills and/ or observation and investigation. Typical activities include; beads, jigsaws, magnifying glasses, prisms, feely boxes, wormery and fresh flowers and are planned to link with current topics.

Reception

The learning environment in the reception unit is arranged similarly to the nursery with distinctive areas of learning each offering opportunity for child directed activities. The provision offers age-appropriate activities based upon play, talk and first hand experiences with opportunity for exploration and investigation. Staff engage with children upon directed, differentiated tasks with individuals and small groups to promote skill development in all curriculum areas. There are whole class register and story times and also whole unit, (60 children) groups for story and video sessions.

Reading Area - provision includes information books, fiction books, magazines, home made books.
Writing Area - children select from a range of writing materials including white boards and markers.
Maths Area - table top with space for floor activities using a variety of practical resources.
Imaginative Play Area - provision for table top and carpet activities which includes large and small construction materials.
Role Play Areas - two role play areas support topic planning and are changed each half term
ICT Area - two PCs are linked to the internet

A selection of age appropriate software is constantly updated according to ICT policy. There is opportunity to use Roamers or the Nursery ladybird.
Construction Area/Creative Area - provision includes a tray for water and another for sand or other materials table top for painting and craft activities.

National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies

Teachers planning for literacy and numeracy follows LEA guidelines and school policy. Whole class literacy teaching incorporates story work, word work and plenary sessions. Small group work for literacy and numeracy is differentiated according to ability and includes teacher directed and child directed activities.

Early Years Outside Play Facilities

Nursery children have immediate access to the outdoor play area. Reception classes need to walk down the corridor to the infant door. Nursery and reception children share an extended, fenced playground area.
This area offers:

a natural grassed area
a designated space for climbing and balancing with fixed climbing equipment and a safe soft surface
an area for either wheeled toys or balls
a covered area with adjacent space for imaginative and creative play

In addition to the playtimes specified earlier, nursery children use this area to extend the curriculum outdoors; weather permitting.

Partnership with Parents

Parents are invited to offer voluntary assistance in Nursery and Reception as they are throughout school. Parents are kept fully informed about the curriculum and school events through displays in the Nursery and reception Unit, letters to parents and newsletters.
Before the children enter Nursery they receive a home/school induction booklet 'All about me' which parents help them to complete at home. Nursery parents with their children and reception children attend a pre-school visits in the summer term. Parents of nursery and reception children are invited to parents meetings in the summer term. There is also a parents meeting in February to discuss individual progress and a final meeting in July to discuss end of year reports.

The school is currently developing a 'Parents and Friends Association'. Training opportunities for parents are being developed with Sure Start in the Children's Centre.

early years policy

art gallery

Early Years Art Gallery

Here is a selection of the work from our Early Years