Foundation Stage - Nursery and Reception

Aims

In the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes) children are encouraged to learn and develop the skills they will need to achieve their full potential through play and structured activities.

Admission Procedure (into the Nursery Class)

During the term before your child starts in the nursery class, you will receive a letter from the school asking if you still require a place. Following your confirmation of this, you will receive a second letter, which proposes a date and time when the nursery staff would like to visit you at home. A meeting is also arranged for you to visit the school with your child in order to become familiar with the routines and school environment. We try to visit each child at home before starting nursery so that the children first meet us in a familiar environment. We have produced a leaflet to explain home visiting available from the school office.

When the nursery staff visit a leaflet called “All About Me” will be left with you for completion. The information you provide will help the nursery staff to understand your child better.
The home visit also provides an opportunity for admission details to be checked.
You will also be asked to provide a telephone number for the school to use in the case of emergency.

Preparation for Early Years Education

Children will feel confident and ready to adjust to school if they can:

• Say their own name and know their teacher’s name
• Go to the toilet and wash their hands without help
• Begin to dress themselves
• Put away their own toys

Starting at the school

Most children will find that starting to attend school is a new and exciting
experience. However, for some children it can also be a worrying and demanding situation. We are naturally concerned that your child’s introduction to school should be a happy occasion, so if you would like to stay until your child has settled, you will be most welcome. At Green Lane the staff work as a team in partnership with parents to ensure a happy and secure relationship between home and school.

Nursery class times
Children attend either a morning or an afternoon session
Morning Session: 9.00 a.m. - 11.30 a.m.
Afternoon session: 12.50 p.m. - 3.20 p.m.

Reception class times
Morning Session Afternoon Session
9.00 a.m. – 12.00 a.m. 1.15 p.m. – 3.20 p.m.

It is essential to let the school office and the teaching staff know if the arrangements for collecting children have to be changed especially if someone else will be collecting your child. We do not let any child leave the premises with someone we do not recognise unless the carer has made prior arrangement with the school.

Clothing

Children in the nursery and reception classes are required to wear the foundation uniform which consists of grey jogging suit bottoms, white polo shirt and Green Lane sweatshirt. The aforementioned items are all available for purchase from the school uniform shop. The school provides aprons for wet and messy activities. Children are also required to wear sensible footwear, such as trainers with velcro fastening, enabling access safely to all apparatus. Children are encouraged to manage their own coats and so a style without belts and buckles or difficult fastenings is helpful

In the Reception Classes the children will also require white PE & Games kit and soft-shoes. A separate list is available from the school office or school uniform shop. School bags may be purchased from the school office.

All children within the foundation stage will require a Green Lane book bag which may be used throughout their time here.

The Foundation Stage Curriculum

Our early years curriculum provides activities and experiences to meet the Early Learning Goals as set out by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

Each week activities are planned and organised according to the six areas of learning:

• Mathematical development
• Physical development
• Language, literacy and communication
• Creative development
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Personal, social and emotional development

The activities are planned in advance and a timetable is displayed for your information. Each session is carefully organised to give the children the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of activities. A weekly newsletter is sent home to inform families about the week’s activities and events.

In preparation for reading and writing, children are introduced to the Jolly Phonics scheme and learn to first print their names using the correct letter formation.

Each week in the summer term the Nursery and the Reception classes plan shared sessions both in the classroom and outdoors to ease transition from Nursery to Reception.

The children take turns to cook, and the results of this activity are shared out so that each child is able to take something home. In order to help us continue this aspect of Early Years education, we ask for a voluntary contribution of 50p per week. We also ask parents to donate a few items of fruit to enable children to experience a wider range of fruit than that provided by the government fruit scheme.

In the Foundation Stage there is an exciting and attractive outside play area with a large sandpit, play house and a garden, providing excellent high quality learning opportunities. There, children take part in outdoor activities to develop their physical skills and general co-ordination and other activities such as writing, role-play and gardening.

Parental Involvement

The involvement of family members in the early years is very important. All families are encouraged to be actively involved in the education of the children. We welcome families to come and help in the classroom, assisting the children with activities, making resources, fund raising activities and supporting us on out-of-school visits. The children in the foundation stage also take home books to share on a weekly basis.

Should you have any concerns or questions about your child’s progress at the school the staff are always prepared to discuss these with you. More formal meetings to discuss your child’s progress are held twice a year.