Foundation 1 Acorns
Welcome to Foundation 1 Acorns!
"Let the adventure begin"
In Foundation 1 we learn through play and love to explore our learning environment both inside and outside. We are creative and learn together with our friends in imaginative ways.
Here at Heygarth we provide children in Foundation 1 with a calm, stress-free environment, filled with open-ended resources that are available at eye-level to allow the children to explore independently.
Our tranquil environment allows the focus to land on the various loose items which the children can play with. In doing this, children are challenged to use all their senses to explore and discover how different material feel, how they sound and how they can be used.
This encourages children to think for themselves and build confidence. As the loose parts, which can include anything from cutlery to fir cones, can be used in an endless number of ways, children are given the opportunity to use their creativity, imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving and much more.
This lets children explore the various textures and possibilities of authentic resources, incorporating learning into play. The items can be lined up, counted, combined, be used for mark making or creating.
Many of the resources scattered around our setting invite children to play and learn together. Pots and pans, cups and saucers, cosy corners, play dough and other resources encourage role play and the expressive arts.
Staff
Miss Louisa Blake- Class teacher
Miss Andrea Windras- Teaching Assistant
Mrs K. Boyd- HLTA and PPA cover
Miss S Begum TA 3 - lunchtimes
Mrs Nilsen TA 1 - lunchtimes
Drop off/pick up arrangements
Our drop off and pick up procedure:
Arrive with your child to gate C at 8.40 am and create a queue along the fence of the F2 outdoor area.(Left hand side as you face the gate)
Please create a queue in the same spot as dropping off to collect your child from gate C at home time at 3.30pm (do not arrive before 3.25 as Year 1 are dismissed there first)
Drop off and pick up times are to be adhered to strictly.
Staff have a very short amount of time to eat their lunch as well as set up the classroom for the next session so if you are late collecting your child staff lose time from their lunch.
If you are late dropping of (after 9.00 am in the morning and after 12.35pm in the afternoon, or collecting after 11.50 am or 3.35pm) then you must go to the main school office.
No child is to be collected by any person under the age of 16 under any circumstances.
The times of our day in Foundation 1 are as follows:
Morning sessions:
08.45 am-11.45 am (gate opens at 8.40 am to drop off and 11.45 to collect)
Afternoon sessions
12.30 pm-3.30 pm (gates open at 12.30 to drop off and 3.30 pm to collect)
All day sessions
08.45 am-3.30 pm
Staff:
Miss Louisa Blake - Class teacher
I am the Assistant Headteacher at Heygarth Primary School and I am responsible for the Early Years and Key Stage 1 as well as being lead for Phonics and a Deputy Safeguarding Lead. I am also responsible for SEND in Early Years. I have been a teacher for 28 years and have taught in lots of different schools all across the Wirral. I am passionate about teaching, especially in the Early Years – my favourite place to be. I enjoy reading funny stories, singing songs and having lots and lots of fun. I love to watch television, go to the cinema, read books, meet my friends for breakfast and I also love to bake cakes. My favourite food is sausage, egg and chips. My favourite chocolate is a Starbar. My favourite drinks are Diet Coke and lemon tea. My favourite time of the year is winter and I love Christmas especially Christmas Eve. I live with my fiancé Graham and spend lots of time looking after my mum Pam and our dog Poppy. I run my own charity “Looby Lou’s lovely Lunches CIC” providing packed lunches during the school holidays for children who usually receive free school meals. I am also a driver for Wirral’s Homeless CIC and cook regularly for them I also coordinate Heygarth’s Teeny Weeny Angels who also cook for the homeless each half term. If you wish to speak to me then please try and grab me after school, once I have dismissed all the children, as mornings are very busy. If it is urgent, then please go to the office and they will arrange a time to talk. I will always do my best to answer any questions and help
Miss Andrea Windras - Teaching Assistant
I am a teaching assistant in F1 Acorns. This is my second year in Heygarth Primary School and have found Acorn’s class such fun. I love being outdoors, rain or shine, and am looking forward to being involved in Forest School later next year. I enjoy holidaying, especially Portugal, and like exploring Anglesey and Wales, and have even recently made it up Snowdonia which was tough. I live locally with my family, and love to garden and spend time with friends. A trip to the theatre is a real treat. I love Italian food and have a real sweet tooth. Cheesecake is my favourite. I look forward to having a great year with F1 !
Mrs kelly boyd - higher level Teaching Assistant
I am a Higher Level Teaching Assistant and you will find me in F1, F2 and Year 1. This is my seventh year at Heygarth Primary School, having previously spent 21 years working at another Primary School in Wirral. I am at my happiest making magical memories - especially if this involves unicorns, rainbows and fairies! Dinosaurs and superheroes come a close second though. I have lived in Eastham all my life and actually went to Heygarth Primary School as a child many moons ago! I live with my husband Paul and my two children, my daughter Meg and my son Sam. In my free time I enjoy long walks with Paul and my dog Bella. I am a massive fan of Liverpool Football Club and one of my favourite memories at school so far has been when The Liverpool Foundation visited Heygarth Primary School with the Champions League cup and Big Red of course. I am always drawing or painting and enjoy sharing my creativity with the children. When you are able to come into school you may be able to spot some of my artwork around school.
Labels! Labels! Labels!
We cannot stress enough how important it is to label your child's clothing/ lunch box/ water bottle, anything they bring to school.
Packed Lunches
Children who stay all day are to bring a packed lunch. Packed lunches need to be labelled clearly and filled with healthy items. A juice drink can be packed for lunchtime.
No chocolate bars or Fizzy drinks.
No glass containers
No nuts - we have children within Nursery who have severe nut allergies and so it is vitally important that lunch boxes are labelled clearly and do not contain nuts.
Grapes must be sliced lengthways as they are a choking hazard.
The first weeks of school:
The children access indoor and outdoor provision each and every day and can choose the activities that best suit them or interest them the most.
Aspect of focused teaching will begin on completion of the baseline assessments. These are generally completed within the first 3 weeks of starting school .
The children will then have a short sounds and listening session, a short literacy and and a short mathematics teacher input daily, alongside accessing all aspects of the Revised Statutory EYFS Framework (2021) through purposeful provision and play both indoors and outdoors.
Teacher led activities will be balanced with child initiated learning which will allow the staff to plan activities around ideas that captures your child's imagination in the moment.
Expectations:
Children will be expected to wear school uniform and black school shoes. Any hair accessories need to be in school colours of black, grey, green or white.
Children will need to wear a coat each day. A spare clothing bag needs to be provided which needs to contain spare underwear, socks and uniform - all of which needs to be labelled. This bag remains in school on your child's peg. (It is sent home half termly for a wash and if it is ever used during the school day)
Your child will need a labelled water bottle that we will wash each evening and refill each morning. This will be sent home on a Friday afternoon to be washed thoroughly. (We prefer school water bottles - one can be purchased via Parent Pay or from the school office.)
Children do not require a PE kit in Foundation 1. Please do not purchase a PE kit as it will not be required.
Children will attend Forest School once a week, this is generally in the Spring Term - we will inform you well in advance. The children will need to wear school hoodies, black jogging bottoms and be provided with a puddle suit or waterproofs and wellington boots. Children come to school dressed for Forest School and only need to bring their school shoes and spare socks in a labelled bag.
Contact phone numbers for you and emergency contact numbers must be provided and any medical conditions need to be put in writing to the school office and explained to staff as soon as possible to ensure the safety of your child at all times.
If you have any questions then please speak to staff after school.
We look forward to getting to know your child and you and beginning a great relationship between school in order to help to support your child on the first steps of their learning journey here at Heygarth Primary school.
Collection procedures
Miss Blake will man the gate (unless absent)
Children will line up down the path at gate C to the left (as you face the gate)
Parents/ carers will line up to the left of Gate C (as you face it)
Children will be called in the order their adults are lined up
Staff will not call children whose adults do not line up
If staff need to pass messages on they will do this at this time
If the weather is extremely wet then we will keep the children in the classroom and use a phone to contact the teacher indoors to send children out as parents arrive.
If you are late collecting your child then they may well be taken back into the classroom.
Please inform staff if someone other than yourself will be collecting your child.
Children under the age of 16 will not be permitted to collect a pupil from Foundation 1.
If you are running late please attempt to let school know and we will remain with your child until your safe arrival.
The staff always do their utmost to recognise the many faces of the adults that may collect children at the end of the day so we would appreciate your patience and understanding as it is imperative that we get each and every child to the correct adult.
I am sure you can appreciate that as a parent/carer you will only have to recognise a couple of staff members faces. However, as staff we need to learn to recognise 35+ children.
Initially the end of the day process may take a little longer than you anticipated but it will soon become much quicker. Thank you for your understanding.
Children will need:
To wear a school uniform – all items to be labelled including shoes
A coat – labelled
A labelled bag containing spare uniform and underwear – all labelled to remain in school.
A water bottle (brought in on a Monday - sent home on a Friday)
No other equipment is needed so please do not send in back packs, pencil cases or toys.
We cannot express enough the importance of labelling everything.
Allergies/ medical conditions and collection arrangements:
Please speak to staff regarding any issues that are medical such as allergies or asthma.
If your child requires an inhaler please speak to Miss L Blake about forms for permission for use of an inhaler.
Any medical conditions – please speak to Miss L Blake with regards to an Individual Health Care Plan.
Hygge:
At Heygarth Primary School we have adopted a Hygge Approach to teaching and learning in EYFS. This is a Danish approach which encapsulates a feeling of warmth, familiarity, cosiness, safety and calm. We feel that if we can create an environment that reflects this then children will feel settled much more quickly.
We have changed our environment considerably over the last few years in order to create a Hyggely welcome.
We no longer use the main overhead strip lights - instead we use lamps, fairy lights and jars of lights.
We no longer use traditional school furniture - instead we use a mixture of wooden tables and chairs of differing shapes and sizes to suit all.
We no longer use brightly coloured plastic resources - instead we aim to use natural open ended resources wherever possible.
We no longer create colourful, over stimulating, teacher designed displays - instead we display children’s work instantly on neutral brown paper backgrounds.
We no longer expect children to create identical pieces of art work - instead we encourage unique pieces of art work showcasing their skills.
We no longer create role play areas such as post offices and restaurants - instead we have a constant home corner similar to the children’s own homes that we enhance throughout the year.
Our environment is now full of interesting, open ended, real and interesting resources that the children can use in a myriad of ways without the expectation of having to have completed an activity in a specific way.
The children have shown how creative and imaginative they are and take ownership of their learning. The environment and resources lend themselves well to incorporating a Curiosity Approach which enhances the children’s problem solving skills and techniques and allows staff to use “Planning in the Moment” so that child initiated lines of discovery and development can be explored freely. These lines of enquiry are supported effectively by staff and balanced with teacher led sessions where needed .
Our provision areas are purposeful and set up with core resources that are adapted and enhanced as and when required - the provision areas contain real life items wherever possible with a mixture of old and new such as mobile phones sat aside an original dial phone, a laptop next to a type writer, antique desks next to modern wooden tables etc..
We aim to be as purposeful, relevant and realistic as possible by:
Having a dining table in the snack area
Keeping fruit in a fruit bowl
The children getting their milk directly from the fridge
Using real crockery, glasses and cutlery in the home corner
Using lighting and lamps that the children may find in their own homes
Using real coins for mathematical activities such as paying for their own snack
Using a variety of writing resources that reflect real life - not just school pencils
Having vases of fresh flowers and pot plants in the classroom
Planting seeds in our outdoor area
Using the snack area to make snacks with the children and also to cook for the homeless
Bringing branches from the outdoor area indoors to create displays and lighting.
We have found the impact has been extremely positive and:
Transition for children from home to school has been smoother as the environment is more like home than a classroom.
Children are calmer and more settled due to the low level lighting.
Creativity has increased with children using resources much more freely and with open ended outcomes.
Problem solving and risk taking skills have improved as children are freely exploring the indoor and outdoor environment and exploring the natural environment around them, this includes climbing trees and digging in the mud.
Communication skills are low on entry but are seen to be improving as the children have the time to talk about what they are playing and exploring as opposed to being tied to table top activities.