Early Years Foundation Stage

Check with School Office

We envisage that the environment, in which the children will learn through play, will be of a high quality both indoors and outdoors and it will lend itself easily to children learning through exploratory play, problem solving activities and risk-taking possibilities. 

The EYFS team will work together to ensure that consistency and continuity of approach is evident from F1 through to F2 and beyond into Key Stage 1 in relation to the enabling environments and planning for teaching and learning. We have adopted a Hygge and Curiosity approach which are embedded into our environments and planning and will continue to be built upon.

We will ensure that children are challenged at all times and encouraged to explore their environment with inquiring minds and imagination as individuals and that we as practitioners will embrace their diversity.

We will strive to ensure that all continuous provision areas, both indoors and outdoors, are always well stocked with high quality resources that are naturally made wherever possible and to allow their use to be open ended and to act as provocations to set the children’s imaginations free.

We will continue to make teaching of Phonics, Reading, Writing and Number a high priority daily and each area will be taught with a consistent approach and be regularly monitored, assessed and reviewed so that planning will be based on teacher led Next Steps as well around children’s interests. 

The Impact 

The EYFS will be an exciting, engaging, imaginative, play based, well planned, supportive and organised placed to learn.

Children will become confident, competent, curious, independent, risk taking individuals who will have a firm foundation on which to build on for their future learning and will be prepared for life with the understanding of how to be safe, happy, respectful and valued.

Heygarth Hippo’s rules of:

“Kind Hands, Kind Feet and Kind Words, Listening to Others, Sharing and Taking Turns and Telling a Grown-up When Upset or Unhappy”

will be excellent rules to prepare and take the children on their individual journey of lifelong learning.

Our Intent is our curriculum, our plan and what we are going to teach – a balance between child- initiated and adult – led, a hybrid educational approach; bringing together the best methodologies, with carefully planned Purposeful Provision and Enabling Environments that evolve to meet the needs of our cohort.

Our Implementation is our Pedagogy, what we do, how we teach and present our curriculum.

What we do in the every day to ensure the children make progress by providing:

• Communication friendly spaces

• Well-resourced Enabling Environments

• Purposeful Provision

• Enhancements

• Provocations and Invitations to Play

• High quality interactions during play

Our Impact is reviewing teaching and assessing learning – this shows that we make a difference and that the children make good progress from their starting point.

Impact is shown with our observations, formative and summative assessments for each child, discussing their next steps and following the children’s interests.

We usually welcome our youngest children into Heygarth the term after their 3rd birthday so some children - depending on their date of birth will spend 3 terms in Foundation 1 whilst others will spend 5 terms there.

In Foundation 1 most children will spend 15 hours per week in school unless parents are eligible for the working parents 30 hour code.

Children enter either:

September - if they are 3 before 31st August

or

January - if they are 3 between September 1st and December 31st

We offer the following sessions:

• 5 Mornings per week - 8.45 am - 11.45 am

• 5 Afternoons per week - 12.30 pm - 3.30 pm

• Beginning of the week: Monday and Tuesday 8.45 am - 3.30 pm and Wednesday morning 8.45 am - 11.45 am

• End of the Week: Wednesday afternoon 12.30 pm - 3.30 pm and all day Thursday and Friday 8.45 am - 3.30 pm

• 30 hours: Monday to Friday 8.45 am - 3.30 pm each day.

  We do not offer any other combination of sessions as we do not have the capacity to do so.

• The Foundation 1 class is named “Acorns”

• There is a qualified teacher a Level 3 and a Level 1 Teaching assistant

• When the class teacher takes her statutory Planning, Preparation and Assessment Time she is covered by a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) and another L1 Teaching assistant. This is usually taken 1 full day a fortnight.

• If the teacher is an Early Career Teacher (ECT) he/she gets an extra 5% of time out of class also covered by an HLTA and taken 1/2 day a fortnight.

• The legal adult to child ratio in F1 is - 1 : 13, (1:8 if a teacher is not present.)

  Foundation 1 are a self contained unit- they have their own entrance/exit, toilets, changing room, kitchen and outdoor area.

• The children each receive a free piece of fruit and carton of milk daily.

• We ask for a named water bottle containing plain water ONLY to be brought to school for the duration of your child’s week

• If your child is not yet toilet trained we will support you to train them but ask that you provide a weekly supply of nappies, wipes and nappy sacks.

• We ask all children in F1 to bring a spare named clothing bag containing named underwear and named uniform to school and that will remain in school and be sent home each half term.

• We ask for children to always be provided with the correct and named outdoor clothing for the weather as they spend most of their time in F1 outdoors.

• F1 attend a Forest School session every Wednesday in school during the Summer Term (if deemed ready) and they need to come to school dressed for this session wearing trainers/ school shoes and carrying their named wellies in a named bag - all clothing must be named.

• If your child stays for lunch they MUST be provided with a named lunch box and drink containing a healthy balanced lunch

• Lunch box rules:

• Any grapes must be sliced lengthways

• Food must not contain NUTS

• No fizzy drinks or sweets

• No chocolate bars however a chocolate biscuit is acceptable

• Minimum of Level 3 TA and 2 Level 1 TAs supports the children during their 45 minute lunch break (ratios are dependent on numbers of children staying for lunch)

• They need to be provided with a named plate to eat their lunch from

• School Hot dinners will be offered in the Spring Term on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday for children who stay lunch on those days. These meals MUST BE PAID FOR IN ADVANCE.

• F1 DO NOT require a PE kit.

• We ask that children DO wear the Heygarth Uniform.

• We use X (Twitter) as a platform for sharing what we do in Foundation 1 so make sure you follow us

• If you do not wish your child’s photograph to be displayed on Twitter you MUST make sure you identified this on the consent forms sent home in your child’s induction pack

• Children enter Foundation 2 the term after their 4th birthday and all children spend 3 terms in Foundation 2.

• Children are of statutory school age during the term they turn 5 - until then it is parental choice as to whether a child attends school.

• There are two Foundation 2 classes and they are named “Apples” and “Cherries”.

• The classes have their own doors for entry and exit and their own carpet areas for registration and story times but share an indoor and outdoor environment

• There are 2 qualified teachers at all times and 1 Level 1 teaching assistant for most of the school day.

• When the class teacher takes their statutory Planning, Preparation and Assessment Time he/she is covered by a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA). This is usually taken 1 full day a fortnight.

• If the teacher is an Early Career Teacher (ECT) he/she gets an extra 5% of time out of class also covered by an HLTA and taken 1/2 day a fortnight.

• The statutory adult / child ratio is 1:30

• Class size never go over 30 pupils in Foundation 2

• Children are expected in school by 8.50 am and are dismissed at 3.15 pm each day

• Lunch time is 11.45 am - 12.45 pm

• All children receive a UFSM (Universal Free School Meal)

• Children may bring a non fizzy drink for lunch time

• All children receive a free piece of fruit daily

• Children receive a free milk daily until the term they turn 5 and then it must be prepaid for through Cool Milk (unless you receive Free school meals)

• Children are expected to wear the Heygarth Uniform and plain black shoes or trainers (no other colour on them whatsoever)

• All children are given a free Heygarth water bottle, book bag and Heygarth cap during induction - these are the only water bottles and caps that are accepted for use in school.

• Children must bring their water bottle to school each Monday filled with plain water.

• The water bottle remains in school where it is emptied and washed daily until Friday when it is sent home for a deep clean.

• Children must have appropriate outer wear which is named at all times as they spend a large part of their day outdoors no matter the weather.

• All clothing, coats and shoes MUST be clearly named

• All children need to bring a named spare clothing bag to school containing named underwear and uniform which they leave on their peg until it is needed. This is sent home every half term for a wash if not used.

• Children in F2 DO NOT need to wear a PE kit until the second half of the Spring Term and they would come to school wearing this on their named PE day ( you will be informed of this in advance)

• Children in F2 have Forest school sessions every Wednesday during the Spring Term/ Summer Term(February to June ) and must come to school in appropriate named clothing wearing shoes or trainers and bringing their named wellies in a named bag.

• Children are taught daily phonics as well as all aspects of the Revised Early Years Framework

• Children will have 2 weekly reading books from October Half Term (at the latest) which will be sent home once a week on a Friday (day is subject to change)

• Reading Book bags must be brought to school each day and then will remain in school on a Thursday when they will be changed ready to go back out on a Friday.

• Book bags DO NOT need to be brought to school on a Forest School day.

• Staff will set Home learning Tasks via X (Twitter ) - literacy/ mathematics or of a topical nature

• We use X (Twitter) as a platform for sharing what we do in foundation 2 so make sure you follow us.

• If you do not wish your child’s photograph to be displayed on X (Twitter you MUST make sure you identified this on the consent forms sent home in your child’s induction pack