Foundation 2 - Reception

A teacher for each class

A Teaching Assistant for each class, along with some SEND support

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 this includes both class teachers own baseline and also the National RBA Reception Baseline. These are generally completed within the first 3 weeks of starting school .

The children will then have a RWI phonics, 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.

Once the children start school they will attend full time each day and stay for lunch - school dinners and packed lunches are permitted.

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 and be in a plastic bag or a drawstring bag - 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 have already be given 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 ONLY permit school water bottles - if it needs replacing at any point then one can be purchased via Parent Pay or from the school office.)

Children do not require a PE kit until the second half of the Spring term and they will come into school dressed for PE on their specified day which you will be informed of in advance. Please do not purchase a PE kit before then 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 explained to staff as soon as possible to ensure the safety of your child at all times.

During the first few weeks of school the children will be carrying out activities independently so that staff can ascertain their next steps in learning, until this is completed there will not be any homework or reading books sent home.

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 full time learning journey here at Heygarth Primary school.

Drop off/pick up arrangements:

Children will be dropped off and collected from gate C which will be manned each morning by a combination of staff from EYFS.

F2 Drop off time is - 8.45 am

F2 Collection is - 3.15 pm

Drop off Procedures:

The children will walk down the path from gate C and across the playground and then into their own classrooms which have doors as follows:

Foundation 2 gates will be locked at 9am and your child will be deemed late after this time and you will need to access school through the main entrance where you will be asked to sign your child in and they will then be taken to class by a member of the office staff.

A combination of EYFS staff will dismiss the children from the gate.

• Children will line up down the path at gate C Cherries to the left and Apples to the right (as you face the gate)

• Parents/ carers will line up to the right 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 (unless extenuating circumstances are discussed and agreed upon with Mrs Beamish) to collect a pupil from Foundation 2.

• 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 considerably more, as we have up to 30 children in each class.

• 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 may have a school meal and the menu is attached to the weekly Heygarth Herald Newsletter.

• The children will select their meal on entering the classroom - you can do this from home via the app

• Packed Lunches are also permitted

• 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.

• The provided school water bottle (brought in on a Monday - sent home on a Friday)

• The school book bag provided (once reading books are sent home)

• 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.

Please speak to staff regarding any issues that are medical such as allergies or asthma.

If your child requires an inhaler please speak to the school office about forms for permission for use of an inhaler.

Any medical conditions – please speak to the school office with regards to an Individual Health Care Plan.

• Reading books will be sent home once a week only (on a Friday - subject to change of day)

• Reading Book Bags MUST be brought to school each day and will remain in school on a THURSDAY ready to be changed so a new book can be sent home on a Friday. (subject to change of day)

• The children will have 2 reading book sent home each week - these will be expected to be in school on a THURSDAY to be changed. If it is not in school on a Thursday then they will not be changed. 

• Please write a comment in your child's reading record

• Home learning Tasks will be set via Twitter

We will start to set Home Learning Tasks - at the end of the first autumn half term . This will be posted on X (Twitter) .

Home Learning tasks will alternate between maths and literacy and occasionally an extra of phonics activity will be sent home.

Phonics homework is sent home weekly attached to Heygarth Herald as hyperlinks to the Ruth Miskin Portal - these are set in groups.

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.