Milestone Moment
Your child’s first day at school is such a special milestone. It is an emotional time and we understand the fears, hopes and dreams you have for your little ones. Our first priority will be ensuring your child is happy and feels safe while they are with us. We will do all we can to make this transition a happy and exciting one for your child. We will always be available for you to talk to us about any concerns or worries you have. Equally, we will be sharing with you, your child’s successes and achievements.
The Reception Year
While your child is in Reception Class they well be completing the final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. You may be familiar with this curriculum if your child has attended a nursery, pre-school or childminders in the past. We will continue to support your child to learn and grow through play and exploring their environment and active learning.
Throughout the year, there will be opportunities for you to join your child in class to share their learning. You will be able to join your child in reading sessions as well as stay, and play sessions. You will also be invited to two parents evening where you will be able to discuss your child’s progress.
Communication
While we are unable to give you the daily update that you may be used to receiving from pre-school at other settings, we want to work in partnership with you. Please come and talk to us! At The Holt we have an open door policy and we are happy to talk to you about any concerns or issues you may have. You are more than welcome to talk to the members of the Early Years team at the beginning and end of each school day. You can also contact us via phone or email. You will see what your child has being doing in school via the Tapestry app. We also want to hear from you about your child’s achievements outside of school.
The EYFS Curriculum
The Early Year Foundation Stage curriculum is the stage of education for children aged 0-5 years and is based on the recognition that children learn best through play and active learning.
There are 7 areas of learning:
These areas are broken down into 17 Early Learning Goals.
Through active learning and play, your child will work towards reaching these goals. We record observations and gather evidence that your child has met these goals throughout the year. When it comes to your child, you are the expert! Your contributions to the evidence gathered is therefore vital. One of the tools we use to record your child’s progress is through the Tapestry app. By adding your observations from home to the app you will be creating an even bigger picture for the amazing things your child can do.
The Typical School Day
Throughout the day the children are involved in a wide range of activities both adult led (Teacher or teaching assistant) and child initiated. Our visual timetable is displayed for the children refer to. We start our day by taking the register and talking about our timetable and the day ahead. This is what a typical day looks like: