Early Years – Pre School and Reception

Early Years

At Priorslee Academy we aim to make the transition from home to school a smooth and enjoyable experience for all children.  We aim to provide a warm and caring atmosphere in order that they may develop social and intellectual skills with confidence.  We are committed to providing a framework, which enables and enhances purposeful learning through the Foundation Stage Curriculum, giving depth, breadth, balance and progression towards the Early Learning Goals.  Telford and Wrekin Council is responsible for the admission policy and procedures for the school.

At Priorslee, we invite parents into school to meet the Head of School, Early Years Co-ordinator and EYFS team.  This meeting will give parents the opportunity to give staff information about their children and for them to have an outline of the Early Years Curriculum.  The children are invited to spend some time in class during the term prior to entry.  Transition continues in September when children attend mornings only in the first week. We also have a policy for assessment in the Early Years.  This policy includes a Base Line Assessment, which is completed at the end of the children’s first six weeks in school.

The aim of this assessment is to record the teacher’s observations of the skills and attitudes of the children on entry into school.  These assessments will also inform teachers and parents of appropriate targets to set the children to ensure progress in Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Literacy, and also Mathematics.

Curriculum

The EYFS Curriculum, which precedes the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 – 4, consists of seven areas of learning – three prime areas and four specific areas. The prime areas are fundamental, and move through to support development in all other areas.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

PSED is made up of these aspects:

  • Self-Regulation
  • Managing Self
  • Building Relationships

This area is to help children to develop a positive sense of themselves. It teaches about having respect for oneself and others, developing social skills, and a good attitude to learning. The adults within the setting will provide children with the best opportunities through developing positive and caring relationships with all children.

Pre-School provides a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for all children. Each child will be assigned a keyworker before they start, with a chance to meet on a visit day. Their keyworker will enable them to build relationships with both adults and peers alike. We take pride in not only building positive relationships with the children in our care but also with their whole family.

Communication and Language Development

CL is made up of these aspects:

  • Listening, Attention and Understanding
  • Speaking

This area is to provide children with the best opportunities for developing communication and language. Positive relationships will support children to communicate their ideas and thoughts with each other and with adults. This will then develop their confidence to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Children acquire new language skills daily through contact with both adults and peers of the setting. Staff within the setting will use their knowledge and skills to ensure all children engage in speaking and listening in a way that is best suited to each child. We encourage listening and attention skills through songs, rhymes, and activities.

Physical Development

PD is made up of these aspects:

  • Gross Motor Skills
  • Fine Motor Skills

This area provides opportunities for children to be active and develop their co-ordination, manipulation, and movement. Children will be provided with opportunities to develop their gross motor skills (eg apparatus work, games, outdoor play) and fine motor skills( eg paint, chalk, pegs, beads, felt pens)

In Pre-School and Reception, we have a lovely outside play areas which include sandpits, construction areas, mud kitchens, and play houses. The children also get to spend time on the playground and in our purpose build ‘Muga Pitch’. Once a week we have a P.E session in the school hall where the children become familiar with the equipment and learn to take off and put back on their socks and shoes. Children are encouraged to become independent with self-care, however, staff are always on hand to help.

Literacy

Literacy is made up of these aspects:

  • Comprehension
  • Word reading
  • Writing

This area encourages children to share and become part of stories and rhymes. Also encouraging children to enjoy mark-making and begin to distinguish between the different marks they make.

Within Pre-School and Reception the children have access to mark-making tools such as, paint brushes, pencils, play dough cutters, chalk, and spray bottles which will strengthen those little hands. A wide range of wonderful stories are used to develop the children’s imagination. As a whole school we enjoy taking part in World Book Day each year.

Mathematics

Maths is made up of these aspects:

  • Number
  • Numerical Patterns

This area involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding, and using numbers.

We incorporate maths into our setting in many ways, e.g. counting the children at register time, counting out toys, counting out cups at snack time; the opportunities in one session are endless. Songs and rhymes also play an important part in learning about numbers e.g. ’Once I caught a fish alive’ and ‘5 Cheeky Monkeys’.  As children explore with a range of construction both inside and outside they develop their understanding of concepts such as ‘big’ and ‘small’.

Understanding the World

UW is made up of these aspects:

  • Past and Present
  • People, culture and Communities
  • The Natural World

This area involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe, and find out about people, places and the environment.  We place an emphasis on our families, the community, our similarities, differences and caring for the environment.   We have lots of fun celebrating the different cultures and festivals throughout the year. The children get to enjoy visits from people within our community i.e. Police, Firefighters, Members of the Military.

Expressive Arts and Design Development

EAD is made up of these aspects:

  • Creating with Materials
  • Being Imaginative and Expressive

This area involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play and design and technology.

Within Pre-School and Reception, we have a wide range of materials that encourage children to use their imagination including construction, dressing up, ribbon sticks for dancing and playdough, plus a whole lot more. We also bring in outside agencies to give the children new experiences like “Shake, Rattle & Roll” which is provided by Telford and Wrekin Music.

 

At Pre-School and Reception our planning includes all of these areas to ensure that children receive a broad and balanced curriculum.