Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage Page... 

We hope you find this area informative and a place that you can find out about the curriculum and the daily practise of your early years child.

We are extremely passionate about ensuring children learn through play-based activities both indoors and outdoors. We have enhanced our curriculum through our Forest School work and through intervention programmes such as Every Child a Talker’ and ‘Every Child a Mover.’

We are also taking part in a new initiative called 'Word Aware' which encourages children to learn about words. The keywords to learn for the week will either be displayed in our nursery, sent home on our topic sheets or on the bottom of your child's weekly spelling sheet. Please encourage your child to learn the words by saying them in a sentence, finding them in books, and then encourage your child to explain to others what the words mean.

Below is a useful webpage that offers further ways to support your child’s development at home.

• Ideas to support your child's maths development at home
• Helping your child at home in the Early Years: The Hungry Little Minds Campaign

 

At Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery school we understand that we are legally required to comply with certain welfare requirements as stated in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The EYFS seeks to provide:

•  Quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind.
• A secure foundation through planning for the learning and development of each individual child, and assessing and reviewing what they have learnt regularly.
•  Partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers.
•  Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported.

The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. The learning and development requirements cover:

•  The areas of learning which must shape activities and experiences for children in all early years settings.
• The early learning goals that providers must help children work towards (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five.)
•  Assessment arrangements for measuring progress (and requirements for reporting to parents and/or carers.)

We understand that we are required to:

• Promote the welfare of children.
• Promote good health, preventing the spread of infection and taking appropriate action when children are ill.
• Manage behaviour effectively in a manner appropriate for the children's stage of development and individual needs.
• Ensure all adults who look after the children are suitable to do so.
• Ensure that the premises, furniture and equipment is safe and suitable for purpose.
• Ensure that every child receives enjoyable and challenging learning and development experiences tailored to meet their needs.
• Maintain records, policies and procedures required for safe and efficient management of the setting and to meet the needs of the children.
• Ensure that all children in the EYFS have access to water, and they have a healthy snack each day.
• Promote the good health, including oral health, of children attending our setting. 

We invite parents to a stay and play session before your child starts cubs or bears.  We hold an induction talk the term before your child starts our Reception classes.  Please take a look below at the information we share during our talks:

Please look at these documents below for an overview of the progress your child might make throughout the foundation stage:

• New developmental matters 2023 EYFS Guidance 0-5 yrs

• Birth to Five Matters 2021 Non-Statutory Guidance 0-5 yrs

• Reading Focus

Assessment in the early years...

We are currently using OTrack and Class Dojo for our assessment of the children in early years.

We capture photos of the children and track their progress, creating an ongoing portfolio that parents can follow. 

Each parent has a unique login that cannot be accessed by anyone else. This is a secure area, and you will be able to view your child's learning journey only.

Assessment takes place in the Early Years Foundation Stage through ongoing observations. Some are recorded on an online program called Class Dojo which contributes to each pupil’s Learning Journey. Parents are encouraged to be part of this process and are asked to send photographs and descriptions of their child’s experiences.

The Learning Journey helps to inform future planning. We use it to support a detailed final report at the end of the year in the Bears Nursery, the Two Year Development report in the Cubs Nursery and in Reception at the end of the year. Each child’s next steps are shared regularly with parents. 

There are more formal assessments which are completed at the end of each term which focus on key skills in mathematics and literacy.         

• EYFS Profile

Our Early Years Foundation Stage is made up of the following:

• Two Reception classes with a teacher and teaching assistant in each class.
• A 52 place Nursery for 3-4 year olds called the Bears Nursery, with a teacher and four teaching assistants.
• A 16-place Nursery for 2-3 year olds called the Cubs Nursery with four highly qualified teaching assistants (one of whom holds a CACHE Level 4 Certificate Early Years - Advanced Practitioner).

How do children learn to read in our setting? 

We use the Little Wandle scheme to teach phonics in our school. Please see the website linked here, for detailed information about how you can help your child.

 https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

We are often asked about how to pronounce the letters and the language used to help pupils form the letters. Here are some wonderful videos to support you with this and also with supporting your child's reading and writing at home. 

Little Wandle phonics on You Tube

Nursery Admissions

Starting our settings

We have created several PowerPoints regarding your child starting each of our settings. WE have added them below for you to browse at your leisure. We hope you find this informative. Any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch where we will be happy to help. 

Starting Cubs

 

Starting Bears

 

Starting Reception 

 

All about Reception. What to expect