It is our intent that all children develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally in an environment which values all cultures, communities and people. We aim for our children to be confident and independent, to believe in themselves and interact positively with others. We understand that play is an integral part of learning and this is at the heart of our Early Years curriculum. We believe that the correct mix of adult directed and uninterrupted child-initiated play ensures the best outcomes for pupils.
We are proud members of the diverse Swain House community and so our relationships with parents are key. We will work alongside our families to support their children in developing their individual characters and shaping them into good citizens. We recognise the crucial role that Early Years education has to play in providing firm foundations upon which the rest of a child’s education is successfully based and will ensure that our children have the best and most enjoyable learning experience in Early Years and are fully prepared for their learning in Key Stage 1 and beyond.
Many of our children have developing language and communication needs on entry to Swain House so we prioritise creating a ‘language rich’ environment through the use of songs, nursery rhymes, stories, British Sign Language (BSL) and providing uninterrupted time for quality interactions between adults and peers. Quality trained staff ensure that interactions are positive and progressive, allowing children to flourish and learn words at pace in order to become confident communicators. The children are encouraged to become early readers through the enjoyment of books and the systematic teaching of phonics. This is supplemented with lots of fun reading opportunities, involving other members of the school community and parents. We provide the children with a bank of stories which they get to know really well which form the basis of their understanding of what a story is and how it is structured. We can then build upon this to support the children in creating their own stories.
We want our children to become confident mathematicians who can apply what they have learnt to real life contexts. We follow the foundations of NCETM Mastering Number where we value children’s deep understanding of the number system. We follow a mastery approach so that children leave the phase with a solid foundation in the ‘numberness’ of number and can use mathematical language to confidently talk and solve problems. Children are given the opportunities to apply their mathematical learning in real life-context through quality provision.
Our children often have quite limited experiences of other cultures, different families and physical differences, so we build on this to provide a deep and life-long appreciation of others’ lives, outlooks, cultures and differences by exploring and celebrating them. Staff are excellent role-models of behaviour and guide the children through the intricacies of social etiquette, such as the appropriate use of language in social situations, good manners and social rules at meal-times and around school. We support our children to develop crucial life-skills, such as food preparation, using a knife and fork plus an awareness of road safety and stranger-danger. We also develop the children’s understanding of routines in school and support the wider family to develop healthy approaches to bed, screen and meal-times so that children are refreshed and ready for learning every day.
Our children often come to us with limited play experiences and an increased skillset in technology. We have therefore created our learning environment to enable our children to strengthen their core muscles through physical play; children spend time outdoors in their natural environment in all weathers. They develop skills and understanding of their world through investigative, exploratory and sensory experiences in our indoor and outdoor provision. Our learning environment is adaptable in order to reflect children's interests and progression. The children are supported to learn to work together, manage their feelings and ask questions through skilled adult facilitated play.
The curriculum is taught through themes which are enriched with classroom enhancements, trips and visitors. Topics are supported by quality key texts. These are chosen carefully to encourage children's speech, language and communication development. All planning however, is flexible and responsive to children’s needs so plans are changed and adapted depending on children’s interests. Our environment promotes managed risk-taking to develop resilience and a ‘have-a-go’ attitude.
We understand the importance of parental engagement and believe that our parents have a crucial role to play in their children's education. We work hard to create strong partnerships between home and school. Parents receive information each half term to inform them of what their child is learning and to explain how they can support this at home. This will be in the form of curriculum newsletters, Facebook updates, Parents App notifications, online learning journal entries (Tapestry) and parents’ evenings. Parents also regularly engage in conversations at drop-off and pick-up times and are invited to a range of events throughout the year such as biscuits and books, performances and craft sessions.
As part of the teaching and learning process, children are assessed in relation to their progress within each phase and towards the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception. These judgements are made on the basis of accumulative observational practice and in-depth knowledge of the children acquired through ongoing observation, interaction and assessment. These ongoing assessments are used to inform planning and next steps in teaching and learning for all children throughout the year to ensure progress and to ensure swift intervention where necessary. For instances when progress is slower than expected, we track smaller steps of progress using an Early Years Developmental Journal and work closely with the school SENCO, parents and outside agencies to ensure the children receive the support they need to remain on their journey of progression.
Impact
Our curriculum and its delivery ensure that all our children make good progress from their own starting points. During their time with us, most children make good or better progress towards the national expectation for a good level of development (ELG) at the end of the year. Pupils also make good progress toward their age-related expectations both academically and socially, developing a sense of themselves before transitioning into Year One.
As a result of the focus we have on Communication & Language, most of our children develop language skills rapidly, also learning the social aspects of interaction, such as manners and language appropriate to different situations. We support them with the language needed to express their feelings and regulate their emotions.
We provide our children with a solid model of appropriate behaviours and relationships, based on kindness and respect, which supports their social and behavioural development, to help them become successful members of the school community. They develop their characteristics of learning and are able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations making links and explaining their ideas and understanding. They are confident to take risks and discuss their successes and next steps with peers and adults drawing on their experiences to improve or adjust what they are doing.
We believe our high standards are due to our carefully planned environment, enriched play-based curriculum, quality first teaching and the rigour of assessment.
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Playing and exploring – Children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.
- Active learning – Children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
- Creating and thinking critically – Children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
The positive relationships between our staff and parents is really important to us at Swain House Primary School. We will often share links to important documents and ways in which parents can support with their child's learning at home. If you have any questions or need help with anything at all, please speak to a member of our friendly Early Years Team!