Early Years Foundation Stage

Our Foundation Stage is an integral part of Borrow Wood Primary School. OFSTED has judged our Early Years provision OUTSTANDING.  Our aim is to provide an environment where each child feels happy, safe and secure and the positive relationships made between parents, children and our Foundation Stage team is an important aspect of the school ethos.  The Foundation Stage includes all children in Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2 . Foundation 1 is sometimes called 'nursery' and Foundation 2 is also known as 'Reception'.  

Staff this year in Foundation Stage are Mrs Tomlinson (Acorn class teacher and Foundation Phase Leader), Miss Rutland (Cherry class teacher), Mrs Byrne, Miss Osborn, Miss Evans.

Principles of the Foundation Stage at Borrow Wood

The Unique Child

·       That all children are unique and learn and develop at different rates.

·       That diversity of individuals is respected and no child is discriminated against.

·       That children’s health is an integral part of their emotional, mental and social well being.

Positive Relationships

·       That when we work closely with you as parents, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning.

·       That developing caring, trusting relationships with children and parents through the key worker impacts children’s learning and social well being.

Enabling Environments

·       That the learning environment should support all children’s varying abilities and interests and that planning should start from the observations of the child.

·       That the learning environment should be rich and varied, giving all children confidence to explore and learn in secure, safe yet challenging indoor and outdoor spaces.

Learning and Development

·       In their play learn at their highest level.

·       That children learn best through active learning involving other people, objects, ideas and challenges.

·       Children should have the opportunity to play with ideas in different situations and with a variety of resources.

·       That all seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development are connected with one another and are of equal importance.  

Play is a powerful tool. It is the way children learn about the world around them. It involves self-directed, active engagement, experimentation of ideas and builds relationships with others. At Borrow Wood we aim to challenge and motivate children through play, enabling them to learn a variety of skills, concepts, knowledge and attitudes through both indoor and outdoor learning. We monitor progress and achievements, which we share with parents on a regular basis.

LEARNING OUTDOORS

At Borrow Wood we give high value to the outdoor environment and outdoor learning is given equal value to indoor learning as it impacts highly on children’s learning and development.  Therefore, it is very important that your child has appropriate clothing for the weather. We will be outside every day unless the weather conditions are extremely poor. We will be outside when it is raining. In cold weather, please ensure your child has a hat, a scarf and gloves. In hot weather please apply sun cream to your child before coming to school and send them with a hat or a cap.

AREAS OF LEARNING and DEVELOPMENT

The Early Years Foundation Curriculum is based on ongoing observation and assessment in three prime and four specific areas of learning and the three learning characteristics, which set out below:

The Prime Areas of Learning

• Communication and language 
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

The Specific Areas of Learning

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

The Learning Characteristics

• Playing and exploring
• Active learning
• Creating and thinking critically

Click on the link below to download a copy of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.