Roman Hill Primary School
Inspiring Achievement
EYFS
HELLO AND WELCOME TO OUR EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE!
We look forward to working with your child and are sure they will settle in well. It is going to be a great year, and we hope you are as excited as we are about your child’s start in Nursery and Reception.
This section will tell you all about some of the things that happen in Nursery and Reception at Roman Hill Primary School. As always you are welcome to come and chat to us and ask any questions that you might have. The best provision for your child can only be achieved through a partnership between us; the Reception staff supporting your child in school and you as the most important people in their world.
What is the Foundation Stage Curriculum?
Primarily, it is a play based curriculum where children learn through play enhanced with adult led and focused activities. Their curriculum is made up of three Prime areas:
• Personal, Emotional and Social Development – PSED
• Communication & Literacy – CL, and
• Physical Development – PD
And four Specific areas
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design
Key workers
All children are allocated a Key Person who:
- is a named member of staff who has more contact than others with your child;
- is someone to build a relationship with you and your child;
- helps your child become familiar with our provisions;
- meets your child’s individual needs and care needs;
- responds sensitively to your child’s feelings, ideas and behaviour;
- is the person who acts as your point of contact.
- PLEASE LOOK AT THE OUR SCHOOL DOCUMENTS FOR MORE INFORMATION
Our Early Years Staff
| Nursery | |
Class Teacher
| Teaching Assistant Mrs Nolan |
Reception | |
Teachers
|
Learning Support and Teaching Assistants Mrs Tame
|
TERM 1 AUTUMN 1
For this first term we have the theme of 'This is me - it's nice to meet you'. We are looking to make friendships and connections with each other and to talk about our special families. We are considering all the ways we are different and unique but how we have lots in common too! September is a time for settling in, getting used to our new environment, exploring our feelings and beginning to feel safe and confident in our surroundings. We are also looking at the environment outside and how that is changing in terms of the weather and the animals too!
We will begin to look at the principles of number and work on our fine motor and gross motor skills. We are looking and thinking about the structure and elements of stories and rhymes as well as beginning our phonic programme. All of this will be carried out through a mixture of adult-led, child-led, directed and more informal activities. We will play, have fun and games, use role-play and conversations, all of which will facilitate and build on the children's knowledge and strengths.
HARVEST FESTIVAL
This month is harvest festival so we will look at fruit and vegetables and our food and think about where it comes from and what it looks like before we get it. At the end of the term, we can begin to chit some potatoes ready to plant in the spring!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Black History Month gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture. (Adina Campbell 2020). It is a month which is used to start and facilitate conversations about the achievements and contributions of our Black community, which then can be continued throughout the year as it is important that our Black community is celebrated and recognised all year round.
After visiting America in the 1970s, Ghanaian-born, Akyaaba Addai Sebo … founded the UK’s version of Black History Month in 1987”. Black History Month in the UK was chosen to be celebrated in October for two reasons:
- “Traditionally, October is when African chiefs and leaders gather to settle their differences, so Akyaaba chose this month to reconnect with African roots.
- Additionally, many thought that since it was the beginning of the new academic year, October would give Black children a sense of pride and identity.” (The Barnet Group, n.d.)
This year EYFS will be looking at the the amazing photographs of African photographer Seydou Keita (1921 - 2001). The website that represents his work states that he is 'universally recognized as the father of African photography and considered one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century'. His photos are all about family and relationships so ties in with our theme this month. If you are interested in looking at his work here is the link: http://www.seydoukeitaphotographer.com/en/seydou-keita-home-page/#3
We will also be looking at some stories that are set in Africa to compare and contrast our family and community lives including:
HANDA'S SURPRISE by Eileen Browne
MASAI AND I by Virginia Kroll
Plus 2 books produced by Save the Children campaign that reflect the lives of some of the children in different parts of the world. ROSNI and the HUNDRED HUNGRY GOATS is inspired by real-life stories of children in Bangladesh and IFE the ADVENTURER is inspired by real-life stories of children in Ethiopia. If you are interested in supporting this campaign and to get hold of these lovely books, here is the link to subscribe https://www.wonderbooks.org.uk/
This month we will also be reading: My Skin, Your Skin: Let’s talk about race, racism and empowerment by the author of the cartoon series Jojo and Gran Gran on Cbeebies Laura Henry-Allain MBE especially written for younger children.
At the moment COVID restrictions are preventing us from having parent cafes but as soon as we are able, we are looking forward to having some fun (and educational!) activities for you to come in and do with your children and will give teachers and parents an opportunity to chat!
In the meantime we will keep you up-to-date with what is going on and provide you with information and resources you may need at home when appropriate. If you would like more information at any time please ask you class teacher.
If you would like to know the 5 principles of number to help at home, here is the information you need!
Having help and support for children is so important. We hope that some of these sites will help provide you with some ideas and guidance for your little ones!
This document from the government offers helps for parents to identify developmental milestones in their children.
The following sites can offer advice on specific areas of concern:
Our Foundation Stage Policy should provide you with information about how our Early Years works.
We also have our curriculum policy that gives more detail about what we cover in Early Years. This is a working document and is reviewed on a regular basis.
The government has advice for those parents whose children are summer born i.e. that are born later in the academic year in the summer months
If your child has had to miss school or if you would like some extra ideas about what to do when at home, please use our homework grids that are linked to the curriculum to provide you with some activities
Home learning ideas for Reception and Nursery.
THIS IS A VERY EASY RECIPE FOR PLAY DOUGH. IF YOU DON'T HAVE FOOD COLOURING YOU CAN STILL MAKE THE DOUGH!
This super-easy playdough recipe is the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon inside. It’s quick enough to hold a young child’s attention and you only need a few storecupboard ingredients. Little hands can play with the results straightaway, so there’s immediate gratification for all involved!
Makes 1 coloured ball
Prep 10 minutes
You will need
- 8 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp table salt
- 60ml warm water
- food colouring
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the water, a few drops of food colouring and the oil.
2. Pour the coloured water into the flour mix and bring together with a spoon.
3. Dust a work surface with a little flour and turn out the dough. Knead together for a few minutes to form a smooth, pliable dough. If you want a more intense colour you can work in a few extra drops of food colouring.
4. Store in a plastic sandwich bag (squeeze out the air) in the fridge to keep it fresh. You can make a batch of colours and give away as kids’ party bag favours or hold a playdough party for your child’s next birthday.
This recipe comes from the BBC Good Food website where you can watch a video of it being made!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/playdough-recipe
Help and Donations are always gratefully received!
Help and Donations
The children love to get creative, making things with junk and we always welcome donations of boxes, tubes, yoghurt pots, lids, and newspapers. If you have anything else you feel may be useful at schools such as old toys or unwanted dressing up clothes, please do not hesitate to speak to a member of staff, your junk is often our treasure!
THIS YEAR WE ARE LOOKING TO RAISE MONEY FOR A SUMMER HOUSE FOR THE CHILDREN IN OUR OUTSIDE AREA. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP IN ANY PLEASE LET US KNOW!
EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA!
We have all kinds of plans for this year and are hoping to start our EYFS channel again to help parents who are either not able to attend any of our parent cafes or who need to be reminded of the information we have given.
We are also hoping, with the easing of COVID, to be able to have parents in much more doing lots of fun activities with us and thier children throughout the year as well as more visitors and visits to help us with our learning and development!
We will keep you updated with news and information throughout the year, but if you have any questions, please let us know. We are here to help so, please feel free to contact us!
We hope this information is useful and look forward to working with you.