EYFS

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

Our Ethos

We aim to do all we can to support our children to develop quickly in the early years. We have high expectations for all our children and aim for all of them to achieve their potential and have the best possible start in life, irrespective of ethnicity, culture,  religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties, disabilities or gender. At Kings Avenue we provide an environment which enables them to develop their personalities, talents and abilities. We offer an exciting and vibrant EYFS learning environment in which children thrive and develop the skills to be “Ready for School”.

The Early Years Team

Our team is made up of experienced, dedicated and creative people that have a passion for making learning memorable and engaging. We believe in developing and enhancing a strong relationship between home, children and staff, one which will secure a lasting learning partnership here at Kings Avenue.

The Learning Environment

The Early Years at Kings Avenue consists of a single unit combining the Nursery and a Reception class. We are privileged to have an extensive nursery environment, which allows children access to four interconnecting areas, providing a constant learning environment regardless of the weather. The garden has a ’babbling brook’ to explore water flow and dam building, a covered courtyard, a quiet zone and large main zone.

Planning

At Kings Avenue, we understand that children learn most effectively when their interests are valued. Therefore we ensure that we deliver exciting experiences through identifying what the children enjoy and then base learning experiences on these interests. We aim for our children to become positive, motivated and independent learners. We ensure that the EYFS curriculum is integral to our planning so that each experience has an identifiable learning outcome, but is fun and interactive at the same time!

Assessment

We assess the children in a variety of ways. We record short and long observations, taking note of their strengths and ‘Next Steps’ in learning and development. The majority of these observations are recorded on an electronic profile system called an ‘Interactive Learning Diary’. These individual learning diaries can be accessed securely only by the child’s parents/carers and designated staff. Parents can view their child’s progress and add observations from home. We collect significant samples of the children’s work in the Nursery. In Reception we support the children to develop “Ready for School” attitudes, by collecting and using Literacy, Mathematics and Theme books. These are marked and discussed with each pupil, in accordance with our school policy. This evidence collection allows us to build up a profile of each child’s learning journey and can ensure, through regular Pupil Progress meetings, that individuals are on track to succeed at or above age related expectations.

Getting Involved

We are happy for all parents to join our Kings Avenue family and become involved in EYFS learning. Parents are always encouraged to stay, read, write and talk to all the children, the staff and to each other. We invite parents to events and on school visits. We love having parent volunteers to read with the children too.