Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
At Hollin, we follow children’s interest whilst teaching through a topic to spark imagination, broaden children’s horizons and open up new, exciting learning opportunities. We have adopted the non-statutory guidance Developments Matters 2021 and adhere to the statutory framework, the Early Years Foundation Stage 2021, working towards achieving the Early Years Goals at the end of the Reception Year.
We have discrete teaching of funky fingers, phonics, literacy and mathematics. These lessons are timetable around key transitions in the day to ensure the children have solid blocks of time within the school day where they can use their autonomy and access the areas of provision both indoors and outdoors. We follow the systematic, progressive phonics scheme ‘Read, Write, Inc’ for the teaching of early reading and early writing. Pre-phase two phonics, children in Nursery are taught to tune into sounds, using Letters and Sounds Phase 1.
We have focus children, not focus activities. There are three focus children a week in nursery and four focus children a week in each reception class. You will be notified when your child is the focus child via tapestry. As staff we will identify and capture teachable moments in your child’s play, social interactions and learning experiences. These will be shared with you via Tapestry, online learning journal. All the children are challenged in provision through our ‘rainbow challenges’. In nursery there are 3 rainbow challenges and in reception there are 7. The children are encouraged to access the challenges independently and will receive a reward at the end of the week.
In Reception, we have a money reward system which highly motivates the children and helps to develop early arithmetic skills. Each child is given a purse and gets rewarded with pennies throughout the school day. Each Friday we have a class shop, where the pennies can be used to purchase a small treat.
In the final term in nursery, children begin to bring home a reading book that is changed each week. In Reception, children have two phonetically decodable reading books each week. Every child in the Early Years Foundation Stage takes home a ‘quality text’ book. These are story books for you to share at home with your child to develop a love of reading and expand vocabulary. We have ‘share a story’ events each half term and children are rewarded with ‘star reader’ certificates.
Each half term we have a planned enriching experience where the children have the opportunity to bake and cook. We also have a half termly focus on oral hygiene, promoting good oral health routines throughout the school year.
For more information, visit our class page.
Nursery offer - September 2023
