FOUNDATION STAGE POLICY

							Newton-le-Willows Primary School            Foundation Stage Policy             Academic year 2011/2012



                     FOUNDATION STAGE POLICY


This policy reflects the values and philosophy of Newton-le-Willows Primary School in
relation to the teaching and learning goals of the children in the Foundation Stage. The
policy is a framework, within which all staff work, and gives guidance on planning,
teaching and assessment. The policy should be read in conjunction with the QCA
document, ‘Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage’, which sets out what pupils
should be taught in different areas of learning.

The philosophy of Newton-le-Willows Primary School Foundation Stage is to provide a
foundation on which all aspects of education are built. We aim to provide a curriculum
that is broad and balanced in content and wide ranging in approach, helping to ensure
future success and progress. We believe that we create a learning environment that is
motivating, exciting and caring. This, we believe, contributes to the child’s positive self-
esteem and to inculcate a love of learning.

Aims and Objectives

The overall aims for the children in the Foundation Years are:
    To enjoy the process of learning;
    To experience equality of opportunity in a caring, safe and secure environment;
    To be valued as individuals and acquire self confidence, independence and self
      help skills;
    To develop enquiring minds, encouraging independent thought;
    To gain knowledge, skills, concepts and attitudes that relate to all areas of the
      curriculum and to life;
    To learn attention skills and persistence;
    To cultivate positive attitudes, beliefs and values and develop an understanding,
      and respect for, other people’s beliefs and cultures;
    To experience personal achievement and appreciate the achievements of others;
    To develop a positive self-image and an understanding of their value in society;
    To acquire the skills to communicate their needs, feelings and experiences;
    To develop respect and responsibility for self and others.


Teaching and Learning Style

The Foundation Stage as a whole is play based, with children being given the opportunity
to work as a class, individually and in a group.

The children have the opportunity to select activities from arrival and the day is set up to
allow opportunities for uninterrupted play. Snack time is set up allowing the children to

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Newton-le-Willows Primary School            Foundation Stage Policy             Academic year 2011/2012


access the drink and fruit when they choose. Group activities and class story time are
planned at the very beginning or end of a session to avoid cutting across children’s
learning. Children are encouraged to utilize all resources across the learning
environment. Displays enhance the learning environment. They are informative as well
as child centered and where possible interactive, stimulating children’s interest and
curiosity.

As the unit does not have direct access to an outdoor area with the necessary supervision,
the staff plan to ensure that the children are given plenty of opportunities to play and
develop their learning outdoors. The outdoor provision mirrors and complements the
indoor provision. Adults’ time is planned to ensure that the children’s play/learning is
observed, supported and extended where appropriate.

We use a wide range of teaching strategies based on the children’s learning needs. We
provide a wide range of opportunities to motivate and support children to help them to
learn effectively.


Curriculum Matters

The Foundation Stage use topic-based approach to include the six areas of learning:
    Personal, social and emotional development;
    Communication, language and literacy;
    Mathematical knowledge;
    Knowledge and understanding of the world;
    Physical development;
    Creative development.

The six areas help practitioners plan the learning environment, activities, experiences and
framework for the Early Years Curriculum. The children’s learning, however, is not
divided into these areas as one experience may provide a child with opportunities to
develop a number of competencies, skills and concepts across several areas of learning.
The Early Learning Goals establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of
the Foundation Stage, but are not a curriculum in themselves. The goals provide the
basis for planning through this stage and some children may exceed these. Other children
may be still working towards some or all of the goals at the end of the Foundation Stage.
The ‘stepping stones’ identify progress towards the Early Learning Goals. These identify
the knowledge, skills and understanding and attitudes that the children need, if they are to
achieve the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage.

The Foundation Stage curriculum is carefully planned and structured around the
children’s interests and levels of development. Provision is made for the different
starting points from which the children develop their learning, building on what they can
already do. The content is relevant and appropriately matched to the different levels of
need. Opportunities are provided for the children to engage in activities planned by the
adults and also those that they plan or initiate themselves.

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Newton-le-Willows Primary School            Foundation Stage Policy             Academic year 2011/2012




Enhanced provision is planned into the provision areas to develop and challenge the
children’s independent learning. This is based on the observations that are built into the
weekly assessment programme. The planning for the provision ensures that the
children’s play builds upon and extends their interests and develops their intellectual,
physical, social and emotional abilities. The curriculum is very flexible, whilst
maintaining a balance between spontaneous play and focused or structured play activities.

Medium term planning is completed half-termly by the Foundation Stage teachers and
identifies the intended learning with outcomes for the children. Plans are then drawn
from this by the staff, who meet weekly, to develop the children’s learning based on
observations and assessments taken during that week and an enhanced provision sheet
completed to indicate which play areas are to be enhanced and how the following week.
Both settings use the planning format with Reception using separate Literacy and
numeracy sheets in the summer term when the units become more condensed time wise.

Planning in both settings is informed by using the Early Learning Goals. In addition the
Reception setting follow the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies. Parents receive
a termly coverage sheet outlining curriculum activities and guidance on how they can
support their child’s learning. The reception class parents receive additional information
on reading strategies.


Cross Curricular Links

The Early Learning Goals are in line with the objectives in the strategies for teaching
Literacy and numeracy, which is taught throughout the reception year. The reception
teachers cover the elements of the Literacy Hour and the daily numeracy lesson across
the day, rather then in a single unit of time. In order to ensure a smooth transition to the
Literacy Hour and daily mathematics lesson in Year 1, at the beginning of the summer
term more structured units are put in place.


SEN Provision

We believe at Newton-le-Willows Primary School that all children matter. We give our
children every opportunity to achieve their best. The assessment, together with careful
continual and consistent monitoring by the teachers throughout the school year, enables
early intervention in any special needs that might occur.

We believe in early intervention and provide equipment, resources and learning activities
to meet the needs of those children in the Foundation Stage who need additional support
or who have particular needs or disabilities.




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Newton-le-Willows Primary School            Foundation Stage Policy             Academic year 2011/2012


Newton-le-Willows Primary works with parents to identify learning needs, to respond
quickly to any area of difficulty and to formulate an effective strategy to meet those
needs. Termly reviews of educational needs are held with the SENCO.


Assessment and Recording

Throughout the Foundation Stage, as part of the learning and teaching process,
practitioners assess each child’s development in relation to the stepping stones and Early
Learning Goals that form part of the curriculum guidance for Foundation Stage. These
assessments are made on the basis of the practitioners accumulating observations and
knowledge of the whole child.

To support the judgements made from on going learning and teaching, additional
observations may be planned and integrated. This information is used to ensure that
future planning reflects identified needs. The child’s parents or carers, the child
themselves, records from previous settings and observations by classroom assistants and
other practitioners may also contribute to the assessment process of the pupils. The
Foundation Stage Profile enables the teacher to build up their assessments throughout the
year on a cumulative basis.

The Foundation Stage Profile forms the basis for reports to parents and for information to
be passed on to the child’s next teacher.

The children are encouraged to keep a Record of Achievement in which examples of
work that the child/teacher chooses are kept. These are shared with other children and
with parents at open days and parental consultation meetings.


Resources
We plan a learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, that encourages a positive
attitude to learning. We use materials and equipment that reflects both the community
that the children come from and the wider world. We encourage the children to become
independent and to make their own selection of the activities on offer


Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting

The Foundation Stage is incorporated into the school’s policy on monitoring, evaluating
and reporting.




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Newton-le-Willows Primary School            Foundation Stage Policy             Academic year 2011/2012



Parental Involvement

We believe that all parents have an important role to play in the education of their child.
We recognise the role that parents have played, and their future role in educating the
children. We do this through:
     Talking to the parents about their child before the child starts school (Nursery
       and/or Reception);
     The children have the opportunity to spend time with their teacher before starting
       school;
     Offering parents regular opportunities to talk about their child’s progress in the
       Foundation Stage;
     Encouraging the parents to talk to the child’s teacher if there are any concerns;
     Formal meetings for parents in the autumn and summer terms at which teacher
       and the parents discuss the child’s progress. Parents receive a report on their
       child’s attainment and progress at the end of the school year.
     Having flexible admission arrangements that enable children and parent to be
       secure;
     Arranging a range of activities throughout the year that encourages collaboration
       between child, school and parents. Events include SHARE and parental
       involvement schemes.



Homework

Children are expected to read for 10 minutes each night and as the year progresses other
tasks developing topic work at school may be set. This will be, where possible,
practically based to develop the philosophy of the Foundation Stage Curriculum,
although there may be times when some written or pictorial account is required to be
returned to school for discussion/development in future lessons.

Equal Opportunities

Resources are used throughout the Foundation Stage which reflect diversity and are free
from discrimination and stereotyping. No child is excluded or disadvantaged because of
ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, special educational
needs, disability, gender of ability.


Role and Responsibilities

The Foundation Stage Co-ordinator receives any information/resources that arrive in
school and disseminates these to the teachers in the unit. It is the co-ordinators role to
maintain resources, monitor their use and order any new resources needed in accordance
with the school ordering procedures based on the Foundation Stage budget. The co-

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Newton-le-Willows Primary School            Foundation Stage Policy             Academic year 2011/2012


ordinator has a monitoring role, monitoring both the children’s work and the quality of
teaching. They are also involved in supporting colleagues in the teaching of the
curriculum, being informed about current developments in the area of the Foundation
Years and provide a strategic lead and direction for the Unit in the school.




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