Open Days 2024

We have planned a number of open days, to give parents the opportunity to look around our school.

To arrange a visit to the school, please phone or email the school office.

Phone: 01823 451353

Email: office@ksm.somerset.sch.uk

A PARENTS GUIDE

TO THE

EARLY YEARS

FOUNDATION STAGE

AT

KINGSTON ST MARY SCHOOL

2024

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

This is how the Government and early years’ practitioners describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5.

Throughout the Reception Year, your child will partake in an ambitious curriculum, which is designed in a sequential way to ensure progress towards our end of year curricular goals.

At Kingston, our curriculum incorporates everything we want the children to experience, learn and be able to do. It meets all the requirements of the educational programmes in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and has the flexibility to allow us to respond quickly to children’s new interests and/or needs.

The intent for our children is for them to enter the next stage of their education ready to tackle new challenges with confidence and a positive mind-set.

THE SEVEN AREAS OF LEARNING

Your child will be learning skill, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through seven interconnected areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop three prime areas first. These are:

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in four specific areas.

These are:

LITERACY
MATHEMATICS
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

These seven areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. At Kingston, our experienced EYFS teaching team ensure that tasks and challenges are suited to your child’s unique needs and interests.

Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking. Our environment indoors and outdoors is continually enhanced with resources designed to scaffold and maximise learning.

“WHEN WE GIVE EVERY CHILD THE BEST START IN THEIR EARLY YEARS. WE GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED TODAY. WE ALSO SET THEM UP WITH EVERY CHANCE OF SUCCESS TOMORROW”

DEVELOPMENT MATTERS 2021

OUR SCHOOL VALUES

Our values make us who we are and help us to stay focussed on what we do and how we do it.

We are building resilience to persevere and achieve our potential.

We encourage others to be responsible, honest and respectful.

We show one another kindness and friendship.

When the children enter the EYFS they quickly learn that experiences, challenges and new learning can be seen through the lens of being brave and resilient in the face of challenge, being kind and responsible people and being curious, creative, knowledgeable and imaginative.

We want our children to become learners for life.

HOW CAN I HELP AT HOME?

Building positive relationships with families of Kingston, creating a ‘triangle of trust’ between children, parents and practitioners begins in the Early Years. We understand that when parents relinquish part of the care and teaching of their child to the staff in our setting it is a big step. We pride ourselves on creating an environment that is warm and welcoming. Each day leads to a deeper knowledge and understanding of each child and their family.

All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school. You are you child’s first educators and we greatly value any input, opinions and information you can share with us about your child. Working together as partners will set the scene for your child to thrive at Kingston St Mary.

Maddie and Erin have created a video to show you our school.

Please look at the class pages to see the wonderful activities and learning our children have experienced so far this term.