At Hampton Lakes we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, of which there are four guiding principles.
These are:
- every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
- children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
- children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers
- children develop and learn in different ways (and at different rates).
We believe that all areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas, are:
- communication and language
- physical development
- personal, social and emotional development
We also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:
- literacy
- mathematics
- understanding the world
- expressive arts and design
Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity6, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest. We use “Letters and Sounds” to deliver a daily 20 minute phonic session.
Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measure.
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
During the school day your child will be able to choose from a range of child initiated or adult led activities. The teachers and TAs will encourage the children to choose from a range of different experiences both indoors and outdoors and will monitor the children’s interests.
At all times the children will be supervised by the Reception staff, but the level of adult involvement in their playing and learning will vary from day-to-day and activity-to-activity. Some activities will be completely child initiated, enabling the children to choose their own resources and toys to engage in play and learning; some activities will be adult guided or led, including phonics and reading sessions, teaching new knowledge or skills and some activities will have a balance of child initiation and adult support or guidance.
During the day the children will have the opportunity to use the outdoor learning environment, which presents a different range of experiences, activities and challenges to the indoor learning environments of the classrooms. The outdoor area, or garden, is used by Reception children, however the children in Reception may also use the playground or school field for some of their outdoor learning experiences.