Welcome to the Foundation Stage Unit.

Welcome to the Foundation Stage Unit. Our unit consists of part-time children who attend for a morning or afternoon session every day, and full-time children who attend all day. We hope your child will be happy with us, and settle quickly into the Unit. This booklet has been written to help you and your child become familiar with the Foundation Stage Unit and the way that it works. We hope you find it useful. Please keep this booklet in a safe place so that you may refer to it from time to time. If we can help you in any way whilst your child is with us, then please let us know-that’s what we are here for!

The Foundation Stage Team

Let us introduce ourselves!

Miss S Mehmet - Foundation Stage Teacher, Foundation Stage Co-ordinator and Assistant Head for Foundation Stage.

Mrs K Wray - Foundation Stage Teacher

Mrs G Jackson - Nursery Nurse

Mrs P Clifton - Nursery Nurse

Mrs G Callaghan - Teaching Assistant

Mrs H Robinson - Teaching Assistant

Brookhill Leys Primary School Aims

We aim to:

ensure that all children have equal access to the opportunities the school and the wider community offer, regardless of their abilities, gender, race or religion.
develop a school community that children enjoy and have pride in being part of.
provide a broad, balanced and exciting curriculum which challenges children’s thinking and enables them to achieve the highest possible standards.
enable children to take responsibility for and to have opinions about their own and learning which they are able to share with others.
support children with their learning, value their achievements and opinions and encourage them to learn from their mistakes.
encourage children to have high expectations of their potential and to be self reliant and independent.
enable children to become aware of and have the chances to be involved in their local community.
develop good relationships and respect between home, school, other professionals and those from other services and the wider community.
foster good effective ways of communicating and working together with parents, governors and the local community for the benefit of the children in our care.
help children to acquire the physical, social and emotional skills and experiences to develop and progress safely through life.
provide a safe and stimulating environment that enables children to access the curriculum fully.
ensure children develop the skills and knowledge to achieve a healthy mind and body.
help children to know the importance of good behaviour, what constitutes good behaviour, and to take responsibility for their own behaviour.

We teach our children in the Foundation Stage about appropriate behaviour and attitudes through our Foundation Stage ‘Golden Rules’, which are:

we share and take turns

we are kind to our friends

we use quiet voices

we look after our unit

we listen to each other

In the Foundation Stage we believe that:

everyone is special and important
everyone has a right to be treated kindly and with respect
everyone’s ideas and opinions are valuable
everyone needs opportunities to make their own decisions.

In our Foundation Stage Unit at Brookhill Leys, we offer children from the age of three [the beginning of Foundation Stage 1] to the age of five [the end of Foundation Stage 2] a rich and varied educational environment, where play, exploration and practical activities are seen as the foundations of learning. We aim to work closely in partnership with parents and carers so that each child may fulfil his/her potential and achieve the best possible start to their school life.

THE FOUNDATION STAGE CURRICULUM.

Children in the Foundation Stage Unit will experience a structured play-based curriculum, which is based on the six ‘areas of learning’. These are:

Personal, Social, Emotional Development

Communication Language and Literacy

Mathematical Development

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Physical Development

Creative Development

The children move across ‘Stepping stones’ and aim to reach the ‘Early Learning Goals’ by the end of their time in the Foundation Unit. Learning through play is at the heart of the Foundation Stage Curriculum. We plan for learning through play. So if your child tells you that s/he has been playing all day, that’s good, but they are learning as well! Sometimes children will work as part of a larger group, or will be specifically targeted for a literacy or numeracy activity with a member of staff. Children will work with different members of the Foundation Unit staff, depending on the type of activity they are doing.

Activities in the Foundation Stage:

Here are just a few of the kinds of activities your child will be doing during their time in the Foundation Unit:

looking at books
acting out stories
imaginative role play
writing for different purposes
sorting and matching games
learning letter sounds
counting, weighing, measuring
learning the names of shapes
drawing, painting, collage, model making
cutting and sticking
working with sand and water
using the computer and interactive whiteboard
climbing, throwing and catching
riding bicycles and scooters

Helping your child with the Curriculum:

At this age children learn the most through playing, talking and practical activities, so any time spent simply playing with your child and talking to them is very important.

Many parents ask how they can help their child with reading, writing or maths. The following are intended as helpful ideas you may want to use at home:

Talk to your child each day about something that has happened during their day and allow them to recall some details.
Share a book or story together each day.
Teach them how to handle a book properly.
Encourage them to retell familiar stories or rhymes, perhaps using pictures.
Look at and talk about shop signs, food labels, etc.
Write letters, birthday cards, party invitations together [your child’s early ‘scribble’ writing is very important-please value it].
Give your child lots of opportunities to experiment with felt tips, crayons, chalk, etc.
Encourage holding pens and pencils properly [between first finger and thumb and resting on the middle finger].
Show your child how to write his/her name. Remember only the first letter should be a capital.
Say number rhymes and count with your child.
Share out biscuits or sweets, eg one each, two each.
Ask questions like ‘How many red ones?’
Look at number symbols and read them together.
Talk about simple shapes, eg square, triangle.
Compare height with family members, eg taller, shorter
Compare weights of shopping-apples/ potatoes[heavier/lighter].
Play with different containers in the bath-talk about full/empty.
Allow your child to pay for something when out shopping and identify different coins.

The Foundation Unit staff greatly value the contribution you have made to your child’s education, and we look forward to working with you. If you are ever worried, unsure or curious about anything we do in the Foundation Stage Unit, please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff-we will be happy to help!

Equal Opportunities and Special Needs:

Brookhill Leys Primary School is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all children regardless of gender, race, ethnic background, religion or special educational need. Each child is seen as an individual and valued as such.

The school has a policy for special educational needs. It provides information about processes and procedures used to identify and help children with special educational needs. If your child shows some concern in their development or learning, a member of the Foundation Unit staff will talk to you. Parents are consulted when their child is receiving extra support so that we can work together to support the child. This is a two way process and so if you have any concerns about your child’s progress in any area of the curriculum, please do not hesitate to speak to a member of the Foundation Unit staff.

The school’s Special Needs Co-ordinator is Mrs J. Taylor.

Reporting progress:

All children progress at different rates and we plan the Foundation Stage curriculum in order to take account of this. Some children need extra support in certain areas and others need to be provided with opportunities to extend their knowledge, skills and understanding. As a Foundation Stage Unit it is our intention to meet the individual needs of each child. Parents are kept fully informed of their child’s progress through informal chats, open mornings, and parents’ evenings. We want your child to be happy and settled during their time with us. It is important that you as parents are happy and relaxed too. If you have any queries or concerns about your child’s progress, then please come and see us-we don’t want you to sit at home worrying! We will do our best to help.

The Foundation Stage Unit:

The morning session for part-time children starts at 9am and finishes at 11.30am.

The afternoon session for part-time children starts at 1pm and finishes at 3.30pm.

The day for full-time children starts at 8.50am and finishes at 3.30pm.

PLEASE:

Try to bring your child to their session on time, as a lot of the teacher input work takes place at the start of the session, and it’s important your child does not miss this work.

Try to collect your child from the Unit on time, or please telephone if you are delayed. If we know that you may be a little late at the end of the session, we can reassure your child that you will be along soon.

Make sure you tell us if anyone different is collecting your child from the Unit. We will not let him or her go with someone else unless you have told us first.

Do not let your child play on the outdoor equipment when you come into the school grounds, as the staff set specific things out to be used during the sessions-thanks!

If your child will not be coming to school because s/he is ill, please let us know as soon as possible-

The School telephone number is 01773 713452.

Please keep us informed of any changes to your child’s emergency contact numbers.

We need to know…

If you change your telephone number
If one of the people you have put down as an emergency contact changes their telephone number or moves away.

If your child has been prescribed medicine by a doctor to be taken during school hours, parents must hand over the medicine to the Head Teacher or hand it in at the school office. It is important that there are also clear, written instructions to go with the medicine and that it is labelled with your child’s name.

Medicines not prescribed by a doctor cannot be given by any of the school staff.

A day in the Foundation Unit, whether your child is full –time or part-time, is varied and very busy. Don’t be disappointed if your child is unable to tell you about their day. After school, they need some time to relax, just like we do after a day at work!

Lunch time at school:

Whether your child has school dinners or a packed lunch, children eat their dinners in mixed age groups in the dining areas. Every effort is made to accommodate small friendship groups. If your child is worried at lunch time, please talk to one of the Foundation Unit staff as soon as possible.

If your child is staying for school dinners please send the dinner money at the beginning of the week. Packed lunch boxes need labelling clearly, which will help your child recognise which one belongs to them.

We are happy to let your child bring a drink into school in a small secure container labelled with their name. Milk is also available for all Foundation children [for a small payment each term for full-time children]. Children have constant access to drinking water. We also offer all children a piece of fruit every day at snack time.

Please let us know if your child has any food allergies, so that we can provide an alternative to any problem foods.

School Uniform:

At Brookhill Leys Foundation Stage Unit we like all our children [part-timers and full-timers] to come to school clean, tidy and ready for work, so we have adopted the following colour scheme for our uniform:

black, grey or navy trousers, shorts, skirts or pinafore.
white polo neck shirts or t.shirts, white blouse or shirt.
navy sweatshirt, cardigan or jumper.
blue checked or striped dresses for summer wear

We would like all the children [part timers and full timers] to wear uniform.

Clothing items with the school’s name on can be purchased directly from the school office.

Physical Education:

In order for your child to be safe, no jewellery is worn during PE sessions. It is useful to remove it before your child comes to school, or send some plasters so that we can cover up earrings-thanks.

Your child cannot join in with their PE session if they are wearing jewellery that has not been covered up with plasters.

Your child will need a PE kit which consists of shorts, t.shirt and plimsolls. It would be helpful if these were put in a bag and hung onto your child’s peg. Again, try to help your child by labelling their things clearly and showing them what is inside their PE kit. This helps them to find it easily.

Let your child practise undressing and dressing themselves so that when it comes to changing for PE they are confident and independent enough to try and do it by themselves.

On the subject of clothing, could we please ask that any other items of clothing that your child is likely to take off [coats, hats, etc] are clearly named so that staff can reunite garments with owners at the end of the session!

Days and times for PE sessions will be posted on the parents’ noticeboard/window.

Homework:

Your child will bring activities home to share with you. The kinds of activities will depend on whether your child is part-time or full-time. The activities will support the work we do in the Foundation Stage Unit. We believe that learning should be fun and exciting!

Letter/sound recognition

Games Collecting information

Making lists

Looking for shapes in the home

Number hunt around the home

Number games

Practising adding and taking away

These activities will give you a great deal to talk about together, as well as being good fun! The activities always relate to the children’s learning in the Foundation Unit. The time that you spend together will really help to give your child a stronger foundation for their future learning in Literacy and Maths.

Reading at Home:

Reading is the most important skill your child will learn at school. We put an enormous amount of time and effort into helping your child to enjoy reading and to become a confident reader.

As soon as your child starts their time in the Foundation Stage Unit, they will be given books to bring home to share with you. Children need encouragement to read books and to listen to and enjoy stories. Please spend a little time each day sharing a book with your child. If you enjoy story time with your child, she/he will soon learn that reading is fun.

As your child moves through the Foundation Unit and becomes full-time, their reading will develop into a more structured programme. Your child will be given a scheme book and a story book which you can read to them, maybe as a bedtime story. They will also have a reading diary in their book bag, which will serve as a way of tracking your child’s reading progress. We would ask you to write a positive comment in your child’s diary and bring their book bag to school everyday.

[Book bags can be purchased from the School Office.]

Once your child starts full time in the Unit, you will be invited to a reading meeting when Miss Mehmet will discuss the different approaches used at school to teach reading.

Always be positive and encouraging when your child reads with you, and if you have any concerns [however small], come and see us.

Can you help?

We may be able to use something which you are about to throw away!

We often need things like:

pants and socks for when ‘accidents’ occur.
junk materials for model making such as cereal boxes, wool, sequins, yoghurt pots, margarine pots, etc.
books, toys, games, dressing up clothes which are in good condition.
children’s magazines in good condition.

Please keep an eye on the parents’ notice board/windows for information/ notices/ things we are collecting. Thanks!

If you are able to help out in the Foundation Stage Unit or in main school, please pop in and talk to a member of staff. We look forward to working with you!

School details:

Brookhill Leys Primary School

Chewton Street

Eastwood

Nottingham

NG16 3HB

Telephone: 01773 713452

Fax number: 01773 531954

Head Teacher: Mrs D.Helliwell.

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