Early Years Policy

Aims and Purposes

We aim to:

create a secure, happy and inclusive environment where all children are valued. We celebrate the diversity of religion, culture and educational needs that exists within our school and mirror that in curriculum opportunities and daily routines of classroom and outdoor learning.
plan activities to enhance learning for all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, providing a holistic and integrated education. We build on what children already know and can do and challenge them to make substantial leaps in their learning.
encourage children to take responsibility for their learning by sharing learning intentions and providing resources so that they are accessible for purposeful child initiated activities.
provide well planned, quality challenges and activities inside and outside that are safe and accessible for all children.
work together as a team, sharing similar philosophies in which children and their learning are at the centre of all team decisions.
work together with parents in an atmosphere of mutual respect within which children can have security and confidence.

Learning and Teaching Opportunities

We celebrate the fact that children learn in different ways and provide a variety of teaching styles and methods to accommodate this.
Children are encouraged to explore adult directed and child initiated activities in all areas of the curriculum on a regular basis, making informed decisions on where they want to work.
We plan on a weekly basis and planning is flexible and reviewed daily to build on the children’s interest and learning.
Activities are structured so that children are actively and deeply involved using all their senses in their learning.
Indoor and outdoor learning is interrelated and planned for together so that experiences begin in one environment and are extended in the other.

Equal Opportunities

All Children will have equal access to the Early Years Curriculum regardless of the gender, age, race, special needs, disability, religion and academic achievement.
We will provide equality and opportunity to access within a safe working indoor and outdoor environment.
Quality of provision will be ensured by practitioners planning and setting up together.
The tasks will be matched to the needs and abilities of the children and when necessary extra support will be available for children with special needs. Practitioners are aware of those children who are talented and gifted and differentiate for them accordingly.
We are aware of the different cultural needs of pupils and provide for these through appropriate resources.

External Links and use of our local environment

Role of the Coordinator(s)

The Early Years Coordinator and any team leader will monitor the implementation of the policy and offer any assistance required by the staff. They are responsible for ordering and the organisation of resources and will offer support to staff with regards to their usage. They will attend INSET/training sessions and co-ordinator meetings where appropriate and keep staff informed on current issues and initiatives. To keep up with all changes within Early Years government publications from the UK. They will be responsible for informing parents, guardians and stakeholders about the Early Years Policy in the school.

Assessment and Record Keeping

There is an ongoing assessment cycle which is constantly reviewed involving observations which may be timed, involving an outcome or observing a process to achieve an outcome.

Daily assessments are used to inform planning; this takes place through observations and judgements against the Development Matter Statements as stated in the Early Years Foundation Stage document.

As from September 2018 teachers will baseline children and teachers will input data onto the school tracker, online Learning Journal, for teachers and parents to access on a regular basis.

Early Years Coordinator to keep track of observations and termly assessments.

Resources

Health and Safety

The children should be taught about hazards, risk and risk control. They are taught to manage their environment to ensure the Health & Safety of themselves and others. All equipment being used should be checked prior to each session and practitioners make their own judgements about equipment’s suitability. Pupils and staff should dress appropriately with suitable footwear.

Policy into practice

We agree

to set up the classroom appropriately together at the beginning or end of the session.
all practitioners take an active role in assessment, planning and evaluation of the curriculum.
to take joint responsibility for all children regardless of gender, sex, ethnicity and ability.
to work together in classroom management, working with children to resolve conflict and build up a positive approach to management of behaviour and create a happy working environment.
to build up a classroom code with children and abide by it.
to work harmoniously within the team, treat each other with respect and resolve differences of opinion openly and honestly. Thus, being a good example to children.
to provide good quality, well differentiated learning opportunities for children at all times.
that all adults will use all session time to focus on children and their learning. As far as possible preparation of resources and photocopying should be done prior to the session.
to comfort children appropriately keeping contact to a minimum.
to try and solve conflicts verbally with children but if restraint is needed for Health and Safety reasons there must be two adults present.

Outside Area

We agree

to provide a broad and balanced curriculum indoors as well as outdoors.
to set up the outdoor area whatever the weather unless it is raining, before school starts. All staff should work together to set up.
that in very hot weather we encourage children to wear sun hats and sun cream. In very cold weather we encourage children to wear warm coats, scarves, hats and gloves. If children do not have appropriate clothing and we do not have appropriate clothing to lend them we ask them to work inside.
to teach respect for all plants and animals.
to always have 1 member of staff outside on a rotational basis to keep the staff pupil ratio guidelines (1:13 Nursery, 1:30 Reception).
that the role of the practitioner in the outdoor area is active enhancing children’s learning. This may take the form of adult/child interaction or observation.
to work with the children to keep the materials in their designated areas unless resources need to be moved for a planned adult or child initiated purpose.
to use bikes in a constructive purposeful manner
to check physical equipment for safety as we set up and use mats for anything higher than 60cm.
that all adults outside work with the children to put away equipment.

Implementation and Review

The implementation of this policy will be monitored by the co-ordinator, teachers, SLT and principal will be reviewed as outlined in the School Improvement Plan.

Inclusion

Inclusion is an integral part of Early Years. All children will have equal opportunity in their learning regardless of gender, race, and disability, socio-economic or cultural background.

Appropriate provision will be made in this subject to meet the diverse needs of our school population.

FOLLOW

ADMISSION FORM

Early Years Policy

Enroll Now! Registration for Academic Year 2024 - 2025 NOW OPEN!