Foundation Stage Unit (FSU)

 

Welcome to Foundation Stage Unit (FSU)

St Giles-on-the-Heath Primary School

 

Welcome to Foundation Stage Unit (FSU)!

 

I hope you all had a lovely Summer. We are so excited to welcome you and your child to FSU!

We cannot wait to begin this wonderful journey together and to watch your child grow, learn and flourish with us. Our Nursery and Reception classroom is a warm, happy and nurturing place where children can feel safe, settled and valued. Through play, exploration and discovery, we provide lots of opportunities for children to have fun, make friends and develop their skills at their own pace. We will encourage every child to become more independent, confident and curious, while nurturing their interests and helping them to develop a lifelong love of learning. Most importantly, we want every child to feel happy, cared for and excited to come through our door each day.

Our learning is centred around language-rich, play-based experiences that encourage children to explore, create and discover. Through a balance of carefully planned activities and opportunities to follow their own interests, children develop their communication, understanding of the world and creativity, while building strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, problem-solving and independence. Each half term, we explore a new and exciting topic, creating lots of opportunities for children to learn through play and develop new skills.

In the first half term we will explore the theme ‘Who Am I?’, allowing children to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging while building on friendships and settling into their new environment. They will explore their own interests and what makes them and others special, share their own families and learn about different types of families, explore their own feelings and emotions, talk about their home and different types of homes and learn about the different parts of a body.

In the second half of the term, we will focus on the theme ‘Who helps me?’ which enables the children to build a strong sense of community, develop their social skills and knowledge on how to stay safe and healthy. Children will explore who helps us at home and in school and learn about the different job roles of the people that help us in the community.

English/ Literacy

It is integral that children develop a life-long love of reading which we will support by providing regular opportunities for adults to talk to about the books they read with the children and what they experience in the world around them. We will share both fiction and non-fiction books, build on their listening skills and sing songs, rhymes and poems together.

In the first half term, children will be coming home with a storybook for you to share with your them. This develops their language skills, vocabulary and comprehension. The children follow the RWI phonics scheme which helps them to read fluently. In the first term they will learn single letter Set 1 sounds and then begin to practice these in words through oral blending. Before they move onto reading Read Write Inc (RWI) books, pupils will come home with set 1 sound cards to practice what they are learning in school. We will use your child’s reading record book as a form of communication regarding this.  Additional to the formal Phonics programme, we provide many opportunities to develop early literacy skills through games and the indoor and outdoor enhanced provision.

Maths

In Reception we follow the Mastering Number programme. This helps to secure strong early maths skills and allows children to develop a deep understanding. In the first term children will focus on developing their subitising (recognising quantities without counting) and counting skills. They will also explore the composition of numbers within 5 and start to compare sets of objects. Alongside daily whole-class teaching sessions, there will be a range of child-led opportunities to develop mathematical skills through meaningful play during indoor and outdoor continuous provision.

Themes (Understanding of the World/ Expressive Arts and Design)

Our topics provide lots of exciting opportunities to explore, create and learn. Through topics such as ‘Who Am I?’ and ‘Who Helps Us?’, children will enjoy a variety of hands-on experiences, from creating artwork inspired by artists such as Frida Kahlo, to making and tasting apple flapjack, creating collage fireworks, making clay diyas and designing Christmas decorations. Children will also learn about different festivals, the months of the year and the changing seasons, helping them to develop their understanding of the world around them.

They will also take part in Wild Tribe sessions on a rotation basis throughout the year. FSU will have Wild Tribe on a Wednesday afternoon in the first half of the Autumn term. This is a great opportunity for them to continue their learning outdoors, develop teamwork and grow respect and gratitude for the outdoor environment. For Wild Tribe please can children bring in:

• Waterproofs to go over school uniform (preferably a separate trousers and coat set to make toileting easier)
• Welly boots (in a carrier bag in case they get muddy)
• Please pack a bag with a long-sleeved top and trousers
• You might also like to pack hat, scarf, gloves and perhaps spare socks in case theirs get wet, but this is not required.

Please make sure all items are clearly named.

PE/Physical Development

Children have a range of daily opportunities to improve their physical development in both their gross and fine motor skills through indoor and outdoor continuous provision.  There will also be 2 weekly PE sessions on a Thursday afternoon and a Friday morning which will focus on developing functional skills.

PSHE/Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This is such a crucial part of your child’s education and underpins everything that we do.  Through all our activities, every child will have the opportunity to develop their personal, social and emotional skills, learning how to get on with each other and to have mutual respect and responsibility.  We will introduce and explore our school values: building Relationships by being Resilient, Resourceful, Reflective and Respectful as well as our school motto; ‘Aim High, Be Resilient & Take Care of Each Other’.  Often, we will have a focus on specific elements of PSED in activities such as circle time and with a programme called SCARF (Coram) using specialised resources and stories.  The SCARF themes this term are: ‘Me and My Relationships’ and ‘Valuing Differences’.

Homework

In Reception we ask you to support your child’s learning by helping them read 5 times a week. As previously mentioned, this begins with a story to share with them to develop language comprehension and will progress as the term continues to include the practising of Set 1 sounds. We will be sending home copies of Set 1 sounds later in the term words. We ask that children practice these at home regularly to support their confidence. We will send you links to the RWI Portal to support with this.

Communication

To help us share your child’s adventures with you, we use Class Dojo to celebrate their learning and share regular updates from our classroom. We will also use it to send important messages and reminders. We really value your communication and want to work together to support your child. If you have any questions, information to share or concerns, please speak to us at drop-off or pick-up, send a message in your child’s Reading Record, or contact the school office to arrange a telephone or face-to-face meeting.

Please also remember to check our weekly newsletter for school updates and important dates.

The children’s well-being is of paramount important to us and as a school we aim to create a happy, healthy environment for all. If you have any worries or questions, please do not hesitate in coming to see us.

Many thanks,

Miss A Davey (Class Teacher) and Mrs D Bryant (TA)