Welcome to the Wonderful World of Class R!

We love our little ones and we have started our learning journey with heaps of enthusiasm and fun! 

We regularly upload photos and some videos of our busy days at school.

We hope you enjoy looking at our page with your children!

Lots of love, 

The Class R Team x x x  

Intent

(Curriculum design, coverage and appropriateness)

• To work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential from their various starting points.

• To understand and follow children’s interests and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning, grow cultural capital, consolidate and deepen knowledge and ensure children meet their next steps.

• To create an indoor and outdoor environment which supports learning.

• To prepare children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure children make good progress from their starting points.

• To support transition into KS1.

Implementation 

(Curriculum teaching, delivery)

Transition from nursery to school

As Early Years Practitioners we pride ourselves in our welcoming, robust transition programme. The process begins as soon as we receive our intake list. Administration emails are sent/delivered to our new families via the school business manager. Early Years teachers contact new families via email welcoming them to our Shakespeare family and introducing themselves. Details of our home school messaging app and school Facebook page are shared so that families can immediately connect with teachers and the school. Class Dojo is our chosen communication platform and parents receive an invitation to connect. All transition information including dates for events are shared via Class Dojo and the school Facebook page to maximise accessibility. The induction meeting is held in late May/ early June. During the meeting our Early Years ethos, daily routine and curriculum is introduced. Parents are invited to sign up for home visits, stay and play sessions and arrange any appointments if they would like to discuss specific needs or concerns. Early Years teachers visit the children in their nursery settings and speak to the keyworkers regarding our new entrants. Alongside nursery visits we also conduct home visits should parents wish to arrange. During home visits we chat to the children and their families based on our road to school document (school readiness and children’s interests). In July new entrants are invited into school for two half hour story time sessions and during the first week of the school term children come into school for two, two-hour play/ story sessions before beginning full time hours straight away. Contact with families is maintained throughout using Class Dojo.

At Shakespeare School we follow the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework supports an integrated approach to early learning and care. It gives a set of common principles and commitments in how to deliver quality early education and childcare experiences to all children.

At Shakespeare we pride ourselves in a robust and successful transition programme. From the knowledge that is gained from transition, it is then decided how planning will be weighted during the first term. For example, low Physical Development cohorts are immediately introduced to ‘Funky Finger’ stations, indoor PE box and gross motor challenges. Squiggle as you wiggle sessions provide a mixture of gross and fine motor skills working on mark making, following the pre-writing development stages.

Once baseline assessment has taken place, and we believe the children to be ready, a daily 15-minute phonics session is taught using the RWI programme. As the children begin to learn more sounds this time will increase slightly in order to teach a deeper understanding of reading and writing. Children will learn to write in pre-cursive print. We believe that teaching lead ins and outs (whoosh in, whoosh out) supports early handwriting and means that handwriting doesn’t need to be relearned by the time a child reaches Year One. Although we encourage pre-cursive handwriting, we celebrate all early marking including children who find it more comfortable to print.

Our careful planning cycle consists of high-quality observations and pupil discussions, this enables us to assess the children and plan accordingly to meet the children’s current needs. Each week the EYFS teachers plan using a carefully thought out mix of ideas from the development matters documents and the children’s interests. A typical day in EYFS includes daily mathematic, phonics and literacy sessions. These normally include a pacy and exciting class input and then differentiated independent and focused tasks.  Alongside creative Literacy and Numeracy planning, we also take pride in planning cohort specific imaginative and awe-inspiring topic lessons which will cover all the areas of learning. This ensures that our curriculum is broad, balanced and progressive and that the learning environment is engaging.  

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Physical Development

• Communication and Language

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the World

• Expressive Arts and Design 

In the EYFS the staff understand the importance of providing our children with extended learning opportunities that help develop cultural capital. Planning will ensure children experience trips out into the community, further afield and visits from people in the community. We also participate in competitions and family involvement days.

TalkBoost has been put in place and children are assessed during our baseline period. TalkBoost provides a complete speech and language toolkit that identifies children’s individual communication and language needs and provides tailored intervention sessions.

Shakespeare is a large school, thus the EYFS staff comprehend the importance of teaching children to become independent learners. Children are encouraged to think for themselves, plan and investigate in all areas of learning. Staff use our dinosaur themed characteristics of learning characters to promote this e.g. ‘Even though you found that difficult, you didn’t give up. You are being a Tryosaur!’ 

Staff are firm believers in children having the autonomy to take controlled risks- whether this be taking a risk in a piece of work, a controlled physical development risk or a risk in relationships i.e. with a friendship. With risk often comes failure- and from failure staff can build up children’s resilience. Thus, children gain an excellent understanding of self- awareness and self-control. 

We take pride in the relationships we build with families and carers. We keep them informed about their child’s learning in a variety of ways including ‘learning journey’ open afternoons, workshops, Class Dojo, ‘come read with me’ sessions and parent consultations. 

Transition into Year 1

From Summer Term 1, the EYFS teachers will meet to discuss their views on preparation for Year 1. Ideally, small changes will be made to prepare the children for their transition into Year 1 e.g. an increase in focused tasks, setting children differentiated challenges. This is to ‘get the children ready’ to become more independent learners and develops intrinsic motivation. 

Towards the end of the academic year children visit the Year One classrooms in order to support the transition between EYFS and Year One. Class teachers meet with the Year One teachers to discuss each individual child.

Impact

(Assessment, attainment and next steps)

• We strive to ensure that our children’s progress across the EYFS curriculum is good from their varied starting points. We also strive for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception and to be near National expectations.

• Evidence in children’s Learning Journeys support all areas of the EYFS curriculum.

• Class teachers use observations to make formative assessments which inform future planning and ensure that all children build on their current knowledge and skills at a good pace.

• Summative assessment compares children’s attainment to age related expectations using month bands in the Development Matters.  This is tracked to ensure rates of progress are at least good for all children, including vulnerable groups such as those with SEND or who are disadvantaged.

• Assessment judgements are moderated both in school and externally with local schools. Experienced staff undertake moderator training through the LA which helps validate school judgements.

DATA ANAYLSIS

Comparative Analysis of Reading, Writing and Number

May not have met GLD due to not gaining expected or above in Prime areas.

What did our Grandparents say?

"What a wonderful idea! A's Grandma came over from Manchester and wouldn't be able to share A's school experience without ideas like this. Thank you"

"So lovely to have been invited to see K's school and spend some time with her. We have had a lovely afternoon. Thank you."

"Thank you for all your hard work for our afternoon tea. It has been so nice."

"We loved being part of your school!... Thank you for our invite... The choir was magical... Thank you for helping L grow."

"Lovely afternoon... Great idea to allow family into K's school environment and see how happy he is here."

"Had a wonderful afternoon... Great turn out... Hope to do it again."

"Precious memories of a lovely afternoon. Thank you."

"One of the most lovely hours I've ever spent."