Please find below some key information for parents and carers of children who are joining Reception (Early Years) at St. Paul’s R.C. Primary School.

• The Early Years is all about your child learning through play. Therefore your child will spend most of their day in school accessing the continuous indoor and outdoor provision, following their own interests. The areas within the classroom will be set up by the adults with your child’s interests and next steps in mind. The children will then access these areas with support and guidance from the staff where necessary.

• During the school day your child will take part in small adult-led group activities, focused around Literacy, Communication and Language, Phonics and Maths. Although adult-led, the activities will always be fun and engaging for the children, with their interests and needs in mind.

• Outdoor play is vital for children’s all round development and it is very important that we give the children the opportunity to access this all year round.

• Please make sure all the clothing, coats and where possible footwear is clearly labelled with your child’s name.

• We work with a cycle of observation, assessment and planning in mind. Therefore we will observe the children during their time in the continuous provision in order to see where he/she is currently at in their learning. We will observe them in the form of taking notes or photographs using a school camera/iPad which are stored securely within that child’s individual learning journey. These photographs are then linked to statements from the framework we work from ‘Early Years Outcomes.’ This enables us to track your child’s development and provide them with engaging and enriching experiences, keeping in mind their next steps in learning.

• We actively promote children’s independence and self-help skills at school. We recognise that children are very capable, therefore work with parents to encourage and enhance these skills. We promote and support children when addressing their own personal hygiene needs, however we do understand accidents can happen so please make sure your child always has a spare set of underwear and socks in school so we are able to change them if necessary.

Please click on the links to view the Parents Guidance to your child’s learning and development in the EYFS and the Parents' Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS)