Early Years Foundation Stage

 

Aimee	Hana		Faye
Hannah	Hannah		Leanne
Amy	Tina		Bethan

Queen's Kindergarten has a curriculum which encourages learning through play and which follows the EYFS curriculum. All children are assigned a key person to help track and support their learning. We use an online system called Tapestry to track progress in an 'online learning journal', which the parents can both read and contribute to.

Planning in the Moment

Planning in the moment is now well established in Kindergarten.  To help us enhance our planning we are asking parents to add home observations onto Tapestry online journal so we can include the children’s interests at home into the setting.
‘Planning in the Moment’ is all about capturing the children’s current interests at that particular time.

This form of planning is based on what the child is doing and how the practitioners will interact with the child to build on what the child is already doing (in the moment). Practitioners have the necessary skills to identify the child’s interests and know when and how to intervene to help move the child’s learning on. ‘Magic Moments’ (short bursts of planned activities) will also enable the practitioners to concentrate on key aspects of the EYFS curriculum and complete further work on individual children’s next steps.

Fundamental British Values

Fundamental British Values will continue to play a key role in the setting and we will look at traditions throughout the year, such as Easter, etc as well as the traditions of other cultures.

Overview of the Curriculum

Within the Kindergarten, we work towards the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Within the EYFS, there are seven areas of learning and development that mould and shape educational programmes in the setting. These seven areas are split into Prime and Specific areas.

The Prime areas are:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

 

The Specific Areas are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Art and Design

In the Kindergarten, we focus mainly on the Prime areas. These Prime areas are crucial for igniting the children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and they therefore build on their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

Planning In The Moment
Our learning in EYFS is based around the idea of Planning In The Moment which allows us to use particular interests that a child might have and to take this further in an adventure of learning.  This may be led by an experience that they may have had at home, for example a special birthday celebration, or it may be led by something that they have perhaps seen on the way to school that has really interested them. Please do share any experiences that you feel the other children would enjoy through tapestry and we can then build on these experiences.

Tapestry
Tapestry is used as an online learning journal where observations will be made of the children and these are then linked to the areas of learning.  We welcome parents making their own observations at home as this can also help to enhance Planning In The Moment. 
 

The Kindergarten meals are freshly prepared by our very own on-site EYFS chef.

Each day children receive a well-balanced lunch and tea option. A vegetarian option is always offered, and the chef can cater to individual requirements such as allergies.

The menu is on a 2-week rotation, as shown below.

Parent Information

Tapestry: Just a reminder that parents can upload their own observations to Tapestry to contribute to their child’s learning journey. Please speak to your child’s key person if you are unsure of your child’s current next steps.

Contact Details

Please ensure that your contact details are always up to date. A lot of our families have moved house recently so if your address, phone number and/or email address have changed since completing your enrolment form, please email kg@qe.org with your new contact details.

Collections

Morning sessions: Please ensure that if your child is booked in for a morning session, they are collected no later than 12:45 pm.

Afternoon sessions or full day sessions: Our afternoon sessions start 1:15pm - 6.00pm. Please note your child must be collected no later than 6.00 pm, as this is the time Kindergarten closes. 

Late Collection Fees

Children must be collected by 12:45 pm for morning sessions and by 6:00 pm for afternoon and full day sessions. After these times, the collection is considered as a late collection and may incur late collection fees.

If you are running late at the end of the day, please ensure you contact Kindergarten as soon as possible, preferably via phone on 01423 333665.

If the collection is after 6.05 pm, the staff will arrange to meet you at the Car Park Bus Shelter. Unfortunately, we will not be able to give you a full handover of your child’s day in these circumstances.

A fee of £5.00 is chargeable for late pickups (after 6:00 pm) which increases per every 15 minutes of lateness.

Holiday Requests

Please be reminded, any holidays requests require 4 weeks’ notice to not be charged. This can be made via email to kg@qe.org.

Property

Nappy cream: Parents are now asked to provide their child’s own nappy cream; this is to stop cross contamination and the spread of infections.

Spare clothes: Please could parents ensure their children have spare clothes in their bags as the children often get messy during the day during mealtimes or activities and we need to change them.

Pushchair storage: Pushchairs can be stored in the ‘Buggy Park’ located under the slides.

Name labels: It is essential that ALL children’s bags, coats, items of clothing and all personal belongings are labelled with your child’s name in case it goes missing.

Lost property: If your child has lost clothes at kindergarten please let a member of staff know and we will look and ask other parents. If we find clothes, we don’t recognise we will post a picture onto tapestry.

Illness and Medications

Existing injury/illness forms – Please ensure you speak to a member of staff if your child has hurt themselves at home or have had an illness which has required medication or a stay in hospital. You will be asked to complete a form for our records.

Sickness/ diarrhoea – Parents are advised that should your child become unwell, they are not allowed to return to Kindergarten for 48 hours from their last bout of sickness/diarrhoea. If your child becomes unwell at Kindergarten, they will be sent home after the first bout of sickness and will not be allowed to return for 48 hours.

Medication policy – Any children who have been prescribed medication by their GP must have taken their medication for 24 hours before returning to Kindergarten, in case of an allergic reaction.

Coronavirus policy – Any children who have tested positive for Covid-19 are advised to stay at home for 3 days and should only return to Kindergarten once they are feeling better in themselves and have no temperature.

Weather

No matter what the weather is like, the children will go outside during the day.  Therefore, please can we ask that your child is always dressed appropriately for the weather.  When the weather is warm, please can we ask that all children bring a named sun hat to school and have sun cream applied before they come into Kindergarten so we are able to go straight out after breakfast before it gets too warm for the children. We will reapply sun cream throughout the day.

 

These times are only set as guidelines and can be tailored to meet the individual needs of your child.

8:00 am	Kindergarten opens and we start the day in the EYFS dining room, offering children breakfast until 8:30 am.
8:45 am	We separate into our own rooms. Set up morning activities, free play with toys and focused activities out according to the planning. This will also include time outside, in the park, grassed area or for a walk
10:20 am	Snack time, fruit and drinks are offered to the children.
11:00 am	Nappies and the toileting is carried out during around this time.
12 Noon	Lunch time in the EYFS dining room
12:45 pm	After lunch, some children go home and the other children are put down for a sleep. The children are either put in cots or individual beds with their own sheet.
3:00 pm	If the children are not awake we wake them up. The children have free play while nappies and toileting are carried out.
3:30 pm	Outside play
4:00 pm	Back in for their tea-time snack
4:45 pm	When tea is finished the children join together in the grassed area or Monarchs hall depending on weather.
6:00 pm	Nursery closes and all children are collected by this time.

 

Our on-site EYFS chef prepares fresh meals on a 3-week rotation. View our Kindergarten Menu.

General Contact

Head of Chapter House and Queen's Kindergarten, Karen Kilkenny and the rest of the Kindergarten team can be contacted by phone on 01423 333665 or via email at: kg@qe.org.

Our Foundation Team

Miss Heyes

Mrs Pilley

Miss Smith

 

Spring Term 2023

In the EYFS we have our 3 prime areas of learning:

1. Communication and Language
2. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
3. Physical Development

And 4 specific areas of learning:

1. Literacy
2. Mathematics
3. Expressive Arts and Design
4. Understanding of The World

Literacy

Literacy will continue to be taught using ‘Magic Moment’ sessions that enable us to present work in an informal way, within the children’s ‘play’, working with children at a similar stage of development.  We use ‘Twinkl Phonics’ which is based on Letters and Sounds. 

Our new Nursery children will learn how to listen to sounds and to have sustained concentration on one thing that will gradually increase.  Nursery children that will be moving into Reception in September will re-visit sounds from phase 2, ensuring the depth of their knowledge and the ability to form the letters. Reception children will complete phase 3, practicing forming their letters correctly and then using this knowledge in writing their own words.  Alongside this they will use this phonic knowledge to continue gaining confidence in reading, learning more tricky words that cannot be phonetically segmented. 

This learning is very much based around enjoyment in order that they foster a love for learning.  Much of the work that they do will then be re-enforced within their play in the classroom. 

Mathematics

We will continue to use ‘White Rose Maths’ which, in the same way as the literacy, will continue to be taught during ‘Magic Moments’.  The work that they cover is very much presented in a fun, practical manner in order that they can really grasp an understanding of the concepts that they are learning.  They will build upon what they learnt last term.  In Number they will be focusing on understanding numbers to 10, comparison of numbers to 10, the composition of 4 and 5, ng pairs, combining numbers and learning number bonds to 10.  In Measure, Shape and Spatial Thinking, they will compare mass and capacity, learn more about length, height and time and will also look at 3-D shapes and pattern. 

Planning In The Moment

Our learning in EYFS is based around the idea of Planning In The Moment which allows us to use particular interests that a child might have and to take this further in an adventure of learning.  This may be led by an experience that they may have had at home, for example a special birthday celebration, or it may be led by something that they have perhaps seen on the way to school that has really interested them.  We look forward to building on their experiences from the Christmas holidays.  We will plan work around some fixed events such as Chinese New Year, Pancake Day and Easter. 

Tapestry

Tapestry is used as an online learning journal where observations will be made of the children, and these are then linked to the areas of learning.  We welcome parents making their own observations at home as this can also help to enhance Planning In The Moment. We will continue to use planners to record reading and phonics for those children that are ready for this, school, we love to hear how they are doing at home with this too, just pop it in their planner.  Don’t forget to continue to practice their sounds and tricky words at home, writing them too as this does help with independent writing.  Once children in Nursery are ready, they too will bring books home to begin to read to you, as above, we will then use their planner for this to be recorded – do let us know when a book is completed! 

The Nursery and Reception meals are freshly prepared by our very own on-site EYFS chef.

Each day children receive a well-balanced lunch and tea option. A vegetarian option is always offered, and the chef can cater to individual requirements such as allergies.

The menu is on a 2-week rotation, as shown below.

General Contact

Head of Chapter House and Queen's Kindergarten, Karen Kilkenny and the rest of the team can be contacted by phone on 01423 333310 or via email at: chapterhouse@qe.org.