Parent Information Evening
The Foundation Stage
A guide to giving your child the best start to their education
The Foundation Stage curriculum
• A play-based curriculum
• Statutory curriculum for England
What does ‘play-based’ mean?
• Play is an essential part of a child's social, emotional, physical and cognitive
and cognitive development.
Why ‘play-based’ education?
• It develops creativity, imagination and dexterity, as well as physical, cognitive and
emotional strength.
• It supports a healthy brain development.
• It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world
around them.
The learning environment
• It is carefully planned and
structured to ensure there is
a rich variety of learning
opportunities for the children.
• Teachers observe the children
playing and ask carefully
considered questions to
promote in-depth thinking and
to encourage the children to
develop their own problemsolving skills.
• Adults in the setting engage with
the children to help extend their
thinking and challenge them
further.
• It is vitally important to us that the children within the setting are continuously thinking and being creative. Children
develop within their play as it encourages them to think independently. Play also enables children to develop social
and language & communication skills.
Assessment
The children are assessed in the seven areas of learning:
Communication and Language / Personal, Social and Emotional / Physical Development
/ Literacy / Numeracy / Knowledge and Understanding / Expressive Arts Development.
Through:
• Observations: short and long written comments about the children’s actions and
interactions within their play. This documentation is added with photographic
evidence to their learning journal.
• Practical Assessments are completed every term to track the children’s
understanding in Phonics and Numeracy.
• Long observations track a child’s engagement for an extended period of time.
All this helps to assess a child’s development and to check if a child is meeting their
expected milestones.
Your child’s day at school
Foundation 1 and 2
•
All Foundation children will arrive at school between 07:00 and 07:20. Students will go directly to their classrooms.
•
Three short teaching sessions (between 5 to 10 minutes). They will be encouraged to use what they have learned in these sessions during their play through a targeted ‘objectiveled’ approach.
•
All Foundation children who follow the Ministry of Education curriculum will have two Arabic language lessons and one Islamic lesson per week.
•
Foundation 2 children will have a scheduled music lesson and two PE lessons a week delivered by specialists.
•
All Foundation 1 children will have a designated snack time. Foundation 2 children will have a rolling snack time.
•
At the end of the school day, your child’s communication folder and communication book will be sent home. Please check daily.
•
Foundation 1 children have the option to leave at either 12:00 or 13:00. Parents or carers must collect the child on time.
•
Foundation 2 children finish at 13:30.
Preparing your child for the new academic year
When your child begins in the Foundation Stage, there are a few things that will help them to have the best start and be able to
best start and be able to engage in learning from the very beginning.
o Talk to your child
o Play with your child and take them to play with other children
o Read to your child
o Take them on trips and visits
o Label everything
o Teach them how to go to the toilet independently
o Ensure they can eat on their own without the support of a parent or nanny
o Start talking about school
Tips for the first week
We know that both you and your child may be feeling a little anxious about the first day of term. How you feel about that first day
feel about that first day will affect how your child feels about their first day. If you can encourage them to feel happy and relaxed,