Medium Term Plans for FS2
Term: Autumn 1
Theme: Ourselves / settling in
Displays:
 Children’s self-portraits
photographs and names.
 Children’s postcards and
pictures of their summer
adventures.
 Family portrait photo
display.
 Visual timetable and key
routines display.
 ‘FS2 Gallery’ displaying
children’s art work.
Personal, Social and Emotional
Development
Making Relationships
• Can play in a group, extending and
elaborating play ideas, e.g. building
up a role-play activity with other
children.
• Initiates play, offering cues to
peers to join them.
• Keeps play going by responding to
what others are saying or doing.
• Demonstrates friendly behaviour,
initiating conversations and forming
good relationships with peers and
familiar adults.
• Initiates conversations, attends to
and takes account of what others
say.
Personal, Social and Emotional
Development
Self Confidence / self-awareness
• Can select and use activities and
resources with help.
• Welcomes and values praise for what
they have done.
• Confident to talk to other children
when playing, and will communicate
freely about own home and community.
• Shows confidence in asking adults for
help.
Assessment
Developing independence in using
the provision. Encourage friendly
play.
Establish routines for children
helping children/parents to settle.
Develop familiarity of the school
environment / staff – small group
tours of the school taking photos of
some key people e.g. FS staff, head
teacher, secretary, premise
manager, cook etc.
Developing independence in using the
provision. With understanding that
adults are also resources and partners
in learning.
Chn will ask for help when needed.
Introduce profile books for new
children and use regularly as focus
activity.
Contribute to discussions and work
relating to home and family.
Introduce ‘smarty pants board’.
•Initial on entry assessment to be
completed by end of September.
•Providing appropriate support and
differentiation for children with
SEND or EAL.
•Samples of children’s work and
adult observations starting to be
filed/ recorded in EYFSP.
•Introduce ‘Special Books’ to
encourage more speaking and
writing.
Katharine Vallely 2013
Theme: Ourselves / settling in
Personal, Social and Emotional
Development
Managing feelings and
behaviour
• Begins to accept the needs of others
and can take turns and share resources,
sometimes with support from others.
• Can usually tolerate delay when needs
are not immediately met, and
understands wishes may not always be
met.
Establish FS2 routines with predictable
sequences and events.
Discuss the importance of sharing and
taking turns. Include activities which
encourage this.
Cover SEAL work on new beginnings and
discuss the importance of good
behaviour.
Medium Term Plans for FS2
Characteristics of Effective
Learning
Term: Autumn 1
Communication and Language
Listening and attention
Theme: Ourselves / settling in
Communication and Language
Understanding
Communication and Language
Speaking
Playing & Exploring:
Encourage children to ‘have a go’ and
explore their new environment
Active learning:
Encourage children to learn together
and from each other
Encourage children to persist with an
activity even when it is challenging
Creating & Thinking Critically:
Encourage open ended thinking.
Model being a thinker, showing that
even grownups don’t always know.
Introduce ‘The Question Tree’.
• Listens to others one to one or in
small groups, when conversation
interests them.
• Listens to stories with increasing
attention and recall.
Focusing attention – still listen or do,
but can shift own attention.
• Is able to follow directions (if not
intently focused on own choice of
activity).
•Understands use of objects (e.g. “What
do we use to cut things?’)
• Responds to simple instructions, e.g. to
get or put away an object.
• Can retell a simple past event in
correct order (e.g. went down slide,
hurt finger).
• Uses talk to connect ideas, explain
what is happening and anticipate what
might happen next, recall and relive
past experiences.
• Uses vocabulary focused on objects
and people that are of particular
importance to them.
• Uses language to imagine and recreate
roles and experiences in play situations.
Environment/Resources
Supporting children in developing
listening & attention skills. E.g. Simon
says.
Daily story sessions to encourage
increasing attention and recall.
Set up a listening area where children
can listen to stories and rhymes.
Regular Phase 1 activities to develop
phonological awareness.
Share rhymes, stories and books from
other cultures.
Sound walk around the school.
Regular sharing sessions.
Adults to observe as well as take part in
children’s play.
Talk to and reflect with children
discussing what they have been doing and
why they have been doing it.
Establish daily routines within FS2.
Introduce the use of question tree (Mid
October).
Opportunities for children to talk with
adults on one-to-one and small group
basis.
Retell events which have occurred over
the summer holidays (using postcards as
prompts).
Adults to participate in imaginary play
encouraging spoken and written
language.
Encourage use of adult open ended
questions.
Show interest and attention to words
children use to describe
events/objects/items.
• Listening and responsive adults
• Warm, welcoming and comfortable
environment for all children,
especially new children.
• Organisation inside and out of
workshop areas
• Resources accessible and labelled
• Use outside to provide/support all
areas of learning
• Environment to respond and develop
according to children’s interests and
enjoyment.
Katharine Vallely 2013
Medium Term Plans for FS2
Trips / Visitors
Invite members of the
community to talk about the role
they play in the community and
what their job entails.
Invite members of staff to come
and talk to children about their
role at school.
TRIP TO BE ARRANGED
Parental Contribution
•Develop relationship with
parents/carers.
•Invite parents to ‘stay and play’ on a
Thursday morning.
•Arrange with bilingual speaking parents
to share a story and some traditional
songs in their home language.
•Use school website to display weekly
photos showing what learning has been
taking place.
Katharine Vallely 2013
Term: Autumn 1
Understanding the World
People and communities
Theme: Ourselves / settling in
Understanding the World
The World
Understanding the world
Technology
•Comments and asks questions about
aspects of their familiar world such as
the place where they live or the natural
world.
•Developing an understanding of growth,
decay and changes over time.
• Shows an interest in technological
toys with knobs or pulleys,
or real objects such as cameras or
mobile phones.
• Shows skill in making toys work by
pressing parts or lifting flaps to achieve
effects such as sound, movements or
new images.
•Shared discussions and postcard work
•Hold discussions about the home
•When out in the local community
about summer holiday adventures.
•Describes and talks about home
environment and family.
•Listens and begins to question the
guest speakers.
•Begin SEAL work on ‘New Beginnings’.
Identifying what makes children unique
and special.
environment and make connections to
the classroom environment.
encourage children to press buttons on
crossings.
walks in the local area, exploring the
surrounding environment (mid October).
camera. Encourage them to take their
own pictures.
• Shows interest in the lives of people
who are familiar to them.
• Remembers and talks about significant
events in their own experience.
• Shows interest in different
occupations and ways of life.
• Knows some of the things that make
them unique, and can talk about some of
the similarities and differences in
relation to friends or family.
•Make time for some regular short
•Begin to look at the physical changes
concerned with growth and
development.
•Recognising that all living things,
change, grow and develop.
•Allow children to have access to digital
Medium Term Plans for FS2
Term: Autumn 1
Theme: Ourselves / settling in
Literacy
Reading
Literacy
Writing
Mathematics
Number
• Enjoys rhyming and rhythmic
activities.
• Listens to and joins in with stories and
poems, one-to-one and also in small
groups.
• Listens to stories with increasing
attention and recall.
• Shows interest in illustrations and
print in books and print in the
environment.
• Looks at books independently.
• Handles books carefully.
• Holds books the correct way up and
turns page.
• Sometimes gives meaning to marks as
they draw and paint.
• Ascribes meanings to marks that they
see in different places.
• Gives meaning to marks they make as
they draw, write and paint.
• Uses some number names and number
language spontaneously.
• Uses some number names accurately in
play.
• Recites numbers in order to 10.
• Shows an interest in numerals in the
environment, recognising numbers of
personal significance
Realises not only objects, but anything
can be counted, including steps, claps or
jumps.
• Recognises numerals 1 to 5.
• Counts up to three or four objects by
saying one number name for each item.
•Shows an interest in shape and space
by playing with shapes or making
arrangements with objects.
• Shows interest in shapes in the
environment.
•Model oral blending of sounds to make
•Working alongside children to develop
•Begin and continue to develop a
•Encourage children to talk about
words in everyday contexts.
•Introduce daily phonics session for
those who are ready.
•Daily book / independent reading
sessions.
•Listening to stories in alternative
languages (parental involvement).
•Books and print to be provided in all
areas of provision.
confidence in emergent writing.
•Focus on a rich literacy environment,
especially role play and outside.
•Focus on meaningful print such as
children’s names, labels in the
environment.
repertoire of number rhymes and songs
•Focus on rich mathematical
environment.
•Focus on numbers personal to children,
their age, house number, telephone,
siblings age etc.
•Provide activities which develop
counting skills up to 10.
•Support children in counting things
which are not objects e.g claps, jumps,
skips.
•Ensure that numbers are displayed in
all learning areas. Include numbers in
children’s role play and physical play.
different shapes we may see around the
school and at home.
•Join children when they are playing
with shapes and ask questions such as
“what shape is this” and incorrectly
name shapes to test understanding.
•Take pictures of children’s
construction and ask what shapes can
be seen in construction.
•Children to practice writing their
name each morning with adult
present. Copy to be placed in EYFSP.
• Model writing for a purpose, e.g. a
shopping list, message for parents, or
reminder for ourselves.
•Encourage children to use phonologic
knowledge when writing.
Katharine Vallely 2013
Mathematics
Shape, Space and Measure
Medium Term Plans for FS2
Physical Development
Moving and handling
Term: Autumn 1
Theme: Ourselves / settling in
Physical Development
Health and self-care
Expressive arts and design
Exploring/using media materials
Expressive arts and design
Being imaginative
• Moves freely and with pleasure and
confidence in a range of ways, such as
slithering, shuffling, rolling, crawling,
walking, running, jumping, skipping,
sliding and hopping.
• Mounts stairs, steps or climbing
equipment using alternate feet.
• Walks downstairs, two feet to each
step while carrying a small object.
• Runs skilfully and negotiates space
successfully, adjusting speed or
direction to avoid obstacles.
•Draws lines and circles using gross
motor movements.
• Holds pencil between thumb and two
fingers, no longer using whole-hand
grasp.
• Can tell adults when hungry or tired or
when they want to rest or play.
• Observes the effects of activity on
their bodies.
• Understands that equipment and tools
have to be used safely.
• Gains more bowel and bladder control
and can attend to toileting needs most
of the time themselves.
• Can usually manage washing and drying
hands.
• Dresses with help, e.g. puts arms into
open-fronted coat or shirt when held
up, pulls up own trousers, and pulls up
zipper once it is fastened at the
bottom.
• Usually dry and clean during the day.
• Enjoys joining in with dancing and ring
games.
• Sings a few familiar songs.
Uses various construction materials.
• Beginning to construct, stacking
blocks vertically and horizontally,
making enclosures and creating spaces.
• Joins construction pieces together to
build and balance.
• Realises tools can be used for a
purpose.
• Developing preferences for forms of
expression.
• Sings to self and makes up simple
songs.
• Engages in imaginative role-play based
on own first-hand experiences.
• Uses available resources to create
props to support role-play.
• Plays alongside other children who are
engaged in the same theme.
•Provide lots of opportunities for large,
•Ensure children are aware of the
•Ensure workshop areas for children to
•Encourage and support small world and
physical movement, e.g. climbing
equipment, wheeled toys, balancing
equipment, large construction
equipment, hoops, tyres etc.
routines within FS2.
•Children to complete display showing
routines e.g. washing hands, toilet use,
putting on coat, aprons etc…
•Working alongside children to develop
tool use, eg: spreaders, scissors, stapler
express themselves creatively are set
up and children know how to use them
(painting, music, technology, malleable
etc.)
role play
•Daily singing sessions.
•Provide physical activities which will
support children’s friendships / cooperation skills, e.g. throwing & kicking
balls to each other, using large boxes to
make a construction together etc.
•Listen to a variety of music with
different tempo.
Katharine Vallely 2013
•Begin to learn a range of familiar songs
and rhymes through daily song sessions.
Consistent indoor and outdoor access to
construction equipment, with adults
available to support learning.
•Introduction of ‘Arica’ Project with
JM and arts enrichment team.
•Demonstrate how different objects
can be used as a variety of props.
Opportunities for children to speak
about home life and relate this into
stories and activities.
•Encourage use of imagination through
imagined stories and events.