Early Years Handbook
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Welcome to King’s St Alban’s Early Years At the heart of our modern, purpose built Pre-Prep building, sits King’s St Alban’s Nursery, a nursery within the King’s Foundation offering Early Years education to children aged from 2 to 4 years. At King’s St Alban’s we passionately believe that the first few years of a child’s education are fundamental; their exposure to learning in the formative years lays the foundation for future success. As a school we foster a joy of learning, encouraging a natural curiosity which we hope children will carry with them throughout their school journey and beyond. It is our aim to offer children the most magical and enjoyable learning experience possible in a warm and nurturing environment. Our caring and experienced staff will ensure each child is able to develop their individual talents in a fun and dynamic setting. We want children to play to learn and learn to play.
It is our aim to offer children the most magical and enjoyable learning experience possible in a warm and nurturing environment.
Our nursery plays a large part in the wider school life and our nursery children experience everything that King’s St Alban’s has to offer. Whether making mud pies in our on-site Forest School, choosing a book in our dedicated Early Years Library or taking part in fun, musical sessions with our specialist teachers, there really is something for everyone.
Briony Cartwright Assistant Head, Pre-Prep
Our Early Years Ethos
At King’s St Alban’s it is our aim to create an active, engaging and exciting learning environment, underpinned by warm, nurturing and supportive staff to help guide children at every stage of their development. We aim to provide children with the strongest possible foundations for their learning journey. This is done by instilling the following characteristics in our pupils. At King’s St Alban’s … •
We are happy. We firmly believe that happy children thrive and this really is at the heart of everything we do!
Alongside these are four, specific areas, through which the prime areas are strengthened and applied:
•
We are caring. From our Nursery Class of two-year olds upwards, the emphasis lies in caring and nurturing each child so they feel secure, loved and confident at school. This is achieved through the quality of relationships and interactions with staff.
• Literacy • Mathematics • Expressive arts and design • Understanding the world
•
We are inquisitive. Young children are inquisitive and learn best through play, King’s St Alban’s offers even our youngest children a wealth of opportunities allowing them to develop as individuals and begin to develop their personalities, learning styles, interests, skills and aptitudes.
•
We are bold. Children are natural-born risk takers and at King’s St Alban’s we encourage our children to explore their surroundings. We want children to acquire knowledge but we have a commitment to help them to learn to think for themselves, take risks and be courageous.
Early Learning Goals: The children’s progress is monitored carefully and assessed using the Early Learning Goals which show the level of attainment expected by the end of the EYFS (end of Reception). We share the results of the profile with parents / carers in the final term and provide an opportunity for discussion with their child’s Reception teacher.
•
We are resilient. At King’s St Alban’s we promote a positive “can-do” attitude - there is no fear of failure. Resilience and perseverance are all celebrated here.
Prime areas of learning: Our curriculum involves activities and experiences to meet the learning and development requirements in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – the three prime areas of learning and development are: • • •
Personal, social and emotional development Communication and language development Physical development
Grouping of Children: There are three groups of Children in the Early Years Department: • • •
Cygnets (2-3 years) Swans (3-4 years) Reception (4-5 years)
Sessions: We offer flexible sessions to meet family needs. We open from 7.45am until 6pm and half days are available. We recommend that children attend at least two sessions per week to ensure social continuity. Full Day Morning Afternoon
7.45am - 6.00pm 7.45am - 1.00pm 1.00pm - 6.00pm
We accept nursery funding towards payment. Please contact our Registrar for details.
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Cygnets (2-3 Years) Settling into Cygnets Our Cygnets class is the start of the King’s educational journey for many children. Children can start in Cygnets immediately after their second birthday. Starting Nursery is an exciting milestone in a child’s life. We want the children to be excited about their time spent with us as we know that happy children thrive. We offer taster sessions to ensure children are able to meet the staff in Cygnets and get to know them well before they start. A development profile is completed and all aspects of Nursery life can be discussed in an informal, relaxed manner. Daily Routine (approximately) 7.45am – 9.10am Arrivals and activities 9.15am Story and welcome 9.30am Snack (selection of fruit) 9.45am Activities 11.40am Songs and stories 12.00pm Lunch 12.30pm Activities 12.45pm Home time – morning session 1.00pm Rest time 2.15pm Outdoor play 3.00pm Tea 3.30pm Home time 3.45pm Late-club 5.00pm Light tea 6.00pm Final collection It is our intention that children feel settled and happy from the start. All children are allocated a key member of staff known as the ‘key person’. All children are greeted warmly on arrival and encouraged to participate in a variety of activities. Progress Check: Nursery staff conduct progress checks and provide parents / carers with a written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas. This progress check, which can be shared with the Health Visitor, will identify the child’s strengths and any areas where progress is less than expected.
Transition to Swans Children move into Swans the term following their third birthday. We aim to make the transition from Cygnets to Swans as relaxed and smooth as possible. Swans staff take every opportunity to get to know the children and parents in Cygnets. There are many opportunities for staff to interact and play with the children.
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Swans (3-4 Years) Swans builds on the foundations laid in Cygnets and helps to prepare children for their transition to Reception the following year. Children are encouraged to attend at least three mornings each week. Ideally, most of this group will be attending for several full days per week by the end of the Summer Term. As in our Cygnet class, each child will have an allocated key person. Daily Routine (approximately) 7.45am – 9.10am Arrivals and activities 9.15am Story and welcome 9.30am Snack (selection of fruit) 9.45am Activities 11.40am Songs and stories 12.00pm Lunch 12.30pm Activities 12.45pm Home time – morning session 1.00pm Rest time 2.15pm Outdoor play 3.00pm Tea 3.30pm Home time 3.45pm Late-club 5.00pm Light tea 6.00pm Final collection
Transition to Reception In order to make this move as relaxed and smooth as possible, during the summer term the Reception staff take Early Years assemblies, visit the Swans class to read stories and get to know the children. The children also visit Reception classrooms to become familiar with their new surroundings.
Weekly Sessions: Our Swans class provides a fun and varied programme of activities and events on a weekly basis, these are available to all children depending on their age and stage of development: • • • •
French lesson P.E. lesson Forest School Ballet & Music Monkey
• • •
Early Years Singing Session Dance / Yoga Cookery lesson
Clubs: In addition to the programme of activities available, after school clubs are offered to children in our Swans class. Some may carry a small charge.
Reception (4-5 Years) Children who have had their fourth birthday before 1 September move into Reception and attend full-time. Our Reception children benefit from small class sizes, looked after by an experienced teacher and a teaching assistant. Phonics, writing, mark making and mathematics are central to morning activities and are taught in an engaging and active way. The Early Years Curriculum is delivered through topic based learning where the children have lots of opportunity for exploration and child-initiated activities. Adult-led focus work extends during the year as concentration spans and listening skills continue to develop. The Reception Day: 7.45am – 8.30am
Early Room
8.35am Registration 9.00am
Morning lessons
9.45am
Snack (selection of fruit)
12.00pm Lunch 12.30pm – 1.00pm
Outdoor play
1.00pm – 3.30pm
Afternoon lessons
3.30pm Home time 3.30pm – 4.30pm
After School Club (not compulsory)
4.30pm – 6.00pm
Late-Club
Weekly sessions: • Music lesson • Swimming • Forest School
• French lesson • Games lesson • P.E. lesson
Weekly Assemblies: • Pre-Prep Assembly
• Whole School Assembly
During the spring and summer terms, Reception class leads an assembly to which parents are invited. After School Clubs: We offer an exciting range of after-school clubs which run until 4.30pm. These may include: • Ballet * • Music • Painting • Karate* • Sing, Dance, Create *
• • • • •
Rugby Tots * Cookery Construction Eco Club Gymnastics*
*offered weekly for a small charge.
Transition to Year 1 We aim to make the transition from Reception to Year 1 as smooth and as welcoming as possible for children. Year 1 follows on from the Early Years Foundation Stage with an exciting, hands-on creative curriculum.
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www.ksw.org.uk King’s St Alban’s Mill Street Worcester WR1 2NJ t: 01905 354 906 e: ksa@ksw.org.uk
The King’s School, Worcester: A company limited by guarantee, registered in England. Registered office: 5 College Green, Worcester WR1 2LL. Company No: 4776324. Registered charity No: 1098236. The information, terms and conditions set out in this prospectus and all occasional papers may be amended from time to time, and their provisions, subject to any such amendments, shall continue to apply for the whole period during which a boy or girl continues to attend the School, irrespective of his or her age.
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