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Gilberdyke Primary School

Foundation Stage 2

A Guide for Parents

September 2020

The Foundation Stage Unit

The unit is for both Foundation Stage 1 children

(ages 3yrs-4yrs) and Foundation Stage 2 children

(ages 4yrs-5yrs).

The Foundation Stage 1 and 2 children share the

facilities and some resources and will have

opportunities to work together. The activities and

challenges the children are provided with will be

relevant to their ages and stages of development.

All of the children in the unit follow the Early

Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Key Person:

Each child has a designated key person. This

person is responsible for ensuring that the care

and learning is tailored to meet the needs of the

individual child. They will help your child become

familiar with the setting, offer a secure

relationship and build and maintain

relationships with parents.

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the standards for

learning, development and care for children from birth to five

years old.

Foundation Stage 1 Education

Starts the term after their third birthday and is funded for 15

hours per week during term time.

Foundation Stage 2 Education

Starts in the September of the school year (September- August)

that your child becomes five years old. This is when children

attend five full days a week during term time.

Progression

All children progress at different rates in the Foundation Stage.

Information about their development and progress will be

shared with parents during parent’s meetings and end of year

reports. If you have any questions or would like more

information please just ask your child’s key worker.

Attainment

At the end of Foundation Stage 2, the attainment of your child

is recorded on the Foundation Stage Profile against the 17 Early

Learning Goals and this information is shared with parents.

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum covers 17 areas of

learning:

Three Prime Areas

1. Communication and Language Development

2. Physical Development

3. Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Four Specific Areas

1. Literacy

2. Mathematics

3. Understanding of the World

4. Expressive Arts and Design

Early Learning

In the early years at school much learning is

done through play

“Play is essential for children’s development,

building their confidence as they learn to

explore, to think about problems and relate to

others.”

From the Statutory Framework for the Early Years

Foundation Stage, Department for Education.

Play is a child’s

work!

The Daily Routine

There will be a wide range of activities for your child

to experience throughout the session.

At times, the children will be taught in whole class

groups, sitting quietly on the carpet around the

teacher and participating in interactive tasks.

At other times, your child will work in smaller groups

with an adult on activities carefully planned to meet

the needs of all the pupils.

The majority of their time will be spent on child

initiated activities. These activities will be in

carefully planned and resourced areas, inside and

outside. Our staff will observe the learning taking

place in these activities and scaffold learning when

they feel that their intervention can support the

development of the child’s learning to a higher level.

As the children in the Foundation Stage are

continuously learning through play, there will be no

separate playtimes. The children will have daily

access to our outdoor area.

Parents as Partners

How you can support your child’s learning at home.

Ensure your child comes to school having had a good

night’s sleep, about 11 hours is the recommended

amount.

Try and find a quiet time each day for you and your

child to talk and share your thoughts and feelings.

Share a book together every evening as part of the

bedtime routine. This helps children develop their

literacy skills and also creates a calm, enjoyable and

settled environment in preparation for sleep.

Sing nursery rhymes or songs together.

Play games like ‘I Spy’ focusing on the colours of

objects rather than the letters they begin with.

Count and use maths in everyday practical situations.

For example, “How many people are there at the table? Do

we have enough plates?”

Encourage them to develop independent skills such as-

Eating using cutlery correctly,

Putting on their coats and shoes independently,

Putting away toys etc.

Please come and see us if:

You want to discuss anything with us.

You are worried or concerned about anything.

You would like to help in school.

If you have any comments about our school that you

would like to share with us.

Refreshments

The children will be offered a fresh piece of

fruit and a carton of milk each day. Please

send a named water bottle to school every

day. The children will have access to their

water throughout the day.

School Clothing

Uniform

All the children in the Foundation Stage are

expected to wear school uniform:

Black or grey trousers/skirt/dress

Blue jumper/cardigan/sweatshirt

White shirt/polo-shirt

Black shoes that they can fasten

Summer alternatives

Blue and white dress (check or stripe)

Short trousers (not PE shorts)

School uniform can be ordered from The School

Uniform Shop in Goole, not from school.

Outdoor Clothing

The children will have daily access to our

outdoor learning environment regardless of

the weather. They need to bring a

waterproof coat/jacket every day and

clothing that is suitable for the weather

conditions. Please send a named pair of

wellingtons to keep in school. Some parents

also choose to send a waterproof all-in-one

suit to protect their child’s school uniform

when they are outside; these can also be

left in school on their peg.

It is very important that all clothes, shoes

and belongings are clearly named so that

mix ups can be avoided. It is distressing

when items go missing, if they are named

they can be returned promptly.

Medical Matters

Medicines

If your child needs to take medicine while at school

you can consult with the school office. We will only

give essential, prescribed medicines which have clear

written instructions when we have signed permission

from a parent.

Asthma

If your child suffers from asthma it is essential that

you inform us in writing, giving us your permission to

administer medication. Forms for this are available

from the school office. A spare inhaler must be kept in

school and parents are responsible for ensuring that

it is in date.

Dietary Requirements/Allergies

We ask you to inform us of any special requirements

or allergies your child may have.

Illness

Good attendance is encouraged by the school but if

your child is too unwell to attend please telephone

the school office to let them know. If your child has

sickness or diarrhoea, please refrain from sending

them to school for at least 48 hours after their

symptoms have stopped. This is to prevent the spread

of infections. If your child becomes unwell at school

or has a serious accident we will contact you.

Arriving at School

Foundation Stage 2 children enter through their classroom

door at 8:45a.m. A member of staff will stand at the door to

the classroom to welcome you and your child.

Lunch

Your child can choose to bring their own packed lunch to

school or have a hot school dinner. A menu will be provided

so that you can choose which days you would like your

child to have a school dinner. All FS2 and KS1 children are

offered a free school dinner.

Home time

Your child needs to be collected promptly at 3.30pm The

children will leave via the same door. If another adult is

going to collect them please make sure you inform the

staff at the beginning of the session. If we do not know

the adult picking them up and you haven’t informed us we

will not let them go.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is given our highest priority and therefore

staff vigilance at arrival and collection times must take

precedence. We therefore are unable to have in-depth

conversations on the door. We value our positive

relationships and strong communication with our families

but must politely ask that you wait until all of the

children have been collected before starting a conversation

with the adult on the door. Alternatively you can ring the

office and leave a message or ask for a member of staff to

contact you, which we will do at the earliest opportunity.

First Day Checklist

We understand that your child’s first day at school

can be worrying for you, so here’s a simple checklist

to try to ease your worries!

You will be informed of your child’s start date during

their virtual home visit (zoom call).

We stagger the children’s starting dates so we don’t

have lots of new children starting on the same day.

This means we can give the best possible support to

your child on their first day.

Session starts: 8:45a.m.

Your child will need:-

To wear school uniform

To bring a waterproof coat/jacket and wellingtons

To have their name on all items of clothing and

belongings

The school days finishes at 3:30p.m. Staff will only

let children through the door when they can see the

adult who is responsible for collecting your child.

We very much look

forward to welcoming you

and your child.