"Give me a child until he's five and I'll make him the man"

It is well documented that the early years in a child’s education are of vital importance. It is, therefore, our aim to ensure that each child will feel secure, confident and positive in his or her attitude towards school right from the start.

Our induction programme starts in May where we hold a meeting for the parents of all the new entrants to Nursery. At the meeting we give parents information about uniform, mealtimes and the day to day running of the Foundation Stage. This also gives them an opportunity to ask any questions that they May have informally as well as meeting other new parents.

The induction programme continues in June when we invite the new children to spend an hour in their new classroom and meet their new teacher (usually a small group at a time). This is a very important part of the induction programme as it helps the children to become familiar with the school environment, thus, making them feel secure and confident.

At Runnymede we cover the Foundation Stage Curriculum through a topic approach as we feel that this is the best way for children to learn. Young children do not think in separate subject areas but learn best when the curriculum is meaningful and relevant. This year we have covered a variety of different topics such as “Ourselves”, “Seasons”, “Celebrations”, “Festivals”, “Minibeasts” (the subject of this year’s performance), “Houses” and “Holidays”. We have used these topics as a vehicle to cover the six areas of learning.

Personal and Social Development: Successful personal, social and emotional development is critical for very young children in all aspects of their lives and gives them the best opportunity for success in all other areas of learning.

This area of learning is about emotional well being, knowing who you are and where you fit in and feeling good about yourself. It is also about developing respect for others, social competence and a positive disposition to learn.

Within this area we look at routines of the day, developing relationships, encouraging independence, learning to take turns and share, expressing feelings and views and understanding the difference between right and wrong.

Communication, Language and Literacy: This area of learning covers the development of speaking and listening skills as well as early reading and writing skills. Within each of the Foundation Stage classrooms we have book corners and writing areas which are exciting and stimulating and encourage the children to develop their literacy skills. Mathematical Development: This area of learning includes counting, sorting, matching, seeking patterns, making connections, recognising relationships and working with numbers, shapes, space and measures

Mathematical understanding is developed through stories, songs, games and imaginative play, so that children enjoy using and experimenting with numbers.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World: In this area of learning, children are developing the crucial knowledge, skills and understanding that help them make sense of the world. This forms the foundation for later work in science, design and technology, history, geography and information and communication technology.

Physical Development: Physical development in the Foundation Stage is about improving skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement. It helps children gain confidence in what they can do and enables them to feel the positive benefits of being healthy and active. Effective physical development helps children develop a positive sense of well-being.

Creative Development: Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. Being creative enables children to make connections between one area of learning and another in order to extend their understanding. This area of learning includes art, music, dance, role play and imaginative play.

Within the Foundation Stage each child is viewed as an individual with his or her special talents, potential and abilities. It is our job to foster these so that our children will grow in positive self esteem and develop confident attitudes towards education which will help to prepare them, not only for the rest of their school career, but for life itself.