1. Early Years Curriculum Information Evening
8th November 2016

2. Aims of this evening
To understand the curriculum your child will be following.
To understand the importance of play.
Introduction to Tapestry online learning journal.
To identify ways you can help your child.

3. What is Early years?
Early years is one of the most important school years of your child’s life. It equips them with the skills they need for the rest of their school life, builds their confidence and develops them into enthusiastic learner.

4. The Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage is based on four commitments: a unique child, positive relationships, enabling environments and learning and development.
It is concerned with seven areas of development.
3 prime areas and 4 specific areas.

5. Areas of Learning Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Specific Areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Art and Design
The prime areas develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences,
and run through all other areas. The specific areas include essential skills and
knowledge. They grow out of the prime areas and provide important contexts
for learning.

6. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Making Relationships
Self Confidence and Self Awareness
Managing Feelings and Behaviour
Involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

7. Physical Development Moving and Handling Health and Self Care
Involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

8. Communication and Language
Listening and Attention
Understanding
Speaking
Involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

9. Literacy Reading Writing
Involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

10. Mathematics Number Shape, Space and Measure
Involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.

11. Understanding the World
People and Communities
The World
Technology
Involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

12. Expressive Art and Design
Exploring Media and Materials
Being Imaginative
Involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

13. Characteristics of Effective Learning
When planning children’s activities we must look at how each child learns with reference to the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning.
Playing and Exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
Active Learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
Creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

14. Learning through Play
This planned purposeful play covers a number of the areas of learning, any ideas which ones?

15. Assessment Observations of play.
Development Matters – Ages and Stages of development.
Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.
In the final summer term a judgement will be made as to whether they are emerging (1), expected (2) or exceeding (3) the Early Learning Goals.

16. Tapestry
Every child in reception will have an online learning journey.
By logging in with a secure username and password you will be able to access your child’s journal.
Parents are only able to view their own child’s journal and all information is stored on a highly secure server, which is monitored closely.

17. Tapestry
Tapestry online learning journals allow you to view your child’s observations and photographs from their time at school, almost as they happen!
We will also reference your child’s learning to the EYFS.
You will be able to add observations and photographs of your own as well as share your comments.

18. How can I help? Modelling good communication and language skills .
Reading to your child and talking about the books you read together.
Counting – count everything and anything. Recognising numbers – go on number hunts.
Encourage your child to be independent – putting their own things away in the morning.
Share learning from home with school.