We aim to provide the highest quality Early Years education and differentiate ourselves by a passionate attention to detail underpinned by a high-quality programme.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the term used by the Government and Early Years professionals to describe the time in your child's life between birth and age 5.
Children learn and develop rapidly from the moment they are born. Research confirms that the experiences that a child has in the early years has a significant impact on their future life chances and that high quality early years care and edcuation makes the biggest difference to every child.
The EYFS provides a framework that sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It is an important stage as it helps get your child ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes.
Our Early Years teams in Nursery and Pre-Prep aim to provide the highest quality Early Years education.
What do we want for our children at Birkenhead School?
We want Nursery to be a place of possibilities where children will be nurtured and where individual interests and talents will be valued and developed. As a result, we hope that children's wellbeing will be high.
We want children to believe in themselves and their abilities and know that they are strong, capable and unique. We want them to develop resilience and the perseverance to keep on trying things even when they are challenging.
We want children to have the confidence to try new things, take risks and be physically active. We want them to communicate their ideas, beliefs and feelings, choosing different ways to do this - some will choose to dance, others to build, draw or sing.
We want children to experience and remember a wide range of words through stories, rhymes and poems. They will be able to make friends and show kindness to others. They will know how to look after themselves, their friends, their school and the environment.
We want children to know about important mathematical and scientific concepts relevant to this age group. The will have an understanding and respect of the world around them and the world beyond. They will have a desire to learning and be ready for their next stage of education.
For full details on the Early Years Foundation Stage, please click here.
For full details on 'Birth to 5 Years Matter', please click here.
Progress Check At Age Two
When a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas. This progress check will identify the child’s strengths, and any areas where the child’s progress is less than expected. If there are significant emerging concerns, or an identified special educational need or disability, practitioners will develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development involving parents and/or carers and other professionals (for example, the provider’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) or health professionals) as appropriate.
Assessment at the start of the reception year – the Reception Baseline Assessment. The Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) is a short assessment, taken in the first six weeks in which a child starts reception.