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Overview of the Foundation Stage Curriculum

The Foundation Stage
 
The Foundation Stage is for all children from birth to 5 years old.  At Banks Road this means all children in Acorn, Birch and Chestnut classes.
 
We work towards the 'Early Learning Goals' which children are assessed against at the end of their year in Reception.  Please take a look at them below as they will give you a very useful guideline of what your child is expected to achieve by the time they finish their first year in school.
 
We love Foundation Stage and believe that it is in these years that your child will develop the foundations for all their future learning.  They learn how to form positive relationships with others and work as part of a community.  They learn the gross motor skills and fine motor skills needed to be healthy and active and they develop their language and vocabulary and speaking and listening skills.  Alongside this they learn specific curriculum knowledge such as how to read and write simple words and sentences, count accurately and add and subtract using practical apparatus. Staff provide learning opportunities through the continuous provision as well as adult led activities both in-doors and out.
 
What sets the Foundation Stage apart is that we teach children explicitly how to be a successful learner.  We teach this learning to learn through the use of the 'Characteristics of Effective Learning' which ensure that your child is developing the best learning behaviours that will help them succeed in education and in life.
 
We continuously assess children's learning and understanding so that we can provide swift and timely support to ensure children do not fall behind. We set out benchmarks for each term of skills and knowledge which staff use to assess if children are on-track or not on-track.
On entry to FS2 staff carry out the national baseline assessment alongside our own baseline assessment so that we can quickly identify pupils strengths and areas for development.
 
For more information about our curriculum please see our Banks Road curriculum goals, the characteristics of effective learning, and the 'Early learning goals'.