Foundation Stage
Lancasterian school’s Foundation Stage department provides a warm, welcoming environment for children aged between 2-5 years, both with and without additional needs. We pride ourselves on ensuring that pupils and parents feel comfortable and secure, and we promote co-operative play and learning throughout our two class bases – The Rainbows.
As with all our pupils, we provide high-quality care and education at the Foundation Stage, using a structured curriculum which places emphasis on creativity and child-initiated activities.
Our Foundation Stage curriculum covers the following areas:
- Personal Social Education (PSE)
- Communication Language and Literacy (CLL)
- Mathematical Development
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World (KUW)
- Creative Development
- Physical Development.
What is the Early Years Foundation Stage?
The Early Years Foundation Stage was introduced in September 2008 and is the stage of education for children from birth to 5 years.
Throughout Nursery and Reception children work towards the Early Learning Goals at their own pace along the ‘stepping stones’.
The curriculum is divided into 6 areas of learning and identifies stages of development throughout.
Personal, social and emotional development
Children are supported in developing a positive sense of themselves and others. They will learn to have respect for others, developing social skills and a positive disposition to learning.
Communication, language and literacy
Throughout this area of learning children are encouraged to use language in whatever form for communication and thinking. They will be learning about letter sounds and using these in their reading and writing. Children will be presented with different opportunities to use writing in their play and to write for a variety of purposes.
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy (PSRN)
In this area of development children will be developing skills in counting, matching, sorting, pattern making, and developing relationships with numbers and shapes. This will be through a variety of number games, songs, and practical situations e.g, through snack times and in imaginative play.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Children will use their senses to make sense of the world. They will be provided with first hand experiences which encourage them to investigate, explore and enquire how things work, why things look like that and what things are used for. They will be supported in making observations and asking questions along with predicting and problem solving.
Physical development
This area of learning will support the development of both gross and fine motor skills. Children will be given opportunities to develop these skills both in outdoor and indoor environments. Children will be able to explore their environment on bikes, trikes, scooters, and climbing frames, and they will be encouraged to travel on, through and under tunnels. They will be able to use their imagination to develop environments outside using available props. For children’s fine motor development they will be supported in using scissors, different writing and painting equipment, lacing activities, and malleable experiences.
Creative development
This area of development encourages children to use their creativity, to develop their imaginations and explore their ideas and feelings. Children will be given opportunities to paint, dance, and dress up. They will be encouraged to use equipment available to inspire their own learning.
The Foundation Stage curriculum is built on the ethos of learning through play through both planned activities lead by practitioners and through child initiated learning where the children develop their own sense of enquiry.
How is the Foundation stage organised at Lancasterian?
At Lancasterian we cater for children aged between 2 and 5 years old. We meet the needs of children both with and without additional needs.
Children have the opportunity to play and work collaboratively in 1 of our 2 class bases, know as the Rainbow Rooms.
Children are given the opportunities of individual, small group and large group learning activities.
We strongly believe that play is the key way for children to learn through the Foundation Stage. It is through play that children explore, investigate and develop their learning and sense of enquiry, developing on experiences and building upon ideas, concepts and skills.
We provide a well resourced and thoroughly planned environment which is both stimulating and nurturing for young children’s development.
We have high staff ratio to encourage children’s independence and confidence.
