The Early Years Department at 黑料社区 is a welcoming, stimulating environment where your child will be inspired and motivated to learn. Children develop and achieve through commitment, team work and a sense of belonging to a caring school community.
Our strengths are:
- The happy, safe and secure learning environment.
- The close relationships that we build with parents, carers, Speech therapists, occupational therapists, physio therapists and other professionals that enable us to fully understand the needs of each child.
- The positive relationships established between staff, governors, children and the school community as a whole.
- The high quality of teaching and learning within the department.
- The purpose built provision and extensive range of appropriate equipment within the department.
The Early Years Department of the school is housed in both the Berry and Jubilee Building, where we cater for the needs of our young children who have an Education and Health Care Plan.
The Jubilee Building comprises of:
- Three classrooms - with attached pupil-centred toileting, washing and changing facilities;
- A Sensory Studio - this newly developed room provides an immersive learning environment. This allows the children to be totally "immersed" in a self-contained simulated environment while experiencing it as real. It is a highly visual and engaging experience for all our children to further develop their technical, creative, problem-solving and speaking and listening skills.
- A Soft Play Room - this is an enclosed space where the walls and floor are padded and the layout consists of multi-levels connected with steps, slopes, wedges, tunnels and blocks. Physical exercise, expression and interaction are encouraged whilst children enjoy playing and learning within this safe environment.
- A Therapy Room - a space for our multi agency teams to work quietly and safely with pupils in school. This includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and education psychologists.
- An Art Room - this is a newly developed room providing a space for all expressive art and creative work. This includes purpose built storage for all art equipment and hand washing/ equipment cleaning sinks at both an adult and child level.
- A Forest School – a large natural environment accessible directly from our EYFS classroom. The forest area allows for learner-led outdoor play encouraging curiosity and exploration.
- Secure outdoor play areas - with a safety enhanced surface. This includes purpose built storage for all outdoor play equipment and a range of static wooden climbing frames to further develop gross motor skills.
- A meeting room - with two-way window, available for the use of meetings with families and staff etc.
- Separate food preparation area and washing machine facilities.
Help is also given by visiting professionals, whose contributions enrich the children's experience and learning. These may include Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, School Medical Officer, School Nurse, Dentist, Audiologist, the Physical/Sensory/Complex Needs Co-ordinator, Social Workers and the Education Welfare Officer.
All staff work in close liaison with each other in order to provide a happy, caring, stimulating and secure learning environment for your child. Liaison between staff and parents/carers is also essential to enhance the learning process.
How my child will be learning
At PCA, our EYFS curriculum enables pupils to prepare for the rest of their learning journey at PCA and into adulthood. Children will be equipped with a readiness to learn and an understanding of how to be a member of the school community.
We follow the EYFS Framework which explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. During their earliest years, children form attitudes about learning that will last a lifetime which is why our curriculum focuses not only on what children learn but also how they learn i.e. process over outcome. We support children to learn by:
- 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; and
- creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:
- Communication and language;
- Physical development; and
- Personal, social and emotional development.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:
- Literacy;
- Mathematics;
- Understanding the world; and
- Expressive arts and design.
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs and interests.
How can I find out how my child is getting on?
It is important that you and the teachers and SSA’s caring for your child work together. You need to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child.
At 黑料社区 you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s needs with the team leader of the department and your child’s class teacher. There will be parents evening and review meetings arranged throughout the year and the home /school diary will be available each day. You can of course call to talk to your child’s teacher at any other time if you have any concerns or important news. The homework book will also keep you fully informed of the main learning outcomes each week and will provide an opportunity for you to let us know how your child is learning at home.
When your child starts at PCA
In the summer term of the Reception year in school – teachers complete a 6-8 week assessment which is known as the ‘Lower Primary Assessment’. This assessment is carried out by the reception teacher and is based on what they, and other staff caring for your child, have observed over a period of time.
Another important part of the ‘Lower Primary Assessment’ is your knowledge about your child’s learning and development, so do let your child’s class teacher know about what your child does with you: such as how confident your child is in writing their name, reading and talking about a favourite book, speaking to people your child is not so familiar with or their understanding of numbers.
The homework book provides space for you to add your comments throughout the year. All of the information collected is used to judge how your child is doing in the 7 areas of learning and development. The school will give you a report of your child’s progress, including information from his or her Profile.
What can you do to help your child’s learning when they begin school?
- Sharing books, talking about the pictures
- Use the home/school diary to tell us about news events in your child’s life so that staff can help your child to talk about different events that are important to them.
- Continue to encourage mark making activities such as pretend writing shopping lists etc.
- Encourage your child to talk about the pictures on the school website class blog.
- Practise counting at any time such as climbing the stairs, shopping etc
- Play simple board games
- Sing number rhymes and songs together
Evidence for Learning
Evidence for Learning is our chosen platform to capture and record evidence of your child's learning and progress. Evidence will be uploaded by class staff throughout each half term and will include photographs, videos, comments and links to the pupils EHCP targets and curriculum areas. Evidence for Learning enables us to share a child’s learning and development with parents at parent’s evening and review meetings.
Our next steps are to open up Evidence for Learning to a parent portal this will put you as parents at the centre of your child’s learning and development and allow you to access photographs and videos at home with your child.
Where can I go for further information?
The DfE website includes all the legal requirements and assessments.
https://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage
You can find the Early Years Foundation Stage which includes the early learning goals at https://foundationyears.org.uk/2023/10/early-years-foundation-stage/
The foundation years website also includes a range of resources and contacts.
Blackpool Council Early Years website