St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Parent’s Meeting Tuesday 20th September 2016 Miss F Jenkins and Miss K O’Neill

Overview EYFS Staff Classroom routines Things your child will need Snack time and lunches Forest School Curriculum – how do we plan for your child’s learning? Assessment – how do we measure the children’s progress? Reading, writing, Letters and Sounds What can you do to help your child at home? How can you help?

EYFS Staff Miss Jenkins– Class RJ Teacher, EYFS Coordinator Miss O’Neill– Class RO Teacher Mrs Oates – Teaching Assistant and Cover Supervisor Mrs Luckett – Teaching Assistant and Cover Supervisor Miss Brunt – Teaching Assistant Mrs Maqsood – Teaching Assistant Mrs Hussain– Teaching Assistant Mrs Moraes – Teaching Assistant Miss Birchall – Teaching Assistant Mr Laksu – Teaching Assistant Mrs Spooner – SENCO Mrs Roberts –EAL Support Mrs Wermeser – Forest School Teacher

Classroom Routines 9.00am – Children arrive at school 9.10am – Register and Morning Prayer 9.20am – Letters and Sounds 9.40am – Child-led learning Phonics/specific group sessions throughout the morning 11.45am – Lunch 1.00pm – Register and Maths Input/Groups 1.30pm – Reading / Child Led Learning / Adult initiated group time 3.10pm – Home time!

Things your child will need: Green book bag (available from office) Wellington boots Waterproof coat with hood - if possible trousers too Hat, scarf, gloves during winter months Sun hat and sun cream in summer Forest School clothes PE kit by summer term Please make sure everything is NAMED.

Food and drink Water Bottle – named School dinners are free, or your child can bring their own packed lunch . We will operate a ‘Café’ where children can select their fruit when needed.

Forest School This takes place in our copse, although EYFS children will not be going to the copse until January 2017 Children take it in turns in groups Site safe, enclosed and checked before each session Children take part in all weathers and will need warm clothes (trousers, long sleeved top and socks) Sessions are dependant on regular volunteers. Please see Mrs Wermeser if you can help!

How learning is organised In supporting your child’s progress, we focus on 7 areas of learning and development, as outlined in the EYFS Framework. Children should primarily develop the 3 prime areas: ● Communication and language ● Physical development ● Personal, social and emotional development Building on these 3 prime areas, we also help them to develop skills in the 4 specific areas: ● Literacy ● Mathematics ● Understanding the world ● Expressive arts and design

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child endeavour to make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. We support your child’s learning through a balance of adult-led activities and child-led learning, inside and out. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking. We base many of our activities around a theme and an overview is posted each term on the website. This term the theme is He’s got the whole world in his hands. The teaching of RE is fundamental to the school. We follow the guidelines issued by the Diocese of Birmingham and allocate time in the weekly timetable for RE. We have set prayers which we say each day and children take part in assemblies and collective worship when they are ready.

Assessment We assess your child through observations and formal assessments We note their progress against the Development Matters statements in the EYFS Framework, the Early Excellence Baseline and according to Professor F Laevers Involvement and Wellbeing scales. We review assessments regularly to see if there are any gaps in your child’s progress in order to intervene quickly. At the end of the year, we assess your child against the EYFS Early Learning Goals as to whether they are ‘Emerging’, ‘Expected’ or ‘Exceeding’.

Documented Learning We put together a ‘Busy Book’ and an electronic learning journey of your child’s learning achievements throughout the year. We would love you to contribute to this, telling us about developments you may have noted at home. PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES in order for this to function suitably. You are welcome to look through your child’s Busy Book at an appropriate time over the course of the year. Please respect the privacy of other children’s work.

Reading We aim to send the children home with reading books before October half term. Many children start with ‘white’ books (no words) and progress through subsequent coloured bands as they are ready We aim to read with your child at least twice a week: once with a teacher and once with a TA. Please could you help us by listening to your child at least 2-3 times a week. Your child should bring their reading book to school every day. Books will be changed twice a week (Monday and Thursday).

Letters and Sounds Phase One – Listening Skills. Training the children to tune into specific sounds and helping them to listen closely to specific sounds in words. Phase Two. We will teach the children 4 letter sounds per week, starting with s a t p i n. Each set of letters allows the children to start building words (eg with the sounds s a t p i n you can make sat, pat, mat, sit, pit.) Phase Three. Children learn further sounds, many of them made up of 2 or 3 letters (eg th, sh, ch, ng, igh, oo, ee, or, ar, air)

What can you do at home? Do not underestimate the value of spending time talking and listening with your child. Spend time playing with your children (eg puzzles, board games, cooking, stories…). Please encourage your child to use LOWER CASE LETTERS (not capitals). We will be teaching children to form cursive letters (not joined up). Maths – find practical, everyday contexts to support your child’s learning. Nursery rhymes Practise buckles, zips, buttons etc. Try to avoid shoes with laces. Children with EAL – don’t neglect your home language!

Phonics at home We will send home differentiated phonics book for you to practice at home. Some may include specific letter sound activities, others will be focussing on listening skills (e.g initial sounds) and others may be focussing on tricky words (e.g the, she, he) Guidelines will be provide These will be sent home within the next couple of weeks. Phonics training for parents will be provided (similar to session) on Thursday 29th September at 3.30pm.

How can you help us? You must inform us if anyone other than a parent will be picking up your child. Please put regular arrangements in writing. Please talk to us! Keep us informed about any issues which may affect your child at school. Junk modelling materials. Please complete forms for signature if you have not already done so.