EYFS-Reception

‘Inspiring self-belief and a love of learning’

At Banstead Infant School we embrace a ‘Learning without Limits’ ethos. We believe in the potential of every child so all the children are given the opportunity to develop the capacity to surprise themselves and those around them. They are taught to challenge themselves to build confidence and resilience.

"I enjoyed being an engineer and making my boat.  It took a long time but I really enjoyed it and took my time.  I liked being a designer and then making it!  

The special thing about this school is that you learn a lot and you have good fun! I love my teachers because they are caring." Margot                                                                                                                         

   

"We had heard nothing but positive feedback from other parents. We liked the nurturing culture and positive approach to learning." Parent Induction Feedback Form

At Banstead Infant School, we recognise that every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential, as resilient, capable, confident and self-assured learners. We know that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates. Children’s attitudes and dispositions to learning are influenced by their school and home environments and we begin to build links with the families. We observe how each child learns to gain an understanding of the characteristics they develop to become effective learners. We use questioning, praise and encouragement to develop a positive attitude to learning and high self-esteem. During their first year at school, the children are introduced to the learning habits. They are taught to be observant, investigative, curious, determined, imaginative, adventurous, co-operative and to use reasoning. Children begin to understand the concept of the growth mindset. They are taught that they can ‘grow their brains’ so that they understand that everyone can learn with practice and effort. The children are taught how to learn and how to become successful learners.

The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum has seven areas of learning which are divided into Prime and Specific areas. They are:

Prime areas of learning

 - Physical Development

 - Communication and Language

 - Personal, Social, Emotional Development

Specific areas of learning

 - Literacy

 - Mathematics

 - Understanding the World

 - Expressive Art and Design

Prime areas of learning

The Prime areas of learning and development are universal to all children. Learning in the Specific areas is dependent on a secure foundation in the Prime areas, for example if a child is not able to hold a pencil correctly they will find writing in Literacy very difficult.

Physical Development covers both fine motor skills such as being able to hold a pencil to form letters correctly and gross motor skills such as throwing and catching a ball. In this area of learning they are also developing the skill of managing their own personal hygiene. Communication and Language covers the areas of speaking, listening and attention, and understanding. These areas are about the child making sense of the world around them, being able to understand and communicate with others. Personal, Social and Emotional Development develops the children’s social skills. We look at how children make relationships and relate to each other, about how confident and self-aware they are, and about how they are able to manage their own feelings and behaviour.

"I liked being a scientist and doing investigations.  When I made my boat I thought about what floated and sunk and that how I chose what I needed to make my boat." Jessie

   

"The school atmosphere is very calm, the children are all happy, well behaved and polite. The staff are all very friendly and nurturing." Parent Induction Feedback Form

Specific areas of learning

There are four Specific areas of learning. Literacy covers both reading and writing. The children learn to decode and write simple sentences using their phonic knowledge. In Mathematics children learn to count, recognise numbers and the operations of adding and subtracting. They also learn about doubling and halving through practical activities. Shape, Space and Measuring activities include concepts such as capacity, weight and positions. They learn to recognise and talk about shapes. Understanding the World covers the areas of technology such as using computers, People and Communities and The World. The children learn about events that have happened in the past, about different cultures and about the world around them. Expressive Arts and Design allows children to express themselves through art, music, drama and dance. They experiment with colour and design, representing their own ideas.

During the school day the children learn through a mixture of short teacher directed sessions, adult initiated activities and child initiated learning through play sessions. Teachers and teaching assistants work with the children and make observations on them which are recorded in their individual learning diaries. All the children in the Foundation stage follow a topic based approach. 

We recognise that the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending the children’s development. The role of both the indoor and outdoor environment in learning/organisation of learning provides opportunities for child initiated activities reflecting the topic where they can develop gross motor skills, social skills etc. We provide stimulating resources which are accessible and open-ended so they can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways.