Early Years

Updated January 2020:

 

Early Years Ambition:

Our Early Years curriculum provides children with an exceptional foundation, which fosters a lifelong love of learning. Through our themed learning experiences, children are encouraged to take an active role in their learning, resulting in creative, resilient learners. Our passionate team have the child at the centre of everything they do, providing a caring, supportive environment where children feel safe to develop as an individual. We believe that this provides our children and families with an exceptional start to school.

 

 

Early Years Implementation:

At Preston Hedges you will find our children fully immersed in their learning, with creative opportunities, centering round themed learning experiences that form our rich curriculum.

Reading and Phonics is a central part of our EYFS, with daily phonics sessions, individual reading and class story time. We foster a love of reading in the children, by exposing them to a wide variety of books in their literacy sessions. Each week parents and carers are invited into school to share a story with their child as part of our “Friday Family Reading”. Our children and families also have access to our Red London Library Bus  and our Book Swap “Red Phone Box”, as frequently as they wish.

We believe our children’s physical development as just as important as their intellectual development and our classrooms, outside classroom and outdoor area, allow learning opportunities to develop the whole child.

The children’s learning is enhanced through our themed role play area, mud kitchen, allotment and garage, which the children can explore for sustained periods of time with or without adult support.

 

Literacy and Maths sessions are embedded into our curriculum, with exceptional experiences where children can consolidate their learning in both indoor and outdoor settings.

The importance of early number is evident throughout our setting, with key learning opportunities being planned into all areas forming a strong foundation. With the addition of our Maths shed in the outdoor classroom, Maths flows into the outdoors for children to access independently.

We promote a love of the outdoors, with weekly ‘Big outdoors’ sessions. Through these experiences children’s learning opportunities are enriched and children are encouraged to take risks.

 

Early Years Impact:

Our approach leads to happy children, with a love for learning and school and families that feel at the heart of their school community and who truly believe that Preston Hedge’s is their school.

Early years foundation stage attainment of the expected standard in the reading early learning goal (88%) was significantly above national and in the highest 20% of all schools in 2018 (awaiting 2019 data)

The proportion of children nationally achieving a Good Level of Development in Year R in 2019 was 72%. At Preston Hedge’s 85% of children achieved a Good Level of Development.