Co-op Academy Northwood

Foundation Stage Policy

Policy details

• Date created - May 2024
• Date reviewed - June 2025
• Date approved - July 2025
• Next review date - July 2026
• Policy owner - H Slinn

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high-quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.”

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

Department for Education 2024

Aim

Our aim in the Foundation Stage is to provide a progressive and stimulating curriculum that will encourage each child to develop the skills, understanding and attitudes to work and play that will allow them to develop to their full potential.  

To help children achieve their potential we, as an academy will:

• Give each child a happy, positive and magical start to their academy life;
• Offer a wide range of new and exciting experiences for the children to explore, test and consolidate;  
• Provide an engaging, stimulating environment to motivate and support children and to help them to learn effectively;
• Enable each child to develop their confidence socially, physically, intellectually and emotionally;
• Encourage children to develop independence within a secure and friendly atmosphere;
• Support children in building relationships through the development of social skills such as communication, cooperation and sharing;
• Help children recognise their own strengths and achievements through experiencing success and developing the confidence to work towards personal goals.  

The Curriculum
  

The Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework which stipulates what we teach. The curriculum requires the children to access learning both indoors and outdoors.  

The framework includes seven areas of learning and development. The first three areas are important to allow the children to show curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, develop further self esteem and form relationships that will allow them to thrive. These areas are called ‘Prime areas.

Prime areas are:

• Communication and Language – Listening, Attention and Understanding and Speaking;
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development – Self-Regulation, Managing Self and Building Relationships;
• Physical Development – Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills;

The other four areas of learning are referred to as ‘Specific areas. These areas help to develop essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society.

Specific areas are:

• Literacy – Comprehension, Word Reading and Writing;
• Mathematics – Number and Numerical Patterns;
• Understanding the World – Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities and The Natural World;
• Expressive Arts and Design – Creating with Materials and Being Imaginative and Expressive.

Each area of learning is implemented through a mixture of carefully planned direct teaching and purposeful play in which practitioners consider- the individual needs, interests and development of each child.

In planning and guiding the children’s activities all practitioners observe and reflect on the different ways that the children learn.

These are formally known as the characteristics of effective learning and are described using the following three key characteristics:  

• Playing and exploring – how the child investigates and experiences things, or their ‘have a go’ attitude;
• Active learning – how the child concentrates and can keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy their own achievements;
• Creating and thinking critically – how the child has and develops their own ideas, makes links between their ideas, and develops strategies for doing things.  

Assessment

Every child, on entry to the foundation stage, will be assessed in line with the EYFS framework, to form a baseline assessment of the child. This assessment will allow practitioners to plan according to the children’s next steps, from the start of their induction to the Academy. Children’s learning will also be assessed continually to ensure that future planning reflects the needs of all learners.  

Each child will have a profile, which the practitioners will use to showcase each child’s individual learning. This profile is used to inform the next steps in learning for each child as well as to inform assessment. Assessment and next steps for children will be shared with parents and carers at parent/carer evenings. At the end of the year, a written report will be sent home with each child to celebrate their achievements and identify their next steps.

Inclusion and Equal Opportunities 

Children with special educational needs will be supported as appropriate to enable them to access the curriculum fully. This includes children that are more able and those with specific learning difficulties and disabilities. The practitioners and the academy’s SENDco will provide additional information and advice to parents and carers and arrange external intervention and support as necessary. (See separate SEND policy).

In line with the academy’s Equal Opportunities Policy, we will provide all children, regardless of ethnicity, culture, religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties, disabilities, gender or ability with equal access to all aspects of academy life to ensure that every child is valued as an individual.  

The Induction Process

For children due to join Foundation Stage 1 (Nursery class) the induction process begins the term of their third birthday, with a view to them starting in the Nursery the term after they turn three years old. Our main induction for Nursery children is in September however the academies also induct children in January and April, spaces dependant.

Our induction process is as follows:

• Foundation Stage practitioners ‘get to know’ each child through ongoing communication with parents/carers and children;
• Foundation Stage practitioners meet with and/or contact pre-school practitioners (if applicable);
• Parents/carers and children receive an invitation to a parent/carer meeting

When children join the academy, a graduated programme will be used to allow children to adjust to their new surroundings and feel confident to leave their parents and carers. This will be shared with parents and carers. Every child’s induction will be individualised to meet their needs.

The children moving from Foundation Stage 1 to 2 (Nursery to Reception) will spend transition sessions familiarising themselves with the practitioners and their new environment before the end of the summer term.  

For children due to join Foundation Stage 2 (Reception class) in September the child’s induction process will be as follows:

• Foundation Stage practitioners ‘get to know’ each child through ongoing communication with parents/carers and children;
• Foundation Stage practitioners meet with and/or contact pre-school practitioners (if applicable);
• Parents/carers and children receive an invitation to a parent/carer meeting.

Every child’s induction will be individualised to meet their needs.

Attendance

We regularly liaise with the local authority in relation to attendance within our early years’ provision. Evidence shows that attending high quality early education has a lasting impact on social and behavioural outcomes and regular attendance within the foundation stage can set good practice for statutory school. Once a child has joined the academy, it is the responsibility of the parent / carer to ensure that their child attends school regularly. If a child’s attendance falls below 96% the Attendance, Punctuality and late collection of children policy will be applied.  

All Nursery aged children are eligible for a 15-hour Nursery placement. Parents and carers have the option to increase this to 30 hours of provision by claiming 30 hours of funded education or by paying the school an additional top up fee of £5 per session (£25 per week), which will be payable in advance of the sessions. We will endeavour to support families who find themselves in financial hardship, and to prevent debt, full times places will be withdrawn and children will revert to the 15 hours funded allocation.

Home and Academy Links  

We recognise that parents and carers are a child’s first and most enduring educators and we aim for the academy, parents and carers to work closely during the Foundation Stage years. This can have a very positive impact on a child’s development, but relies on a two-way flow of information and knowledge.

We develop this working relationship between the academy and parents and carers as follows:

• We outline the academy’s expectations in a home-academy agreement;
• We hold a parent/carer consultation early in the year to establish how a child is settling in;
• We operate an “open door” policy that will allow parents and carers to discuss concerns and developments in an informal manner, using Class Dojo as the main form of communication;
• If practitioners have concerns about the progress of a child, they will approach parents and carers to discuss them;
• Parents/carers are able to contribute to their child’s profile by sharing home experiences;
• We conduct a further parent/carer consultation late in the spring term to inform parents and carers formally of a child’s progress and to discuss next steps;
• We encourage parent/carer volunteers to help develop early reading in the academy.