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abacus Belsize Primary School

Proud to be part of

Early Years

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The first year of a child’s school life is very important. We will provide care, support, guidance, discipline and learning opportunities throughout every day to encourage your child’s independence and a lifelong love of learning.

At Abacus, our pupils are encouraged to develop to their full potential in a stimulating and caring environment. Our curriculum is balanced and ambitious, with a strong focus on English and Mathematics and incorporating Mandarin and outdoor learning.

"The environment, both inside and outside, is inviting and
stimulating, providing carefully chosen activities. The children are inspired by the curriculum, making links between different aspects of their learning."

Ofsted inspection report, 2015

Learning through play

  • Enables children to develop their language and communication through talking, sharing and listening to their friends
  • Helps them to become independent learners
  • Helps them develop reading and writing skills within meaningful contexts e.g. role play

What will my child learn?

The year is divided into half-termly topics which are based on children’s individual interests. Here are some examples:

  • Space, planets   
  • Construction 
  • Dinosaurs
  • Superheroes
  • Minibeasts
  • Fairy tales
  • Under the sea
  • People who help us

EYFS Framework

The Foundation Stage Curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning.

Three prime areas are:

  • Communication and language
  • Physical development
  • Personal, social and emotional development

Four specific areas are:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive arts and design

Foundation Stage curriculum

  • Activities and assessments are based on all seven areas of learning
  • We assess your child on these areas through daily observations, notes and samples of work in their learning journals
  • We value parent’s voice or parents’ contributions to your child’s learning. This features heavily in the EYFS framework.

Outdoor learning

The doors are always open for children’s free access, regardless of the weather.

Depending on the weather, please bring wellingtons and raincoats, sun hats or sun cream.

A change of clothes is a must — e.g. underwear, trousers, socks and tops — just in case!

The classroom

The learning environment is both indoors and outdoors. Indoor and outdoor activities are set based on all the areas of learning

Indoor / outdoor activities include:

  • Reading and writing activities
  • Maths activities: counting, ordering numbers, measuring, sorting, patterns, recognising and describing shapes
  • Malleable activities: play dough, corn flour, shaving foam, rice, pasta, pulses
  • Making dens
  • Being imaginative and creative through role play
  • Tennis, ball games, skipping, skittles

How can I ensure my child is school-ready?

  • Ensure your child can go to the toilet on their own without an adult’s help
  • Recognise their name
  • Is confident in selecting their meal choice at lunch times
  • Can count up to 10
  • Is confident enough to speak to an adult if they need help

 

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