Nant-y-Parc Primary School: Pupil Participation, Play, and Assessment in Foundation Phase, Lecture notes of Communication

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Nant-y-Parc Primary School

Foundation Phase Policy

Policy Contents

 Aims and Objectives

 Purposes of the Policy / Our Philosophy

 The Importance of Play

 The Curriculum

 Skills Across the Curriculum

 Planning

 Observation, Assessment, Recording and Reporting

 The Learning Environment

 Organisation

 Transition

 Links with Parents/Carers and Governors

 Milk/Snack Time

 Educational Visits

 Equal Opportunities

 Health and Safety

 Risk Assessments

 Monitoring Quality

 Policy Review

• Group or class discussions;
• Circle time;
• Questionnaires or surveys;
• Focus groups or workshops;

We believe for learning to be effective, children need to be actively involved in this process, so that they are motivated, engaged and able to develop as independent learners. We encourage pupil participation is something which all pupils experience at the classroom level. Whole-school approaches to pupil participation through learning are encouraged by adopting and developing strategies such as Assessment for Learning, by involving pupils in deciding what and how they learn, in evaluating their learning, and planning for improvement

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY An important feature of young children’s learning is that of play. Play underpins learning in the Foundation Phase. Well planned play helps children to think and make sense of the world around them. The purpose of play is that it:

 motivates  stimulates  supports  develops skills  develops concepts  develops language/communication skills  develops concentration  develops positive attitudes  demonstrates awareness/use of recent learning and skills  consolidates learning

In order for play to be valued and for children to receive quality experiences we need to ensure that:

 All adults working in the Foundation Phase are aware of progression and stages of children’s development.

 There is sensitive, knowledgeable and informed adult intervention and involvement

 There is careful planning and organisation of play settings in order to provide for and extend learning

 We provide enough time for children to develop their play

 We plan for careful observation of children to facilitate assessment and planning for progression and continuity. Staff use observation boards, ‘snap shots’ of learning and

focus observations to support pupils. See-saw will be trialled during Autumn 2019 to support with Foundation phase observations.

At Nant-y-Parc Primary School we also ensure that children also have the opportunity to be involved in the focus, planning and setting up of the areas of provision both indoors and outdoors as we recognise that this will encourage them to become motivated and involved in their own learning.

Welsh Dimension (including Bilingualism)

The need for learners to be rooted in their own cultures and to have strong sense of

identity within their locality, Wales and the wider world is a key theme within the

four purposes of the curriculum.

At Nant y Parc pupils will have the opportunity within the foundation phase to

develop their identity through exploring questions of culture, language and belonging in

their locality, Wales and the wider world.

In the foundation phase pupils will also gain knowledge and skills in Welsh, English

and international languages linked to subject specific vocabulary. Teaching will

include opportunities to learn Welsh as an additional language and within real life

contexts.

The Welsh language will be part of the teaching and learning within the foundation

phase to transform how we teach Welsh to all pupils in order to provide them with

the skills to speak Welsh by the time they leave full-time education. It is our aim that

we develop our teaching and learning in the foundation phase for the Welsh

language with the aim of ensuring that our language planning and approaches

demonstrate an understanding of how we use and speak Welsh in a wider context

and how this can relate to other languages.

THE CURRICULUM (2015) The curriculum will focus on experiential learning, active involvement and developing each child’s:

 Skills and understanding  Personal, social, emotional, physical and intellectual well being so as to develop the whole child.  Positive attitudes to learning so that they enjoy it and want to continue  Self-esteem and self-confidence to experiment, investigate, learn new things and form new relationships.  Creative, expressive and observational skills to encourage their development as individuals with different ways of responding to experiences.

The nurture schools approach removes behavioural barriers to engagement and attainment at Nant y Parc by recreating missing or distorted early attachments and will support greater academic attainment. School staff will embed a nurturing culture to support the mental and well-being of all pupils and staff at Nant y Parc. We will embed the six principles of nurture across the whole school and these will be an important part of teaching and learning at Nant y Parc. These principles are:

 Children’s learning is understood developmentally.  The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing  All behaviour is communication  The classroom offers a safe base  Language is a vital means of communication  The importance of transition in children’s lives.

Teachers are trained to focus on emotional needs and development as well as the academic learning of all pupils, and to embed the six principles of nurture throughout the policies and practices of a school. This enhances teaching and learning and promotes healthy outcomes for children, young people and the staff in the school.

SKILLS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

At Nant-y-Parc Primary School, we use the Foundation Phase Curriculum and the Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) to identify which skills are to be the focus of our learning and teaching. We provide a variety of opportunities to teach skills and also plan for learners to practise and develop their skills over time. We also recognise that skills development is not linear and that our children may access skills at the ‘end’ of the continuum in the Framework

Theme / Topic As part of the teaching and learning strategies at Nant Y Parc we use Theme/Topic Week(s) to further promote positive attitudes towards learning. Through these theme/topic weeks we place emphasis upon a range of areas of learning. The theme/topic week is always pupil lead, in order to ensure full engagement, skill development and positive attitudes towards learning. Examples of topic/theme weeks are ‘Cool Cymru’, ‘Easter Cracked’.

DIGITAL COMPETENCY Digital competence is one of 3 cross-curricular responsibilities, alongside Literacy and Numeracy. It focuses on developing digital skills which can be applied to a wide range of subjects and scenarios. The Framework, which has been developed by practitioners from Pioneer Schools, supported by external experts, has 4 strands of equal importance, each with a number of elements

 Citizenship

 Interacting and collaborating

 Producing

 Data and computational thinking

At Nant-Y-Parc Primary and within the Foundation Phase, school staff are familiarising themselves with the framework, agreeing their strategic vision through staff meetings for cross-curricular digital competence and consider how to translate this into practice. The framework will be applied across the curriculum, and within the Continuous and Enhanced Provision, including the outdoor environment where possible, similar to Literacy and numeracy to ensure all children at Nant-Y-Parc have a wide variety of opportunities to develop and become digitally competent.

LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

At Nant-y-Parc we believe that literate pupils have essential life skills, and are able to apply these skills across the curriculum in different subject areas and in real-life contexts. They can understand the world around them. They have an understanding of written and spoken language. Literate pupils can interpret what has been written or said, and can draw inferences from the evidence around them. They can communicate accurately, fluently and persuasively. The class teacher will ensure that pupils have the relevant literacy skills first in order to apply literacy skills across all subjects within the foundation phase. The foundation phase leader and literacy lead will ensure there is coverage of relevant literacy skills in planning and work scrutiny and that pupils are making appropriate progress.

NUMERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Numeracy is an essential life skill and learners need to be able to apply this skill across the curriculum in different subject areas, and in real life contexts. Within the foundation phase setting it is the responsibility of the class teacher to ensure numeracy skills are developed and incorporated in an appropriate and relevant context and pupils have the opportunity to develop these skills independently. The class teacher will ensure that pupils have the relevant Maths skills first in order to apply numeracy skills across all subjects. The foundation phase leader and numeracy lead will ensure there is coverage of relevant numeracy skills in planning and work scrutiny and that pupils are making appropriate progress.

MORE ABLE AND TALENTED LEARNERS

Definition of the term “More Able and Talented”

The term “More Able and Talented” is used to describe those pupils, who we believe

require opportunities for enrichment and extension across the curriculum, and a

Planning will be flexible and subject to change. If the children do not respond as we wish, we may alter and change our planning.

Weekly/daily planning will include evaluations to inform future planning and skills will be highlighted to show their coverage within the curriculum.

Our planning is completed with all staff working in the Foundation Phase to ensure that teachers and assistants are working together to provide an experiential curriculum based on the developmental stage of the child. Our observations, evaluations and assessments will feed into our daily and weekly planning. We use a ‘Traffic Light system’ to monitor our daily planning and assist us in future planning.

OBSERVATION, ASSESSMENT, RECORDING AND REPORTING

Observation and assessment enables practitioners to:

 Know the individual child and highlight his/her strengths, interest and needs;  Identify the plan for the child’s progress;  Highlight children’s development, strengths and abilities across all Areas of Learning;  Provide appropriate curriculum for ALN and MAT pupils;  Inform children of their achievements and help them to progress;  Inform staff and parents of children’s achievements and their next steps;  Ensure effective transition;

Our observations will take the form of:-

 Planned observations for a specific length of time;  Planned observation to assess developmental progress;  Planned observations on targeted children;  Spontaneous observations of significant events.

These are completed through focus and enhanced learning opportunities and recorded through the use of the INCERTS or observation board. Baseline Observations and Assessment will also take place on pupils entry to school using the FPP document, to provide staff with a baseline of pupils learning. These observations will continue through to the end of Foundation Phase as pupils progress through to Year 2.

Assessment for Learning

Assessment is a continuous process integral to learning and teaching. It is how teachers gain

knowledge of their pupils’ needs, achievements and abilities, enabling planning and delivery to

be more effective, thereby raising attainment for every child.

‘Effective assessment practice is part of the continuous process of school improvement and is

a critical element in enabling schools and individual pupils to improve their performance.’

Caerphilly LEA Assessment Policy

Assessment for learning is the process of identifying what the learner has or has not achieved in order to plan the next steps in the teaching or learning it involves using assessment in the classroom to raise pupils’ achievement and is based on the idea that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they can achieve the aim.

Assessment opportunities, which are a natural part of teaching and learning, are constantly taking place in the classroom through discussion, listening and analysis of work. It is essential that teachers know how well a child has progressed and that pupils understand how well they are doing and what they must learn to help them improve.

By implementing a workable, explicit whole school assessment for learning practice and policy, we are aiming for each child to reach his/her full potential.

Effective assessment for learning involves:  The sharing of learning goals/intentions with pupils in a child friendly manner (Learning Ladybird)  Helping pupils know and recognise the criteria for success using Success Spider / Spiders checklist.  Providing feedback and marking that helps pupils to identify how to improve though child friendly targets.  Pupils learning self-assessment techniques to discover areas they need to improve through use of ‘show me shapes’, BLP Characters, thumbs up / thumbs down on learning, talking partners.  The use of effective questioning to assess progress  Both the teacher and pupils reviewing and reflecting on pupils' performance and progress by responding to targets set.  Recognising that both motivation and self-esteem, crucial for effective learning and progress, can be increased by effective assessment techniques

Recording At Nant-y-Parc Primary School we:

 Plan focus assessments and observations as part of our daily/weekly planning; This will determine the next session/week’s planning;  Record our observations to assess developmental progress of our children;through the use of INCERTS and observation boards.

Resources are stored in the appropriate area to ensure children are able to make choices, select and return resources and develop their independence.

The Outdoor Environment The outdoor environment for children offers an extended teaching area.

At Nant-y-Parc Primary School we acknowledge that children are more confident when they learn outdoors. We endeavour to plan our learning experiences through the use of the outdoors on a regular basis, with pupils accessing outdoor continuous provision daily (weather permitting)

ORGANISATION

 At present there is a Nursery Class, two Reception / Y1 mix classes and a Y2 class at Nant- y-Parc Primary School. Children enter the Nursery class the term following their third birthday and attend on a part time basis.  Children transfer to Reception in the September after their fourth birthday, and attend on a full time basis.

TRANSITION

To the school

 The step from home to school can be a traumatic one, both for the children and the parents. At Nant-y-Parc Primary School, we endeavour to ensure that the process seeks to alleviate any trauma, thereby allowing the child’s education to get off to the best possible start.

Settling In  We receive the children into their new environment paying attention to individual needs through welcoming, comforting and generally getting to know the child  Children are introduced the child to their personal coat peg with its individualised picture and name  We nurture self-confidence in the child by offering constructive comments, which build self-esteem

This initial settling period provides a good opportunity to discuss any concerns relating to the pupils e.g. speech, hearing diet, allergies etc We continue to work closely with our Flying Start Setting to ensure that transition between settings is as effective as possible for the children. These links provide good opportunity to discuss any concerns / baseline assessment results with staff to ensure that all children’s individual needs are met. We also have an afternoon Nursery Setting (Little Miners) within our own Nursery building which provides continuity and familiarity to the children.

LINKS WITH PARENTS, CARERS AND GOVERNORS

We greatly value parent’s contribution to their child’s education. We also feel that it is vital that we listen to parents and talk about their children to enable us to get an informed picture of the whole child. This is important if we are to offer relevant learning experiences. We need to continue this discussion and involvement of parents. We have various strategies for home/school links:

Links with parents are established even prior to the children starting school. They are invited to a meeting during the term before their child starts where they receive an Information booklet and are afforded the opportunity to raise questions with the Head teacher and Deputy Head teacher. They can spend time looking at the Nursery and meeting the Nursery staff.

In the Nursery, close links are nurtured on a daily basis. Parents are welcome to discuss any areas of concern with the staff at mutually convenient times.

Governors have an important role to play

 Governors have received training in the importance and principles of the Foundation Phase;  Governors have visited the Foundation Phase;  Governors receive regular information about the Foundation Phase through the termly HT’s report;

MILK/SNACK TIME

In Foundation Phases classes, milk/snack time is perceived as an important social activity. The children are offered milk or water and enjoy this special time with their friends. The children are offered fruit as part of the Healthy Schools Scheme. Parents can pay £1. (Nursery) and £1.50 (Reception – Y2) per week or send in a small portion of fruit daily.

EDUCATIONAL VISITS Educational visits form an important part of the Foundation Phase curriculum. Parents are regularly called upon to accompany children on a variety of visits/excursions. Where this is not possible, the school requests parental consent for another responsible adult to accompany the pupils, under the supervision of the teacher.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES All children will have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum regardless of their race, culture, background, gender or ability. All areas for equal opportunity will be taken into consideration in the planning and delivery of lessons and activities.

HEALTH AND SAFETY It is the responsibility of all staff and where appropriate, pupils to be aware of Health and Safety issues in relation to pupils education. Positive attitudes should be developed towards personal safety and that of others when using equipment. Any issues arising should be brought to the attention of the Health and Safety Officer and a risk assessment carried out.