EYFS

Welcome to EYFS

We are thrilled to welcome your children to their first years of primary school!

This exciting journey will encompass a variety of engaging topics and we are especially excited about our topics “Traditional Tales” and “At the Farm”. Throughout the year, we aim to inspire curiosity and a love for learning in every child in our newly refurbished classroom.

Miss Smith will be leading our class, and she is supported by our dedicated teaching assistants, Miss Lock, Mrs Collin, and Miss Calder. Together, we are eager to create a nurturing environment where your children can thrive and explore. Here’s to a wonderful year ahead.

In the Autumn term, we will start off by focusing on getting to know your children. We will then move on to learning about Autumn, people in our community who help us and Christmas. We are so excited to welcome you in to watch our nativity!

In the Spring term, we will be learning about Winter and then looking closely at some traditional tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk.

In the Summer term, we will be learning about Spring with an extra focus on farm life. We will then learn about water and sun safety in our under the sea topic. This also includes learning about mermaids and pirates!

We also offer 15 hour places for 3 year olds (morning sessions) and we anticipate to re-open our 30 hours offer later in the academic year.

Welcome to Early YearsNursery Application Form
Supporting Reading at home

If you are interested in applying for a place at our school for any of our age groups, please contact the school office.

About us!

Throughout our Early Years Unit, we provide high quality early years education to all children. We support and encourage children to:

Be themselves – have their own thoughts and feelings. It’s good to be different!
Be kind to others and show respect to objects as well as people;
Develop their independence;
Have a go – it may not go how you want it to but it’s great that you have tried!
Keep trying when it gets tricky, you’ll get there!
Be creative, curious and use their imagination;
Explore and take risks to discover their likes, dislikes and the world surrounding them via first hand experiences;
Communicate for help when they need it, ask questions and express their opinions.
Here at Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School, we know that each child has vast potential. Throughout our school, we do the utmost we can to ensure that every child can reach their potential and beyond, whilst helping to develop both educational and life skills that can enable children to ‘believe, achieve and soar with pride’.

Here at Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School, we know that each child has vast potential. Throughout our school, we do the utmost we can to ensure that every child can reach their potential and beyond, whilst helping to develop both educational and life skills that can enable children to ‘believe, achieve and soar with pride’.

Our neutral, warm and welcoming Early Years Unit is where you will find the youngest children at Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School; our Nursery (3-4 years old) and Reception (4-5 years old). Primarily, Nursery and Reception aged children share the same space. We also have a large outdoor area which enables children to play on a louder and larger scale, whilst also enabling the children develop problem-solving skills, resilience and observe varying environments. We appreciate that children love to play outdoors so aim to use outside as much as we can.

Comprised of 3 academic year groups, our neutral, warm and welcoming Early Years Unit is where you will find our youngest children; Nursery (3-4 years old (N1 and N2)) and Reception (4-5 years old). Primarily, Nursery and Reception share the same large and open indoor space, but from time to time, reception will split off to focus on adult led activities. We also have a large outdoor area which enables children to play on a louder and larger scale, whilst also enabling the children develop problem-solving skills, resilience and observe varying environments. We appreciate that children love to play outdoors so aim to use outside as much as we can.

The Early Years – what we do:

Children are born ready to explore and discover the world around them, using play as a tool to learn and develop; Play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills (Unicef, 2018). Playing allows basic concepts (such as communication, physical and social skills) to be developed, creating pathways and interests for future learning as they progress through school. This is why in the Early Years at Dean Bank, our curriculum is built around play and the interests of children – every child has the right to play.

Staff are proud to deliver an inclusive, enriching curriculum and support the welfare of all children. They also support children through modelling play and positive behaviour; creating enabling and enriching environments as well as through providing excellent opportunities (both inside and outside of our school community) that stimulate and challenge children. As a result, children develop holistically – allowing them to become engaged, independent and resilient thinkers, learners and successful young people.

Staff use the ‘Development Matters’ and “Birth to 5 Matters” documents to assess and track the development of children, endeavouring to support their needs, interests and abilities.

Furthermore, the ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ also applies. The legislation sets standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five, providing guidance and information to staff on areas including learning/development, staff:child ratios, child welfare and safety. ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ also states the rules and regulations all setting staff and governors must adhere to, in order to promote the welfare of young people and safeguard children effectively.

The wider community

We know that when we work in partnership with parents/carers, children reap the benefits, allowing them to feel safe and comfortable within our setting. We strive to have quality, positive relationships with all of our parents/carers, to ensure that their child’s learning and holistic development journey is one they are satisfied with and that their child’s individual needs are met.

We encourage parents/carers to be connected to our communication services – Class Dojo and Seesaw. This enables guardians to keep in touch with us, find out any news and find out what children have been up to. When your child starts with us, you will receive information on how to connect to these communication platforms.

Further support by working in partnership with additional staff members, the Senior Leadership Team, Governors and the wider Dean Bank community enables us to further support the holistic development and education of children.