Welcome to our Foundation Stage meeting

1. Welcome to our Foundation Stage meeting

2. A typical morning in Foundation Two

3. A typical afternoon in Foundation Two

4. The seven areas of learning • Personal, Social and Emotional Development • Communication and Language • Physical Development • Maths • Understanding of the world • Literacy (reading and writing) • Expressive Arts and Design Play underpins all development and learning. Most children play spontaneously and it is through play that they develop intellectually, creatively, physically, socially and emotionally.

5. Communication, Language and Literacy • In school we: • Plan an environment rich in signs, symbols, notices, numbers, words, books, music and songs. • Help children to communicate thoughts, ideas and feeling and build relationships with others. • Give daily opportunities to share and enjoy a wide range of books, rhymes, music, songs and poetry. (Shared/guided reading) • Allow children to see adults reading and writing and encourage them to experiment with writing by mark-making. • Develop children’s phonological awareness (phonics sessions)

6. What can you do at home? • Read with your child regularly when they bring their reading book home and introduce them to a wide range of other books by sharing them together. • Talk to your child over the weekend and fill out a news slip for your child’s Key Worker. • On your child’s reading day you are welcome to come into school with your child. This is an opportunity to: • Talk to your child’s Key Worker • Enjoy some extra time engaging in an activity wih your child • Take part in your child’s learning journey by filling in a post it with interesting news about the things yo child has been doing at home.

7. Maths • In school we: • Give the children time and space to explore new ideas and language during their own play. • Utilise the outdoor environment to enable the children to discover things about shape, distance and measure through physical activity. • Encourage the children to explore real-life problems, to make patterns and to count and match objects together. • Enable children to discover things about numbers, counting and calculating through practical situations e.g. how many children are in the home corner? • Develop mathematical understanding through stories, songs, games, and imaginative play. (Whole class/group work) • Use mathematical terms regularly during play and daily routines.

8. Counting Skills. • Counting involves: • saying the number names in order, • matching the numbers to objects counted, • knowing when you count, the last number you say gives the number in the group, • understanding that objects can’t be counted twice, • moving objects into a line so that they can be counted.

9. What can you do at home? • Carry out a maths challenge each week – they provide practical real-life activities for you to enjoy with your child. • Send us in a news slip (which will come home with your child’s reading book). You can tell us some special news or something your child has done that would be good for us to know about to talk about with your child. • Notice numbers around you – have a number hunt! E.g. what numbers can be spotted when you are out and about. • When at the shops or around the house ask the children to help with the jobs e.g. can you get 3 apples, bananas etc. • Give the children practical problems e.g. setting the table, how many forks, knives will we need?

10. Other points • School fund • Observation boards • Assessment and progress • Targets • Questions?