EARLY YEARS

Hello and welcome from our Early Years page!

Joining our EYFS setting

Our Nursery admissions are organised by us at school. You can pick up an admissions form from the office.

Our Reception admissions are organised by Oldham Local Authority. You can find out more about this HERE. 

Our Nursery and Reception classes now work together as one Early Years unit, creating a seamless learning environment that supports every child's development. To ensure that all children receive teaching appropriate to their age and stage, Nursery and Reception have separate carpet sessions for key areas of learning, including phonics, mathematics, early reading and topic work, so that age-related expectations are fully met.

Throughout the rest of the day, the children learn together and take part in a range of adult-led focus activities that are rotated between all members of staff. This approach means that every adult gets to know each child well, developing a clear understanding of their individual learning stage, strengths and next steps. The unit is overseen by Miss Seville, our EYFS Lead, who plans and assesses learning for all children, working closely with the entire Early Years team to ensure every child receives consistent support, challenge and the best possible start to their learning journey.

Nursery timetable

Reception timetable

 Our Curriculum

At Horton Mills Primary School, our EYFS curriculum is designed to provide every child with the strongest possible start to their learning journey. We want our children to feel safe, happy and valued, while developing the confidence, curiosity and resilience needed to aspire to do their very best.

Our curriculum reflects the values of Horton Mills Primary School by nurturing the whole child and creating an environment where children are encouraged to develop positive relationships, independence and a love of learning. We recognise that every child arrives with unique experiences, strengths and starting points, and we aim to build on these foundations through a rich, ambitious and inclusive curriculum.

Through carefully planned experiences across all areas of learning, children are encouraged to become confident communicators, creative thinkers and independent learners. We provide opportunities for children to explore, investigate, problem-solve and develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will support them throughout their education. Our curriculum is shaped around children’s interests, developmental needs and the wider experiences that will help them understand themselves, others and the world around them.

We aim for children to leave their Reception as happy, confident and resilient learners who are ready for the next stage of their education. They will have developed strong foundations in communication, early reading, writing, mathematics, physical development and personal, social and emotional development, alongside a sense of curiosity and ambition.

Please ensure you read our half termly newsletter, it provides you with ideas to try at home as well as keeps you informed of your child's learning between parents meetings and brief chats at the door during drop off and pick up times. There's the Nursery or Reception newsletters below.

 Phonics and Reading

At Horton Mill we use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to teach phonics. Please read the attached document for all the information as how we teach phonics and reading and how you can support your child.

 

 

For further information and links to videos please click Little Wandle Parent's Resources

It is essential your child reads as often as possible. We will read with your child in a group three times a week with their assigned phonics book. This book will meet your child's reading level and they will be expected to read this to you at home, this is the first book they will bring home. The second is their Reading for Pleasure book that they chose that week, this is the book you read to them to expand their vocabulary, listening, attention and understanding skills. These books are changed weekly, or fortnightly based on fluency and comprehension. Please bring their book bags to school every Thursday.

Mathematical Development

We use Mastery Maths and Power Maths to teach mathematics in Reception.

Mathematics — Number:

Reception children at the expected level of development will:

• have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number;
• subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;
• automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

Mathematics — Numerical Patterns:

Reception children at the expected level of development will:

• verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;
• compare quantities of up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than, or the same as the other quantity;
• explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts, and how quantities can be distributed equally.

We have linked some helpful websites that may help for at home:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zhtf3j6
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08bzfnh/numberblockshttps://whiteroseeducation.com/1-minute-mathshttps://whiteroseeducation.com/1-minute-maths

Early Years Framework

Children follow the EYFS Framework in Nursery and Reception. Early Years learning concentrates on 7 areas split between prime and specific areas of learning.

The prime areas of learning are:

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

The specific areas of learning are:

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

The Early Years Framework sets out the seven areas of learning and what children should be able to do by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage (the early learning goals).

A child’s individual learning characteristics determine the way they respond to both the teaching and learning taking place within the provision.  The three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;
• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and
• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

 

If you have any concerns or queries, please speak to the team at the door.

Thank you for all your support. 

Miss Seville, Mrs Chaudry, Miss Ogden, Mrs Nadim and Mrs Parveen