EYFS
Why we do what we do
At Kellington Primary school we understand that children have an extraordinary capacity to learn. We know that our children not only begin school with different starting points and backgrounds but are often likely to progress at different rates and need different support and experiences in order to fulfil their potential and have the best start in life. With this in mind we have deliberately designed our curriculum so that it builds from what children already know and can do, ensuring they all have a firm foundation on which to build.
We know that if we can provide our youngest children with opportunities to develop their language and communication, their basic number, reading and writing skills and a general knowledge that will help them to understand and be excited about the world around them then this will have a lasting and positive impact on the journey through the rest of their lives. This is a priority for us.
We are relentless in our drive to ensure our curriculum is not burdensome. We are clear about what we want our children to learn. It is well thought through and planned. We know that our most vulnerable children benefit from more opportunities to interact with adults; we ensure this is incorporated into our plans.
We also focus on ensuring children develop physically, socially and emotionally in order to support both their learning and well-being.
The EYFS Framework
Sets the standards that all early year’s providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well
Ensures children are kept healthy and safe
Ensures that children have the knowledge and skills they need to start school
The Characteristics of Effective Learning
The three characteristics of effective learning describe the behaviours children use in order to learn.
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Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and build the resilience to ‘have a go’
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Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achieving
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Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
The Areas of Learning and Development
The three prime areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships, and thriving, underpinning the specific areas of learning.
The Prime areas:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
There are four specific areas through which the prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
How we do it
Our environment
We recognised that both play-based learning and direct instruction have value for teaching young children. Our carefully designed continuous provision provides children with the opportunity to investigate and apply their taught learning in our stimulating indoor and outdoor environments.
Our adults
Our well trained, skillful adults interact with children during planned and child-initiated play and activities. They model language, showing, explaining and exploring ideas, encouraging, questioning, recalling and providing a narrative for what children are doing whilst setting challenges and helping children to achieve them.Opps for repetition and practice are interwoven into our days, as are our familiar class routines.
Our partnerships
At Kellington Primary School, we understand that parental partnership is paramount to enabling our wonderful young people. We know that as a team, we can work together to create an extended school family within which our young people can flourish. Communication with parents is facilitated through parent open-sessions, online learning journeys and updates via Tapestry and daily conversations. We run practical sessions throughout the year to help parents and carers support their young people at home. This includes an introduction to the ‘Read Write Inc’ programme in Reception to support our priority of early reading, language and communication.
At Kellington Primary School, we pride ourselves on our inclusivity and recognise the unique practice of nurturing the learning of young children with specific needs, including speech, language and communication difficulties. We are aware of the importance of early intervention for children facing specific developmental/learning challenges. Our experienced SENCo, Thrive practitioners and relationships with external agents help us to gain timely and effective support for our young people to enable them to flourish.
The result of what we do
Children leaving our Reception year have a secure understanding of basic numbers, reading and writing skills and a general knowledge that will help them to understand and be excited about the world around them. They will have encountered a wealth of well-chosen texts and had opportunities to write in different contexts. Early reading skills are well established through discrete phonics and story sessions, designed to develop a love of reading in preparation for KS1. Most importantly, our children will have resilience, integrity, respect and kindness.
All you need to know about how to join our school:
Please read the following information carefully as this section clarifies our admissions procedures.
At Kellington Primary School, we offer up to 30 hours funded places for children from the term after their 3rd birthday. Start dates for nursery are September/January/April of any year and dependent upon availability of places. We have 24 nursery places available.
As nursery provision is non-statutory, the school’s decision to admit a child to nursery and their allocation of hours will be final. There is no formal right of appeal. Offers of a nursery place will always be made in writing.
If we are oversubscribed, we allocate children according to the following priorities:
If they are a sibling of a child / children in our school
Children who live in our local area
Children who are likely to able be admitted by the Local Authority to our Reception
Please note that attending our Nursery does not guarantee you a place in our school. Admissions to Primary School in the September following your child’s 4th birthday is governed by North Yorkshire Council Children’s Services and not school. You therefore need to apply for a place in Reception through the local authority primary school application portal.
If you would like any support with your application, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Ahead of starting at Kellington, our Nursery staff will get to know your child and yourselves through offering drop-in sessions and a home visit. This offers wonderful opportunities to build initial relationships, explore their new school setting and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions.
15 HOURS
15 hour, 3 year old entitlement is offered through either morning, afternoon or full school day sessions each week. If you require extended care beyond fifteen hours during the school day, or wish for your child to stay for lunch, then please contact the school office for more details.
Our Nursery sessions run from 8.45 to 11.45am and from 12.15 to 3.15pm. We offer children the opportunity to stay for lunch for a small fee. This includes the choice of a freshly prepared school dinner, jacket potato or sandwich.
30 HOURS
We can offer 30 hour places to those families who have an eligibility code. We only offer this over 4.5 school days, term time only. The additional ½ day session is also available at an additional cost.
We are unable to split the 30 hours with any other provider and child care before and after school will not be included as part of the funded hours.
Our school’s Breakfast Club runs from 8.00am-8:45am and will be available if there are places at an additional cost. Our Breakfast Club, which accommodates children across the whole of school, is extremely popular and is often over-subscribed; please ensure you book ahead to ensure your child’s place.
To make an enquiry or to apply for a place at our nursery, please contact the school office on (01977) 661127 or via email at admin@kp.starmat.uk or complete the application form by following the link Application Form
Visits to our school are warmly welcomed and encouraged.
