Our Early Years Foundation Stage is made up of Nursery and Reception. Our wonderful Early Years team work hard to promote co-operative learning through all areas of the Foundation Stage Curriculum. We prepare children for a smooth and seamless transition to Key Stage 1 by developing and modelling a range of skills that will aid this transition and prepare them for the rest of their school career. We have a very welcoming ethos and an ‘open door’ policy, where parents are encouraged have daily discussions with staff to support the ongoing learning in Nursery and Reception.
Our Academy’s SENDCO and Senior Leadership Team work closely with the Early Years Team, who support children in our school with various needs. Our SENDCo is there to offer advice, liaise with outside agencies and ensure we create a provision suitable for the needs of all pupils.
Both Nursery and Reception classes follow a comprehensive, whole day programme that ensures all areas of the EYFS curriculum are covered. This engaging teaching approach also prepares children to be confident, independent and inquisitive learners with a variety of skills to thrive in the world around them. Our Early Years provision provides the ideal building blocks for learning that follows in Key Stage 1, giving children consistency in their education as they get older.
The Early Years curriculum focuses on seven areas of learning which are split into the prime areas and the specific areas. As children grow and mature in the prime areas, they become ready to develop and acquire skills and knowledge in the specific areas.
The Prime Areas:
– Personal, Social & Emotional Development
– Physical Development
– Communication and Language
The Specific Areas:
– Literacy
– Mathematics
– Understanding the World
– Expressive Arts and Design
Each of the areas has its own learning goals. By the end of Reception, most children should have made significant progress towards achieving these goals.
At Westbridge, we have a 26-place Nursery which gives children a safe, creative space in which to learn and develop. If your child is 3 years old, and you are successful in your application to the Nursery, then they are entitled to 15 hours of free learning within the Nursery every week. Sessions are divided into morning sessions (8:55 – 11:55am) and afternoon sessions (12:15 – 3:15pm), and your child will be allocated a place in either the morning or afternoon Nursery.
In our Nursery, we aim to apply the best principles of early years education, encouraging positive attitudes to school and its routines. Children have access to a range of activities, both inside and outside the classroom, and a variety of adult-led and child-led activities are on offer.
In Nursery, we focus on the three Prime Areas of: Personal, Social & Emotional Development; Physical Development; and Communication and Language. These Prime Areas are the most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
You can download our Nursery application form below, or come and see us in the Office to pick up an form.
In Reception, children learn through exploring and being active, as much of the learning in the EYFS is child-initiated. Westbridge Academy follows the national Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework, which has 7 main areas of development. The Prime Areas are: Communication and Language; Physical Development; and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in four furthers Specific Areas. These Specific Areas are: Literacy; Mathematics; Understanding the World; and Expressive Arts and Design.
Teachers carefully plan activities to suit the needs of individual learners. At Westbridge, children have access to a range of activities, both inside and outside the classroom, that support their progress through the Early Learning Goals. Our pupils in Reception are given a firm foundation to begin the next stage of their education in Year 1.
