We have a fantastic team of staff within the class environment, all having a range of experience in Early Education with priority in settling in pupils, making them feel safe, happy and supported in the class.
We strive to provide a welcoming, caring, safe and stimulating environment for everyone. We pride ourselves on ensuring that each and every child feels valued and are empowered to take their part planning and decision making.
Our Headteacher, Mrs Sarah Arthur teaches the class on a Friday morning, offering her years of experience in Early Years education. It is also her favourite time of the week!
Our learning experiences are diverse and are strongly rooted in the outdoors. We have wonderful outdoor learning resources including a canopy area for use in inclement weather. The children enjoy working and learning outside as much as possible.
We see children as strong, powerful, competent and active learners who need opportunities to make real choices and decisions supported and encouraged by adults.
We promote a great work ethos in our classroom, encouraging the children to learn all of the basic skills of oracy and numeracy in a playful and imaginative.
We work hard to ensure our children become excellent listeners and participators and strive to develop their confidence. They learn how to take turns and how to compromise. As a team, we encourage and work with our children to reach their full potential.
We believe that we can encourage children to become lifelong learners by providing a rich, broad, balanced and relevant curriculum and by working in genuine partnership with parents/ carers and the wider community.
We recognise that starting school is a big step for the parents, so we ensure that we keep close communication with our school parents, keeping them fully informed and involved in school life.
Please bring your child to school dressed in their P.E. kit on their designated day.
Please bring in a healthy snack for your child to enjoy at morning break!
When the children arrive, they practice writing their own name, complete a self-check-in (based on how they are feeling) and then we dance or ‘dough disco’ to wake up our bodies.
The children meet in a big circle with all the adults to share a together time which includes opportunities for music, singing, dancing, stories, P.E., phonic games, number games and discussion. During this session we sing a range of Welsh songs and talk about our routine using bilingual phrases.
The children work on a specific, planned and skills-based activity that has been planned by the class teacher. The adult leading the activity supports the children’s learning and makes notes of the children’s responses and achievements.
In their groups, the children have a drink of milk or water and share a selection of fruit, vegetables, crackers, and so on. During these sessions, the children practice simple Welsh phrases, asking for different foods and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’
All of the children enjoy time on the pirate ship playground, riding trikes and bikes, racing and chasing, engaging in imaginative play and enjoying the outdoors.
The children work on a specific, planned and skills-based activity that has been planned by the class teacher. The adult leading the activity supports the children’s learning and makes notes of the children’s responses and achievements.
The children meet in a big circle with all the adults to share a together time which includes opportunities for music, singing, dancing, stories, P.E., phonic games, number games and discussion. During this session we sing a range of Welsh songs and talk about our routine using bilingual phrases.
The children work on a specific, planned and skills-based activity that has been planned by the class teacher. The adult leading the activity supports the children’s learning and makes notes of the children’s responses and achievements.
The children plan to ‘work’ (and play) in an area of the Foundation Phase classroom, telling their group where they would like to go and what they plan to do there. They use the ‘Planning Boards,’ with pictorial symbols, which reminds them of where they have planned. Throughout the week, the children are encouraged to visit and work in different areas so that they practise a more diverse range of skills. The children carry out their plans while adults scaffold their learning. Within the areas, enhanced provision and further resources are provided on a fortnightly basis, linked to the topic.
The children and adults work together to tidy the room. Everyone shares the responsibility of looking after the learning environment.
The children come back to their groups, bringing anything they want to share from Work Time with them, and take turns to talk with each other and the adult about what they have done and who they have worked with. They are also encouraged to discuss any problems they may have had and solutions they have come up with.
All of the class attend a collective worship assembly, where they listen to and/or participate in recalling a Bible story or a moral story based on our Golden Rules.
Everyone sings a ‘Going Home’ song together. Following this, each child is brought to meet all parents at the Oak Class entrance gate at the rear of the main building.
