Welcome to Foundation 1

In F1 at Bedford Drive we aim for our children to develop as confident and independent individuals who learn through a play based curriculum, which is central to children's learning in the Foundation Stage.

We encourage our children to explore the world around them, both indoors and outdoors. We allow opportunities for them to extend their skills through questioning and to develop their confidence, building upon what they already know.

Children will have the opportunity to learn during a daily carpet session, with a Phonics, Reading or Maths focus see below for more information. They also learn independently through a wide range of areas of provision. Some of these include: deconstructed role play, sand, water, malleable, small world, a workshop area and construction. Please see the Curriculum Overview below and find out more about our learning across the year.

There is also a welcome presentation below prepared for those families starting in September.

Phonics

Last year we introduced F1 to our new Phonics programme ‘Little Wandle’. The children thoroughly enjoyed the daily phonics sessions and they made excellent progress across the year. This year we will begin with Phonics games, stories and activities moving onto recognising and blending sounds in the Spring Term.

Reading

In Early Years sharing books is a vital part of our day and we want all children to foster a love of reading from a young age. The children are exposed to fiction, poetry and non-fiction texts to broaden understanding and widen vocabulary. We are introducing ‘Literacy Counts’ texts as part of our ‘Steps to Read’ sessions where we will learn about a particular book in more depth which allows the children to take part in discussions and linked activities.

Book Bags - Reading for Pleasure

Every Thursday children select a book of their choosing to take home and enjoy reading for their pleasure with a parent, carer, family member or friend. Your child also has a reading record which tells you the name of the book and allows you to add any comments.

Pencil Grip

In F1 the children will take part in a ‘Funky Fingers’ activity each morning which will involve threading, tweezing, rolling, pressing, cutting, squeezing, building. This helps to develop fine motor skills needed to hold a pencil effectively later on.

Writing

Around the classroom and outdoors the children will be able to access pencils, clipboards, chalks, paint, crayons, whiteboards, paper, card to encourage mark-making during Continuous Provision.

Each week the children will take part in ‘Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle’. This is a teacher-led activity which uses neurological and physiological movements to create marks. The children will dance to music using gross motor skills to make circles, lines and patterns with their arms. We then draw our dance using writing tools on paper.

Maths

In Foundation 1 we use the Maths Hubs Programme for the teaching of mastery and fluency in Maths. We focus on a ‘Number of the Month’ alongside a linked book which sparks the children’s’ interest and deepens their understanding of number.

Using the ‘Development Matters’ and EYFS Framework as guidance, Maths is taught as teacher-led carpet sessions and linked provision

Wider Curriculum

At Bedford Drive our Foundation 1 children experience a broad and balanced curriculum designed to follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This framework sets out the learning, development and assessment requirements for all EYFS children until the end of their reception year. Our engaging and enriching curriculum is further guided by a document called ‘Development Matters’. All early years practitioners are required to provide planned activities to support each child’s educational development across the seven areas of learning. Our philosophy of early year’s education is deeply rooted in the belief that child initiated continuous provision should be at the heart of a broad and varied curriculum.

P.E

P.E will take place every Monday in the hall.