Foundation Stage 2
Click here to see what we have been getting up to in our classes!
Termly Overviews 2023/2024
Take a look at our learning for this year by clicking on the purple links below.
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Termly information
Our term 1 topic is - Who are we?
At Rochester Riverside we want your child to be happy, have fun, learn how to be independent, feel safe, be problem solvers, build their confidence and self esteem and be curious individuals whilst developing their imagination. The children will learn through play and group activities, there are learning opportunities in everything the children do.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage children learn best when they experience learning first hand, through meaningful interactions with others, through physical activity and through play. The Early Years curriculum encompasses three prime areas of learning:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
The curriculum also breaks down into four further areas of learning which are known as the specific areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Your children are taught in a range of different ways at Rochester Riverside, we believe there are learning opportunities everywhere and in everything they do.
Child initiated learning - this is where children initiate the learning themselves whilst planning and selecting their own activities. Adults participate in these activities rather than leading them. This learning happens through play and interacting with others.
Teacher directed - this is learning through an activity that has been defined, structured and delivered by an adult to the children. It has a focus on the direct teaching of skills and knowledge with a specific objective in mind.
Teacher-led - this is an activity that is defined by an adult, it focuses on a specific objective and is usually completed as a small group with an adult.
Please see individual class pages for class timetables.
Lunch menu
spring summer menu 2024 final rr.pdf
Play is a superpower!
At Rochester Riverside we recognise that it is vital for children to learn through play. We use the environment to ensure their needs are met through continuous provision, enhanced provision and by following their interests.
Please have a look through this document to see how we support your child and their learning at school.
play is a superpower for website.pdf
Attributes at Rochester Riverside
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life.
At Rochester Riverside, we believe in nurturing and developing children's attributes, through this we can help them become a well-rounded individual. The Fruit of the Spirit are amongst some of the attributes we talk about to try to answer our important question of: 'Who we are' and 'How do we choose to live.'
The Fruit of the Spirit illustrate just some of the attributes we talk about and practise throughout the school day. We take the time to share and think about what it means to be a member of our 'Riverside community', what this means to us and why we act the way we do. We encourage the children to share their thoughts and ideas. We inspire the children to be proud of themselves and others and the attributes they present. We believe by the time our pupils come to the end of their journey with us, they will have developed stepping stones, to becoming strong, independent individuals who can continue their journeys sharing their wisdom and attributes with others.
Phonics
At Rochester Riverside, we teach children to read with Little Wandle Letters and Sounds revised. The children will have daily phonics sessions and we want each individual to grow their love of reading.
Click here to visit to Little Wandle parents page!
On their website you will be able to watch videos to hear how the graphemes are pronounced, how to write letters along with how you can support your child with their reading skills at home.
Children participate in a daily whole class phonic lesson which follows the structure of review, teach, practise and apply. Children will be taught new graphemes and reading/writing skills whilst being able to revisit prior learning along with practising and applying their new phonics knowledge.
Each child will also have the opportunity to read with an adult 3 times a week using a book that is matched to their phonic knowledge. Each read will focus on a different skill which will allow children to build their reading fluency.
If you have any questions or would like to know more, feel free to talk to Mrs Whitcombe or Miss Oakey.
pronunciation guide autumn 1 june 2023.pdf
Early Years Foundation Stage
At Rochester Riverside it is our passion to create wow and wonder within the Early Years and to give children a chance to live life in all its fullness. We want children to embark on their journey of becoming learners for life and it is vital for us to enable children to be happy and excited learners who take risks and are not afraid to try new things. We will support children to develop their independence so they are able to take charge of their own learning and feel valued throughout their journey with us.
As we are a Church of England school we embrace Christian Values in every part of our school life. Our Values, Respect, Forgiveness, Trust, Compassion, Wisdom and Perseverance help to shape our ethos and enable our children to flourish both in school and in the wider community to become forever Pilgrim. (See our school vision)
In the Early Years children experience the 7 areas of learning through a range of opportunities and experiences. We use the Birth to Five Matters guidance to support children’s progress towards all of the statutory EYFS Early Learning Goals.
This can be found at:
Please see the EYFS Early Learning Goals, this is a statutory assessment of children’s development which will take place at the end of reception. Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs) across all 7 areas of learning in the EYFS. For each ELG, teachers must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS.
Implementation
At Rochester Riverside we recognise that it is vital for children to learn through play. We use the environment to ensure their needs are met through continuous provision, enhanced provision and by following their interests. By spending quality time playing with the children, we develop positive relationships which enable the children to flourish in a safe and nurturing environment. By fostering curiosity in our setting, we promote a love of learning through natural resources, loose pieces and real life items which help to develop beautiful, magical and wondrous play opportunities.
By creating an enabling environment, we take advantage of naturally occurring teachable moments that happen during the children’s play and will support their next steps to progress them further with their learning there and then. As we follow the children’s interests and enhance the environment, we allow them to practise, repeat and rehearse newly learnt skills which they will be able to apply independently over time.
In order for our children to be engaged, motivated and creative thinkers we use the Characteristics of Effective Learning (found in Birth to Five Guidance) to recognise how children learn. We value the process of how children learn, not just the end product they may create.
We recognise that reading is a key support to all other learning and ensure engaging phonic sessions are being taught by using the whole school approach of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds with children’s reading books matching their phonic ability as well as reading aloud to the children, telling stories and rhymes. We encourage parents to read with their child on a daily basis to help promote an enjoyment of reading. We also provide further opportunities by pairing children up with their own reading buddy, visiting adults share stories and the lunchtime reading café all help to develop the skills and passion to become lifelong readers.
Impact
We record children’s wow moments throughout the day which feeds into our assessments of where the children are working. We also encourage parents to share their child’s achievements from home by sharing these moments on Tapestry which we then include with our assessments. Every child has a personal learning story which helps to build up an overall picture of the learning journey that they have been on throughout their time in the Foundation Stage. All these ways help assess the children to help inform us of the progress that children have made as well as any gaps that need to be addressed. For the children in Foundation Stage 2 the Early Learning Goals are used to make the end of year judgements. These assessments are fed back to parents in the end of year school reports.
Throughout the year we moderate with schools in our Multi Academy Trust and data meeting with the Senior Leadership Team ensures that all judgements are accurate and that all the needs of the children are met.
In this way it can be seen to be impacting in a very positive way on children’s outcome and prepares them for the next phase in school.