kings eyfs handbook

The King’s School, Manila August 2014

FOUNDATION STAGE HANDBOOK

A guide to Foundation Stage at The King’s School, Manila

This Foundation Stage handbook will introduce you to the specific policies and procedures which will help you to support your child becoming integrated into their life at the King’s School, Manila. Please take the time to read it through carefully and keep it on hand for future reference.

�1www.kings.org.ph

http://www.kings.org.ph


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Table Of Contents""WELCOME FROM THE HEADTEACHER" " " " " 3 ""TERM DATES"" " " " " " " "4 ""THE CURRICULUM" " " " " " " " "INTRODUCTION" " " " " " " "6"LITERACY "" " " " " " " " " 9 "NUMERACY" " " " " " " " " 10 "MUSIC" " " " " " " " " "1 1" CHINESE" " " " " " " " " "1 2" P.E." " " " " " " " " " 13" "EXTRA CURRICULAR "AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (ASA)"" " " " " 15"FIELD TRIPS" " " " " " " " " 15 "SPECIAL EVENT DAYS" " " " " " " 16""THE PASTORAL SYSTEMTHE HOUSE SYSTEM" " " " " " " 18 "WHAT CAN PARENTS DO TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD?" " " 19 ""SCHOOL PROCEDURES"HOME/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION"" " " " "2 1"REPORTING TO PARENTS" " " " " " " 22 "PLAYGROUND" " " " " " " " 23 "SECURITY"" " " " " " " " " 23 "SCHOOL LUNCHES" " " " " " " " 23"HEALTH AND ABSENCES" " " " " " " 24 "CHANGE OF CLOTHES" " " " " " " 24"INDEPENDENCE" " " " " " " " 25"



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Welcome from the Headteacher

Dear Parents"

The Foundation Stage at The King’s School, Manila is the phase which includes the children from Pre-nursery to Reception class."

Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. High quality early learning provides the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. "

While your child is in the Foundation Stage we will ensure he or she will learn and develop well and is kept healthy and safe. We are committed to giving your child the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life. "

If you have the opportunity to look around our school I am confident that you will be impressed with the warmth of the learning environment, the impressively organised classrooms, the quality of the work on display and the supportive relationships between the children and their teachers and teaching assistants.""The facilities provided at King’s, for our Foundation Stage children, provide an ideal environment to support their educational development. Our children benefit from a safe and caring environment with specialist areas for P.E., dance, music and Mandarin whilst also enjoying indoor and outdoor play areas.""At King’s I have no doubt that you will see your child grow in confidence and in ability in a learning environment where they can feel respected and can learn to respect others."Welcome to the Foundation Stage and to our school."""PETER LINDSAY



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Foundation Stage"Term Dates

Term One

Monday, 18 August First day of Academic Year

Thursday, 21 August National Holiday (Ninoy Aquino Day)

Monday, 25 August National Holiday (National Heroes Day)

Monday – Friday, 13 - 17 October School closed for half term

Friday, 12 December Last day of term - Noon finish

Term Two

Monday, 5 January First day of term

Monday – Friday, 16 – 20 February School closed for half term

Wednesday, 25 February National Holiday (EDSA Revolution)

Thursday, 2 April Last day of term - Noon finish

Term Three

Monday, 20 April First day of term

Friday, 1 May National Holiday (Labour Day)

Monday – Friday, 25 - 29 May School closed for half term

Friday, 12 June National Holiday (Independence Day)

Tuesday, 14 July Last day of term - Noon finish



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Foundation Stage"Our Curriculum



What is Foundation Stage?!Foundation Stage comprises three year groups: Pre-Nursery (ages 2-3) and Nursery (ages 3-4) and Reception (4-5). FS is how we describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5."

Four guiding principles shape practice in early years settings. These are:"

• every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured"

• children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships"

• children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers and"

• children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities."

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Foundation Stage"Our Curriculum



How is the curriculum delivered?!Children in the Foundation Stage learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside. "

Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development."

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These 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 4 specific areas. These are:"

• Literacy;"

• Mathematics;"

• Understanding the world; and"

• Expressive arts and design."

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The adults teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to his or her unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it's suitable for very young children, and it's designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child's unique needs and interests."

We review your child’s progress and share a summary with you at two points: "

• between the ages of 24 and 36 months via the progress check; and "

• at the end of reception via the EYFS profile. "

"Communication and language !We give your child constant opportunities every day to experience a rich language environment; to develop confidence and skills in self-expression; and to speak and listen in a range of situations. "

Physical development !At The King’s School your child will be active. We ensure all children are given opportunities to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement."




"Personal, social and emotional development !It is vital that from the moment your child begins at The King’s School that we help him or her to:"

• develop a positive sense of themselves, and others."

• to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; "

• to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; "

• to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; "

• and to have confidence in their own abilities. "

Understanding the world !It is vital that children in Foundation Stage are helped to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. "

Expressive arts and design !Every day our children explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. They are encouraged to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.




In Foundation Stage the teaching of literacy involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest. "

Reading!By the time your child has finished Foundation Stage she or he will be able to:"

• read and understand simple sentences."

• use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately."

• read some common irregular words, and"

• demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.

Writing!Your child will learn to use phonics to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. We love it when children can write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words will be spelt correctly and others will be phonetically plausible, but in the Foundation Stage all ‘mark making’ and beginner writing behaviour is a celebration!"


Foundation Stage"Literacy



Teachers at The King’s school provide Foundation Stage children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers; calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, spaces, and measures. "

Numbers!By the time your child has completed Foundation Stage she or he should be able to:"

• count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number."

• use quantities and objects to add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer, and"

• solve problems, including doubling, halving and sharing."

Shape, space and measures!We encourage children to use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money, and to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. In Foundation Stage they will learn to recognise, create and describe patterns."

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Foundation Stage"Numeracy



Most children will have their first experience of music at school. It is important that music education of high quality is available to all children. The King’s School requires that children in early years settings are provided with opportunities to explore music, using a variety of songs and musical instruments, and to match movements to music."

Children in Foundation Stage receive music every day led by a music specialist. In addition they also attend a weekly singing assembly."

But, it is important to not just rely on the taught sessions. Foundation Stage classrooms promote child-initiated use of music as a medium for expressing their ideas, thoughts and feelings in independent ways. We provide access to tuned and untuned sound making activities, and music is also incorporated into many other aspects of learning so it becomes a dynamic part of the teaching and learning. "

Each year, the children perform in a large scale production which involves singing, playing percussion, acting and dancing."

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Foundation Stage"Music



The children receive Mandarin lessons every day. The aims of our Mandarin programme are to:"

• to immerse the children in a Mandarin speaking environment"

• to develop their interest in learning Chinese and enjoy Chinese activities"

• to repeat and recite simple Chinese rhymes, songs, poems "

• to practice tones. "

Mandarin curriculum!By the end of Foundation Stage we want our children to be able to understand simple instructions in Chinese. They will be able to complete a variety of activities that will promote their understanding of Mandarin. Our specialist teachers will share story telling in Chinese. The focus is on listening and speaking rather than reading and writing."

However, by the end of Foundation Stage we want the children to be able to:"

• start to learn the basic strokes."

• identify some characters from each topic."

The children will then be streamed to Pre-Basic or Basic level classes when they enter Year One."

Topics!

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Foundation Stage"Mandarin

Pre-Nursery Nursery Reception

Numbers (1-10) Numbers (1-10) Numbers (1-100)

Colours Colours Strokes

Family Family Colours

Animals Animals Body parts

Food Food Animals

Actions Actions Food

Clothes Clothes Actions

Transport Transport Clothes



PE is a compulsory subject. Every child takes part in five lessons per week, covering a range of different activities. P.E. provides opportunities for our children to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness.

Moving and handling!We assist Foundation Stage children to show good control and co-ordination in large and small movements. We want them to move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space. They will have opportunities to handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils for writing.

Health and self-care!Every day we teach the children the importance for good health of physical exercise and a healthy diet, and we talk about ways to keep healthy and safe. The children are encouraged to manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and undressing and going to the toilet independently.

P.E. Department Expectations!Dress!All students are expected to wear full King’s P.E. kit for every lesson. They should wear their kit to school and we will help them change into uniform afterwards. For swimming they should bring a swimming costume, swimming cap and towel. Swimming goggles and sun cream are also advisable. All P.E. kit should be clearly labeled with the child’s name. Jewellery and watches should not be worn in lessons and long hair must be tied back."


Foundation Stage"P.E.



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Foundation Stage"Extra Curricula Activities



After School Activities (ASA)!After school activities take place on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.""After School Activities are for Reception - Year 8 children; however, due to traffic problems in Manila we allow Nursery children to stay and wait for their siblings in a crèche-style environment. Eventually, as the year progresses Nursery children may also participate in the ASA programme.""Teachers and Teacher Assistants lead ASA. The purpose of ASA is to promote the creative and physical elements of the curriculum through stimulating and fun activities. It is also an excellent opportunity for children to interact with children of a different age group. Each term each member of staff is asked to offer a different ASA, but some choose to continue this ASA throughout the year if suitable.""You and your child will be invited to choose her or his ASA by booking online. These bookings are accepted on a first come first served basis. It is school policy that children do not change ASA mid-way through the programme - an aim of the ASA programme is to inculcate perseverance by taking a choice through to the end.""On Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday outside agencies will hold additional after school activities (AASA) for children. Usually children are charged a fee for AASA, and the activities may be conducted off-site.""Field Trips !Foundation Stage classes participates in a series of educational day visits in and around Manila. At King’s we consider these trips to be an essential part of a child’s education where classroom learning is extended, put to use or stimulated, and also where our pupils develop independence, self-reliance and grow in confidence. Parents might be asked to accompany school trips to support their child’s class and assist with extending all pupils’ learning. ""Special Event Days!Activities Week!In Foundation Stage during Activities Week the children participate in a series of extra-curricula activities that take place both in the school and out in the community. Events may include day trips to parks, theme days in school, inter-class learning, games and treats.""""


Foundation Stage"Extra Curricula Activities



Whole School Events"As well as special events days for particular year groups, there are also many days for the children from the whole school and Foundation Stage to enjoy. ""These include:"• Book Week - Focus on enjoying books, dressing up as a book character""• Maths Day - Lots of fun activities relating to numeracy and quizzes""• Science Day - Fun science activities and investigations""• UN Day - Coming to school in our national costumes and enjoying a truly international

day""• Chinese New Year - a day of learning Chinese games and cooking, and performing in

Mandarin




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Foundation Stage"Pastoral System



A guiding principle of the Early Years Foundation Stage is “every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.”"

Houses!On entry to Foundation Stage each child will join a school House team as a link with the wider school community. Our Houses will have a specific colour and name to make it easy for the children to identify. It is important for our children to feel as though they belong to the King’s community and they will be in the same house as their older siblings."

""""""""""""""During the course of the year, there are several House events including Inter-House sports contests and music competitions, and the result of the ongoing House Point competition is announced each Friday.""House Points: House Points are awarded to children for their individual and team achievement and successes. House totals are logged in each classroom and when a child reaches the 25, 50, 100 and 200 House Points total they receive a certificate at one of our Friday assemblies. Overall records of House Points gained by each team in all House events are maintained throughout the year and the winning House receives the House Cup at the end of the academic year."


Foundation Stage"Pastoral System



What can parents do to support their child?!We believe that to achieve the best possible education for your child, we need to foster a close partnership between home and school. Each child will benefit when her or his parents and teachers work in close collaboration with one another. Below are just a few ways in which we suggest that you might wish to help in your child’s education.""1. What to bring to school every day!In order to help your child, help them to become more independent by helping them to remember what they should bring to school each day. These might include:"• Book bag"• Healthy Snack"• Water bottle""2. Reading at home!Read with your children as often as possible to encourage them to enjoy reading frequently. This may involve listening to your child reading their home reader books or a book from home, or may be you reading a book to your child so that they may learn about skills like using expression. Remember to discuss the story plots and characters in fiction books and the information in non-fiction books.""3. Spellings"In Reception class your child will occasionally bring home “tricky word” spellings and should be encouraged and helped to learn these.""4. Sharing experiences!Try to talk to your child each day to discuss what they have learned at school and things that they have enjoyed or found challenging. This will allow your child to widen their vocabulary, develop their speaking and listening skills, and will bring their learning to life."""If you child has achieved recognition for any achievement or act of kindness throughout the day we will endeavour to explain the details in their ‘day book’ or portal so you may bask in the glow of their success too!"

If for any reason the teaching staff have a concern with your child’s learning or behaviour we will speak to you informally initially and work together towards a solution.




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Foundation Stage"School Procedures



Communication!At The King’s School we ensure that teachers and parents work in partnership to ensure the very best for your child. As part of this, we place a strong emphasis on opening up many avenues of communication between us. Please take the time to read the following to help you understand the different ways that we will share information with each other."

Daily Communication!1. When dropping off or collecting your child!When you drop your child off in the morning or collect him/her at the end of the day, it is an good opportunity for you to convey any important information to the teacher about your child (i.e. if your child didn’t sleep well last night, really loved their new library book or has made great progress with their times tables recently at home, etc.).""In Nursery class our main form of written communication between home and school is our ‘day book.’ It is very important that this book goes between home and school every day. This book is for you as parent (and your child’s carer) to share any information with the teaching staff. Each day we will check your comments and probably add some of our own. We will also include notes and letters if appropriate."

"2. Email!You will be given the teacher’s email address and can email them at any time. Emails are checked regularly throughout the day and will be replied as soon as possible."

Each Week!1. Parent Portal!When you enrol your child at a British Schools Foundation school you are given a username and password that gives you access to the British Schools Foundation’s parent portal. Your portal is an interactive blog with your child’s teacher. It works in the form of a social media webpage.""On your profile page you will be informed, almost on a daily basis, about events happening at school that pertain to your child. You will also find regular updates about your child’s academic progress, pastoral successes and attendance. ""Staff will post links to important documents (homework sheets, timetables, examples of children’s work) as well as photographs from that day’s learning activities.""2. Photographs "Photos are taken regularly in class, some of which are shared on your interactive blog. Others are displayed around the school or on the school website. ""


Foundation Stage"School Procedures



Additional Information and Correspondence during the Year!1. Monthly newsletters !Every month we upload a newsletter onto the website. It’s full of great images, examples of children’s work and monthly reviews of happenings in each class and from each teacher. ""2. Three official King’s School reports per year !Each term you will receive a full written report on your child’s progress and attainment.""3. Class Timetable !This timetable indicates which activity your child is doing at what time during the week.""4. Termly Curriculum Letter !This is sent out to parents three times a year and is an overview of what the class will be achieving in the upcoming term."

Information we offer to parents personally on a face-to-face situation!1. Curriculum Evenings !These are presentations at the beginning of each term where you will hear about the curriculum and organisation of your child’s class.""2. Parent Consultations !These take place twice a year and give you the opportunity to talk one-to-one with the teacher about your child’s progress, development and targets.""3. Open Door Policy !We are very pleased and willing to meet to discuss anything parents should wish to address. Please just let the teachers know and we can arrange a time that is agreeable to both parties."

Other Opportunities to get involved at King’s!We have lots of parents in school during the week taking part in some of the following activities:"• Reading with children in class (training is given)"• Helping with class trips"• Helping with cooking or art lessons"• Coming to our coffee mornings and talks"• Leading whole school art projects with the children""So please get in touch if you would like to offer some of your spare time in school. We would love to have your input. If you have any questions or comments regarding any of the points that have been referred to in this booklet, then please do not hesitate to let us know.""""




Playground There is plenty of space for your children to enjoy an active break from studies. A large play area covered with Astroturf provides an area for soccer and other ball games and for children to burn off energy and play with their friends.""There are a variety of safe and child friendly climbing frames, along with other apparatus and designated areas for children to use at playtimes, including an area set aside with a variety of playground toys to keep the children amused and actively occupied.""All playtimes are supervised by staff members, ensuring that children are safe to enjoy vital breaks and free time.

Security There is no issue that the school takes more seriously than the safety of our students. We have security guards on the main gate to ensure unauthorised personnel do enter the school grounds and all visitors entering the school are required to sign in and out.""All families have been asked to send in electronic photos so that ID cards are made for any adult picking up a child. No adult will be allowed in the school grounds without their ID card. Please support us in this.""Please ensure that your child is collected from a member of staff at the end of each school day from the designated area. ""It is essential that we have an accurate record of who is authorised to collect your child and their photograph in order to make an ID card.!"We will not release a child to the custody of a different adult unless we have received formal written notification from the child’s parent.""If you need to collect your child during the school day please go to the main reception area and speak to the school secretary, who will then go to the classroom to bring your child to you. Parents should provide the school with at least two contact telephone numbers in case of emergencies. It is vital that you inform the school of any changes to these contact numbers.

School Lunches In order to maintain healthy bodies and energy levels a morning snack is available to the children as part of our learning programme. All children will have access to water throughout the day.""At lunchtimes, FS children are served a hot and nutritious meal including a main course, salad, dessert and drinks. A menu is emailed to you every weekly. Please note that we do not allow children to bring sandwiches or an alternative to the school lunch due to the difficulties of providing adequate and safe storage. However our catering team provides an excellent range of meals to suit even the fussiest of eaters and teachers are on hand to support children during the lunch break.""




Please remember: The King’s School is a nut free zone to protect some of our children who have severe nut allergies. Please do not send nuts, or any kind of snack that contains nuts, for children to eat on the bus or at school. If you are supplying treats to your class to celebrate a birthday it is important to check with the class teacher or class rep to ensure that there are no other food allergies in the class.

Health and Absences Regular daily attendance is expected but sometimes absence is unavoidable. Please telephone the school on the day if your child is not able to attend. If your child has had vomiting or diarrhoea keep them at home for 24 hours. If they have a contagious illness such as flu or chicken pox keep them home until a doctor certifies that they are no longer contagious.""Please advise us of any medical problems that your child may have, particularly when there is a contagious condition or an allergy to food or other materials.""During particular times of the year there are often mosquitoes around the school grounds. If your child suffers with mosquito bites please apply mosquito repellent patches on your child’s clothing each day.""Staff are given regular first aid training from qualified medical staff. Most minor accidents and illnesses are dealt with by the nurse at school and serious accidents / illnesses will be communicated to you via email or phone. In cases of serious accidents or illnesses you will be contacted immediately and your child will be taken to a hospital / doctor of your choice.""If your child needs medicine during the day, you will need to fill in a form at Reception outlining what the medicine is and how it is to be administered and giving a member of staff permission to administer."

Water bottle!All children should bring a small plastic bottle/flask of water to school each day (no juice or milk). It is a requirement that all bottles/flasks are named and that children can open and close them independently. Water dispensers are located throughout the school to refill water containers when necessary. "

Change of clothes!We will get messy some days in spite of our aprons (and children are known to have accidents!) and so each child will need a change of clothes. These must be named and in a named bag and we would prefer them to remain at school so that they aren’t an ‘extra’ to worry about every day. Just please ensure they are replaced the next day if your child uses them."

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Independence!Developing independence is a main aim of Foundation Stage. It would be supportive of you to require your child to carry their own bag and belongings once they get inside the school gate. We suggest you start this from the very first day!" "

Often a child is anxious on separation from a parent. This is a developmental stage and happens to varying degrees. Please be firm and calm with your child and assure them you will be back. Often as soon as the parent goes the child becomes calm and relaxed. If you have concerns please speak to your class teacher, preferably before the first day. "

Your child’s welfare is always our priority so please refer to the sections on drop off and collection and administering medication. (It is important that you are prompt each day as routines need to be followed to allow equal opportunities for all children. Waiting to be collected may cause anxiety for your child)."

Please always talk to your child’s teachers if you have any concerns.



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