Our Vision
At Amblecote we have high expectations for all our pupils and aim to ensure that every child has the necessary tools to succeed. We believe that a strong start in the EYFS lays the foundation for a successful educational journey.
Creating a caring and nurturing environment is at the heart of everything we do. We understand the importance of providing a safe and supportive space where our children can explore, learn and grow. Our dedicated staff, each highly qualified and experienced, bring their own unique attributes to the classroom, ensuring that every child’s unique needs are met.
We firmly believe that a positive parent partnership is key to a child’s success. We value the role parents and carers play in their child’s education and are committed to working together. We encourage open lines of communication and welcome your input and involvement in your child’s learning journey.
We pride ourselves on early identification of any additional needs our children may have, ensuring the appropriate support is put in place from the very beginning. By working closely with outside agencies and specialists, we can provide tailored interventions that enable all our children to thrive.
At Amblecote we place a big focus on developing language and communication skills, as well as personal and social emotional development. Our aim is to empower our young learners to become confident, resilient, independent learners who have a voice. We encourage them to express their thoughts and ideas and instil in them a belief in their own abilities.
As we move forward, we will continue to provide a rich and engaging curriculum that offers a wide range of learning opportunities. Our EYFS team are committed to ensuring that every child reaches their full potential, and we are constantly seeking ways to improve.
Our Values
Our values are the qualities in a person that are important to us and define how our school community should think and behave in order to achieve our vision.
Friendship: Encouraging our pupils to build strong relationships with their peers is vital for their personal development and fosters a sense of belonging and support within our school.
Kindness: We encourage children to show kindness towards themselves, others and property.
Resilience: We strive to instil resilience in our pupils, helping them to develop the determination and strength to overcome any obstacles they may face and to bounce back after difficulties.
Respect: By fostering a culture of respect, we create a safe and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Honesty: We encourage our children to always be truthful and fair in their actions and words. By fostering a culture of honesty, we aim to create an environment where trust and integrity flourish.
Pride: We encourage our children to take pride in their achievements. Whether big or small, acknowledging and celebrating their successes helps build confidence and self-esteem. By fostering a sense of pride, we hope to inspire our pupils to always strive for excellence in all that they do.
Key Information
Starting school
Reception Starters 2024
We would like to warmly welcome our September starters who are new to Amblecote and to thank you all for choosing us as the school for your child. As part of our induction process, we will be inviting you to attend a meeting where we will provide you with important information involving the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, school uniform and guidance on how to prepare your child for school. We will communicate dates for this meeting and pupil stay and play sessions over the next few weeks.
Please click on the links below to access induction information:
Reception Curriculum Meeting 2024
School Readiness- workshop lead by staff from the speech and language centre
Preparing your child for starting school
Ready for school- Listen and Learn
Ready for school- Make a Mark, Make a Start
Curriculum Information
Development Matters – Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage
EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers
At Amblecote Primary School children’s learning is very carefully planned in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance, to include experiences and opportunities that address all seven areas of learning.
There are 7 areas of Learning. 3 Prime areas and 4 specific areas.
Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others. This also involves developing social skills and learning how to manage their feelings.
Physical Development
This involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement.
Communication and Language Development
Involves giving children the opportunity to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Reception Class Curriculum Overviews
All About Me Curriculum Guide (1)
Let’s Celebrate Curriculum Guide
Specific Areas
Literacy
Involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children need access to a range of reading materials to ignite their interest.
Mathematics
Involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, space and measures.
Understanding the World
Involves guiding children 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
Involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play and design and technology.
These areas of learning and development together make up the skills, knowledge and experiences appropriate for children as they grow and develop. At Amblecote we aim to provide opportunities for all areas within daily teaching and learning. Our classroom environment has also been set up to reflect these areas. The learning environment and the resources we provide are always carefully planned as this leads to purposeful learning through play. These principles are also followed through within our outdoor classroom.
Clubs
Wellbeing/ PSED
Communication and Language
Talk Newsletters
Physical Development
Phonics and Early Reading
Everybody-read-leaflet-for-parents
Maths
SEND
Safeguarding
It is essential that all pupils including those in the EYFS are provided with safe and secure environments in which to interact and explore rich and diverse learning and development opportunities.
Amblecote Primary School is fully committed to ensuring that its whole school policies and procedures fully meet the statutory safeguarding and welfare requirements in the early years.
EYFS Safeguarding Team
If you want to know more about our procedures or have a concern, please speak to one of the following:
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Mrs Jane Cook (Head Teacher)
EYFS Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are:
Mrs A Price- EYFS Coordinator/ Reception Class Teacher
Mrs E Bradley- Pre-school Manager
Every other member of staff within the EYFS team including Teachers, Teaching Assistants, volunteers and students are responsible for safeguarding every child within their care.
Safeguarding determines the actions taken to keep children safe and protect them from harm in all aspects of their life to ensure that they have the best outcomes. This is underpinned by a culture of openness where both children and adults feel secure, able to talk, and believe that they are being listened to.
We maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ and expect that all staff and volunteers share and demonstrate their commitment to protecting children.
British Values
Promoting British Values in the EYFS
The DfE have reinforced the need ‘to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs’
The government set out its deinfition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated by the Prime Minister in 2015. At Amblecote Primary School, we enforce these values in the following ways:
Democracy:
We listen to children’s and parents voice. Parent/carer questionnaires are completed each year and children are also asked what they like about Pre-school and Reception class and how it could be made even better. Children are given opportunities to make decisions such as choosing stories to be read to the group. They also have a very big part to play in planning for and making decisions on the activities and experiences.
The Rule of Law:
We reinforce and have high expectations of the children in our care. Children are made aware of and take part in the construction of the expectations and rules. These are displayed for the children to see at all times. Children are helped to understand the reasoning behind these rules, that they are there to protect us, and that there are consequences when rules are not followed.
Individual Liberty:
Within the EYFS, children are encouraged to make choices in a safe and supportive environment. We educate children and provide the boundaries to help them to make choices safely. This is through our safe, enabling, environment and through our effective teaching. Children are encouraged to know and understand their rights.
Mutual Respect:
Part of our Behaviour Policy is based on respect. Our Behaviour Policy aims to promote:
- Feelings of safety and happiness
- High standards of self-discipline
- High self-esteem and feeling valued
- Care and kindness towards others
- Respect for their environment
- Respect for themselves and others
- Understanding of the rules within the EYFS
- Listening and responding appropriately to instructions
- The resolution of conflict by the children themselves with adult support when necessary
- Begin to develop the ability to manage their emotions
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs:
We aim to enhance the children’s understanding of different faiths and beliefs by participating in a range of celebrations throughout the year. Children have the opportunity to dress up in clothes and try food from other cultures and we encourage parents/carers to participate and support with this.
