Early Years

St. Mary’s Primary Early Years Vision

Founded in hope St. Mary’s CE (VA) Primary School is a place where all can find their voice, grow in wisdom and live well in community and service. Within the early years we strive to provide young children with the best possible foundations to succeed and fulfil their potential. We understand that through positive relationships, high quality interactions and teaching and well-planned environments every unique child can grow in wisdom and make a positive contribution to their community.

Staff

Reception Class

Mrs Aslam – Class Teacher / Early Years Leader

Miss Bailey- Teaching Assistant

Miss Simpson – Teaching Assistant

Mrs Miraj- SEND Teaching Assistant

Nursery

Miss Greenwood – Class Teacher

Mrs Simpson-Teaching Assistant

Miss Landini – Nursery Nurse

Paediatric First Aiders 

Mrs Simpson

Miss Simpson

Miss Bailey

Living in Community and Service: 

We know that early years is the time in which to build crucial relationships with parents, we recognise that they are their children first and foremost educators and it takes a whole community to raise a child. We welcome parents and carers into our school to share reading mornings, target setting and to enjoy playing with their children. In doing this we can share information and build up a holistic view of the child.

Finding our Voice: 

Within St Mary’s early years unit, we pride ourselves on our ability to support children to develop their language. We understand that to grow and develop in to strong resilient learners’ children need to be able to use high quality language across all areas of learning; to voice their opinions, extend play, show their understanding and develop their emotional literacy. We are a communication friendly setting and place speaking and listening at the heart of everything we do.

Growing in Wisdom: 

Within our early years unit, we have high ambitions and expectations of all children regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances or needs. We hope that our curriculum continually provides a purposeful acquisition of skills and knowledge equips children for their future learning at St Mary’s.

Curriculum and Planning

Within the Foundation Stage, we have developed our curriculum to prepare our children for Key Stage 1 across all subject areas. We have carefully constructed learning opportunities, which are underpinned by the Educational programmes within the EYFS Framework, Development Matters and knowledge of child development.

The three Prime Areas are

Communication and Language   Physical Development   Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

The four Specific Areas are

Literacy     Mathematics    Understanding the World   Expressive Arts and Design

The three prime areas form the building blocks for learning and underpin our curriculum across all areas. Good development in all of these areas is essential for all other learning to take place. We pride ourselves on the promotion and development of PSED and Communication and Language All adults have taken part in a communication and language development training programme by Elklan and have been accredited a Communication Friendly Setting status.

CFS Logo Early Years 2025 July 2025 July 2028

What you might see as adults interact with children:

• Adults making time to listen (OWL-Observe, Wait, Listen)
• Comment on what children are doing
• Echoing back what children say with new vocabulary added or a sentence articulated correctly.
• The use of objects and pictures for non-verbal children
• Taking turns and waiting for a child to respond-10 seconds!
• Positive body language
• Facial expressions
• Use of actions
• Adapting language to meet the needs of individual children
• Use of open-ended questions

Link to Little Wandle Parent Support

Click here to access the Little Wandle Website

50 things to do Before you're five

Follow the link to find the web page ’50 things to do before you’re 5′. please remember to upload any pictures to your Learning Journal.