Learning in Foundation Stage
Foundation Stage children follow a specially designed curriculum which prepares them for life at school and the National Curriculum later on.
This means in a typical year we don’t necessarily study specific subjects, but by its end we aim that every child in our care has an increased awareness of themselves, of relationships with others and of the world around them.
The Government guidelines for Foundation Stage include six areas to be covered. They are:
- Personal, social and emotional development,
- Communication, language and literacy,
- Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy,
- Knowledge and understanding of the world,
- Physical development,
- Creative development.
You can find out more about these areas on the DfES site.
Child-Led Learning
At Combe Down we love it when children lead their own learning, and believe that they learn best when they are doing something which interests them!
This means much of our learning is actually initiated by the children themselves – engaging them through what they enjoy doing most. Foundation teachers are trained to harness their suggestions and turn them into opportunities from which the whole class can benefit. For instance a den-building exercise in the local woods led to various discussions about co-operation and what constitutes one’s own territory, as well as giving practical opportunities to explore the concepts of team-work and the need to share.
This more individual approach to learning means that each Foundation year varies to an extent, depending on the interests of children in it. Last year, pupils also suggested Pirate Week and Superhero Week, giving plenty of opportunities to dress up and for role-play.
Increasingly our learning is taking place in the outdoor environment, both within the school grounds and the local village, woods and fields, and on trips and visits in the Bath area.
