Early Years
The Early Years refers to children in Reception at our academy.
Children within the Early Years learn through a range of play-based opportunities as well as adult led and independent activities. At Harris Primary Academy Purley Way, we plan a wide range of exciting activities that promote independence, communication, self-confidence, determination, the ability to think critically and opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas. The children have independent access to a stimulating curriculum both inside and out of the classroom on a daily basis.
The Foundation Stage Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides a structure of learning opportunities through which we develop the different aspects of early education.
We believe our curriculum helps children meet learning opportunities within a happy, secure and interesting environment through practical activity, enquiry and purposeful play, with consolidation through practice, talk and reflection.
We plan activities and lessons carefully to inspire the children's curiosity, understanding and development. All seven main areas of learning are incorporated into the indoor and outdoor provision and planning is cross curricular across all areas. Throughout the EYFS curriculum, we are always incorporating children’s skills and development under the characteristics of effective learning.
The Foundation Stage Curriculum is organised into “prime” and “specific” areas of learning:
Prime Areas
The three prime areas of learning form the foundations for all future learning and therefore place a lot of emphasis on ensuring that all children feel, happy, secure and settled into the school environment.
Personal and Social and Emotional Development
- Making relationships
- Self-confidence and self-awareness
- Managing feelings and behaviour
Communication and Language
- Listening and attention
- Understanding
- Speaking
Physical Development
- Moving and handling
- Health and self-care
Specific Areas
There are four specific areas of learning which supplement the prime areas and allow children to become confident active learners when the prime areas of learning have been supported and applied. Through these areas, we believe children can further develop their knowledge of the world around them and develop an understanding of all future learning that waits them. Here children will continue to become effective learners and develop the dispositions to learning through being curious, resourceful, persistent and courageous.
Literacy
- Reading
- Writing
Mathematics
- Numbers
- Shape, space and measure
Understanding the World
- The world
- Technology
- People and Communities
Expressive Arts and Design
- Exploring and using media and materials
- Being imaginative
Phonics and Early Reading
At Harris Primary Academy Purley Way our aim is for all children to become fluent, confident readers.
Reading will give your child the tools to become an independent life-long learner.
We achieve this by:
- Teaching reading using Read Write Inc.
- Reading a range of storybooks daily to encourage a love of reading
At HPAPW we teach Read Write Inc. (RWI) to give your child the best possible start with their reading and writing.
What is RWI?
RWI is a literacy programme which teaches all children to learn to read fluently.
At first, children learn to read ‘sounds’ and then learn how to blend those sounds together to read a word.
Once they can read words, they read carefully matched Storybooks containing words they know.
Their speed and fluency increases on subsequent reads of the book.
All children are assessed half termly by our RWI leader so children are always learning to read at the right stage for them.
Children are re-grouped each half term.
How can I help at home?
Use pure sounds
We use pure sounds (‘mmm’ not ’muh’,’sss’ not ‘suh’, etc.). This helps children to blend the sounds into words more easily.
Click here to hear how to pronounce sounds correctly.
Please do not use letter names at this early stage.
Sound out words using ‘Fred Talk’
We use a puppet called Fred who only talks in sounds. We call it ‘Fred Talk’.
E.g. m-o-p (mop), c-a-t (cat), m-a-n (man).
Use Fred Talk throughout the day at home eg. ‘it’s time for l-u-n-ch… lunch!’
Fred-Talk--1.docx click to go to the link
Use the handwriting phrases
For each letter, there is a handwriting phrase. Use the handwriting phrase to support your child with their letter formation when writing.
Handwriting phrases document link
Practice at home
Your class teacher will send home links to Virtual lessons.
Please follow these links (which may come in the form of QR codes) and encourage your child to join in.
The more times they access the lessons, the better! Learning to read can be hard, but the more practice a child has, the easier it will become.
Listening to your child reading
Once your child knows how to read the initial sounds and can blend these sounds into words, they will bring books home.
Encourage them to read the book to you using ‘Fred Talk’. Your child will have read these books in school, so please don’t worry if they are reading the book easily. We want them to show off their reading to you at home!
‘Listening to your child read’ document link
Reading to your child
We inspire a love of reading in our children by reading to them.
Read a wide range of stories daily. Make this a special time for you and your child to bond over books.
‘Reading stories to your child’ doc link
FAQs
‘Parent FAQs’ document link
