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admin@thearkpreschoolcrowthorne.org.uk
Tel: 07827 892397 |
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Early Years Foundation Stage
At The Ark Pre-school, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines and curriculum. This framework provides 7 areas of learning and development by which we can plan, track and monitor your child’s progress. In doing this, we evaluate areas which require focus in order to fully prepare your child for their next stage of education, when they leave us to go to primary school. All learning is done through play, and ongoing observations ensure that staff can identify areas of strength, and areas where improvement may be needed.
The curriculum includes 3 primary areas and 4 secondary areas, and we plan activities in order to ensure we meet all requirements within these areas.
Primary areas:
When your child starts at The Ark, we complete a baseline assessment, with your help, to assess the skills and abilities at the point of entry to our setting. This becomes our starting point (or ‘Baseline’) for tracking his or her progress through their time with us.
Additionally, parents are asked to pass feedback to staff on a regular basis, as your child may do different activities, and show different interests or areas of strength at home, than they do in our setting. With all this information, we are able to complete a tracker on a termly basis to enable us to see how to focus our planning to your child’s specific areas of strength and areas for improvement. We have consultations with your child’s key-worker twice a year, so we can discuss your child’s progress, go through their 'next steps' with you and answer any questions you may have.
Your Child’s Online Learning Journal
Throughout the EYFS, our setting will document your child’s progress using an online system of recording your child’s learning whilst at The Ark Pre-school - Tapestry. Tapestry is a website which can be accessed on a computer or laptop, and also on any Apple or Android device such as a tablet or smart phone. Tapestry provide a secure and exciting way of keeping track of your child’s development and record of their time with us.
Instead of using the old paper book style way of recording, we will be able to instantly upload photos, videos and observations of your children. You can log on and view what your child has been up to. A massive advantage of this system is that you can add your own comments to entries, and can show your child’s online book to members of the family. Family members can also upload observations to provide evidence of the ongoing development at home, so the setting and family partner in the tracking of the progress of your child. This system supports our ongoing attempts to reduce the paper usage at our setting, and also is more efficient for staff, they can spend more time with your children, supporting their learning.
The safeguarding of our children is very important to us. Everything that is added to Tapestry is only viewed by staff at The Ark, and parents via unique log-in details. You will only have access to your child’s own book and this cannot be seen by other parents. Also, it is crucial that you do not share photos or videos from your child’s book on social media or through other online platforms.
We will always endeavour to upload photos of individual children. However there may be occasions when a group photo, or your child interacting with another child, is pertinent to track their progress and development. Therefore there may be occasional photographs of other children in your child’s learning journey, and your child may also appear in another learning journey.
When children leave us we are able to download their learning journey to forward to their next setting. You will also be able to download the learning journey as permanent reminder of their time at The Ark Pre-school.
You are welcome to visit the Tapestry website, where you will find lots of information and videos: http://eyfs.info/tapestry-info/introduction.
At The Ark Pre-school, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines and curriculum. This framework provides 7 areas of learning and development by which we can plan, track and monitor your child’s progress. In doing this, we evaluate areas which require focus in order to fully prepare your child for their next stage of education, when they leave us to go to primary school. All learning is done through play, and ongoing observations ensure that staff can identify areas of strength, and areas where improvement may be needed.
The curriculum includes 3 primary areas and 4 secondary areas, and we plan activities in order to ensure we meet all requirements within these areas.
Primary areas:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Personal Development
- Physical Development
- Mathematics
- Literacy
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Understanding the World
When your child starts at The Ark, we complete a baseline assessment, with your help, to assess the skills and abilities at the point of entry to our setting. This becomes our starting point (or ‘Baseline’) for tracking his or her progress through their time with us.
Additionally, parents are asked to pass feedback to staff on a regular basis, as your child may do different activities, and show different interests or areas of strength at home, than they do in our setting. With all this information, we are able to complete a tracker on a termly basis to enable us to see how to focus our planning to your child’s specific areas of strength and areas for improvement. We have consultations with your child’s key-worker twice a year, so we can discuss your child’s progress, go through their 'next steps' with you and answer any questions you may have.
Your Child’s Online Learning Journal
Throughout the EYFS, our setting will document your child’s progress using an online system of recording your child’s learning whilst at The Ark Pre-school - Tapestry. Tapestry is a website which can be accessed on a computer or laptop, and also on any Apple or Android device such as a tablet or smart phone. Tapestry provide a secure and exciting way of keeping track of your child’s development and record of their time with us.
Instead of using the old paper book style way of recording, we will be able to instantly upload photos, videos and observations of your children. You can log on and view what your child has been up to. A massive advantage of this system is that you can add your own comments to entries, and can show your child’s online book to members of the family. Family members can also upload observations to provide evidence of the ongoing development at home, so the setting and family partner in the tracking of the progress of your child. This system supports our ongoing attempts to reduce the paper usage at our setting, and also is more efficient for staff, they can spend more time with your children, supporting their learning.
The safeguarding of our children is very important to us. Everything that is added to Tapestry is only viewed by staff at The Ark, and parents via unique log-in details. You will only have access to your child’s own book and this cannot be seen by other parents. Also, it is crucial that you do not share photos or videos from your child’s book on social media or through other online platforms.
We will always endeavour to upload photos of individual children. However there may be occasions when a group photo, or your child interacting with another child, is pertinent to track their progress and development. Therefore there may be occasional photographs of other children in your child’s learning journey, and your child may also appear in another learning journey.
When children leave us we are able to download their learning journey to forward to their next setting. You will also be able to download the learning journey as permanent reminder of their time at The Ark Pre-school.
You are welcome to visit the Tapestry website, where you will find lots of information and videos: http://eyfs.info/tapestry-info/introduction.
Ofsted
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They report directly to Parliament and are independent and impartial. They inspect and regulate services which care for children and young people, and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
Every week, hundreds of inspections and regulatory visits are carried out throughout England each week, and the results are published on the website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.
Ofsted help providers that are not yet of good standard to improve, monitor their progress and share with them the best practices. The goal is to achieve excellence in education and skills for learners of all ages, and in the care of children and young people.
Ofsted report directly to Parliament, and are independent and impartial.
Ofsted Inspection - 25th May 2022 (URN 119271)
We were inspected by Ofsted in May 2022, which gave us a rating of 'Outstanding' in all areas, and an overall rating of 'Outstanding'. They were very positive in their feedback and we have pleasure in attaching the report for you to read. You can see the report via the document link below:
Ofsted Report May 2022
and on Ofsted's website here.
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They report directly to Parliament and are independent and impartial. They inspect and regulate services which care for children and young people, and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
Every week, hundreds of inspections and regulatory visits are carried out throughout England each week, and the results are published on the website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.
Ofsted help providers that are not yet of good standard to improve, monitor their progress and share with them the best practices. The goal is to achieve excellence in education and skills for learners of all ages, and in the care of children and young people.
Ofsted report directly to Parliament, and are independent and impartial.
Ofsted Inspection - 25th May 2022 (URN 119271)
We were inspected by Ofsted in May 2022, which gave us a rating of 'Outstanding' in all areas, and an overall rating of 'Outstanding'. They were very positive in their feedback and we have pleasure in attaching the report for you to read. You can see the report via the document link below:
Ofsted Report May 2022
and on Ofsted's website here.