Foundation Stage
Welcome to Highwoods Community Primary School Early Years Foundation Stage.
Transition dates for children starting school in September 2024:
Tuesday 11th June Parent meeting at school 5-6pm. Class lists will be available.
Monday 17th June Playground play sessions with parents 9.15-10.15 Miss Bradley's class, 10.30-11.30 Miss Roberts' class.
Wednesday 26th June Miss Bradley's class - stay and play class visits (children only). 9.30 - 10.45 or 1.15-2.30. Parents will be notified of which session their child should attend.
Tuesday 2nd July Miss Roberts' class - stay and play class visits (children only). 9.30 - 10.45 or 1.15-2.30.Parents will be notified of which session their child should attend.
Monday 8th July - Forest school stay and play with parents at HIghwoods Country Park. Miss Bradley's class 12.45-1.45pm and Miss Roberts' class 2.3pm. Parents will be informed of further details of location and what to bring for this session.
Thursday 5th and Friday 6th September - Parents and children meet their teacher for a 15 minute appointment between 9am and 2.45pm at school. This can be made at the Parent meeting on 11th June.
Half day attendance for children without parents from Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th September. 9.15 - 11.15am or 12.45-2.45pm. Parents will be notified of which session their child will attend.
Miss Bradley's class Monday am Miss Roberts' class Monday pm
Miss Roberts' class Tuesday am and Miss Bradley's class Tuesday pm
Miss Bradley's class Wednesday am Miss Roberts' class Wednesday pm
Children attend full time from Thursday 12th September 8.40am - 3pm.
Reception
Reception is the final year of the EYFS curriculum. We have two Reception classes which share an open plan indoor area leading to a large enclosed outdoor area.
The teaching team are Miss Bradley and Miss Roberts. Mrs Egerton and Mrs Mitchell teach the classes on Wednesday afternoons and Mrs Mitchell also teaches when Miss Bradley is leading the Forest School sessions on Friday afternoons.
Our fabulous teaching assistants are Mrs Cavens, Mrs Freeman, Miss Johns and Mrs Dixey.
If you have anything to tell us or questions please email the Reception teaching team during working hours at foundation@highwoodsprimary.com
PE is indoors until the summer term when we then go outside. PE is on Tuesday mornings for Miss Bradley's class and Friday mornings for Miss Roberts' class. Please bring a labelled PE bag with labelled PE kit with your child's name at the start of the term. This will be kept on your child's coat peg until the end of each half term or earlier if this needs to be replaced/washed.
Visits to the library to change sharing books are every Tuesday afternoon for Miss Bradley's class and Wednesday afternoon for Miss Roberts' class.
Children also have a different reading stages book once a week. Please listen to your child read this at least three times a week, noting these reading sessions in their reading diary.
Please read 'In this Section' to find out more about our events, daily routine, our themes and environment. For more information about the EYFS curriculum, please visit the EYFS Curriculum page.
Small group work
Children take part in daily phonic sessions following the Read Write Inc reading programme in small groups to focus on their particular area of learning. Children may take part in other small group activities to progress other areas of development such as communication and language, physical development or personal, social and emotional development. 
Forest School
All children in Reception have regular sessions at Forest School on FRIDAY afternoons using two wooded areas in the school grounds. Here we develop key skills for learning through hands-on practical activities, again where children are following their own play and interests. e.g. pond dipping, mini-beast hunting, climbing, digging, building dens, creating in the mud kitchens or just jumping in puddles and rolling in mud!
Forest school ensures that children are given opportunities to develop outside of the classroom and boosts emotional well-being. Over time, children develop an increase in resilience, self confidence, enthusiasm for learning, communication and problem-solving skills.