The Foundation Stage Unit

Separate provision within the school is available for children at the Foundation Stage of learning (aged from 3 to 5 years). The Foundation Stage Unit, or FSU, offers a safe, stimulating and friendly environment where all children are encouraged and helped to fulfil their potential.

Where is the FSU?

The FSU is located near the main entrance to the school in two classrooms with connecting rooms. This arrangement makes a range of integrated activities possible. The doors to the connecting rooms can be closed to create ‘quiet rooms’ for work with individual children or small groups in a distraction-free setting. The FSU has its own fenced playground with its own play equipment and appropriate safety surfacing.

The FSU also has access to whole school facilities such as the adventure playground, a hydrotherapy pool, a ball pool, an art room, a sensory garden, a PE hall and a room for cookery. The building is all on one level and does not present access problems for children with mobility problems.

Who are the children?

There are places for up to twenty children in the FSU. The children have moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties. Some have additional medical needs (e.g. epilepsy), physical disabilities, or sensory disabilities. Several children are diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum disorder.

All 4 year olds and 3 year olds are entitled to part-time education for up to five sessions per week (one morning or afternoon counts as one session). Children usually start to attend full-time (ten sessions) in the school year that they have their fifth birthday. Parents may choose to send their child for fewer sessions. Some parents want their child to continue to attend sessions at a local primary school, playgroup or nursery (a so-called ‘split placement’) as well as at the FSU.

Who are the staff?

There are three teachers working in the FSU – Sue Burton, Kay Chappell and Jackie Guest. Kay has overall responsibility for developing the Foundation Stage curriculum. The teachers are supported by several teaching assistants with appropriate qualifications and/or experience for working with such young children with special educational needs.

The overall ratio of staff to children is typically one adult to every three or four children.

What do we teach in the FSU?

As required in all types of Foundation Stage provision, we provide access to the Foundation Stage curriculum which is designed to help children move towards achieving ‘early learning goals’ by the end of the school year in which they have their fifth birthday. There are six broad areas of learning.

• Personal, social and emotional development. Children learn to be self-confident, take an interest in things, know what their own needs are, enjoy playing with and alongside others, and tell the difference between right and wrong. An important aim is that staff should work with parents to teach important self-care skills (e.g. toileting, eating, dressing).

• Communication, language and literacy. Some children will learn to talk more confidently and clearly, enjoying stories, songs and poems, hearing and saying sounds, and linking them to the alphabet. They will read and write some familiar words and learn to use a pencil. Others will not make so much progress and the focus of work with them will be on developing their listening skills, use of signing and pictorial symbol systems for communication where necessary, understanding and use of vocabulary and simple sentences. The teachers receive advice about objectives and methods from a speech and language therapist.

• Mathematical development. Most children will develop an understanding of mathematics through stories, songs, games and imaginative play. They will become comfortable with numbers and with ideas such as ‘big’ and ‘little’, ‘up’ and ‘down’, 'heavier than' or 'bigger'.

• Knowledge and understanding of the world. Children have opportunities to explore and find out about the world around them. They will make things with different materials and use everyday technology.

• Physical development. Children learn to move confidently, controlling their body and handling equipment. Some children with physical problems will benefit from hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and MOVE (a specific programme for developing mobility skills). All children benefit from special activities for developing good coordination, strength and agility, movement activities and physical play. Again, the teacher receives advice about objectives and methods from a specialist teacher in the school trained in MOVE and from a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist.

• Creative development. Children will explore colours and shapes, trying out dance, making things, hearing and telling stories and making music.

All of these areas of learning are covered during a typical week and the children are engaged in a variety of play activities which promote learning. The children’s progress is carefully monitored and activities are planned so that they match the developmental needs of each child.

What can you do to help your child?

We recognise the crucial role that parents have to play in their child’s education and are committed to working closely with you. The school operates an ‘open door policy’ which means that you can drop in any time and join in activities with your child. We also have a one-way mirror observation facility which allows you to watch your child without being seen.

Before any child starts at the FSU we welcome visits from parents and from the child to become familiar with the place. A member of staff will visit you at home (or meet with you at school if you prefer) to share information with you about the FSU as well as get your views about your child’s health and welfare needs, the kind of educational provision that you want and other helpful information. Of course, we will liaise with the staff of any school, nursery or playgroup that your child attends in order to build on their good work.

When your child has been coming to the FSU for about six weeks, we would like to have a planning meeting with you in order to establish appropriate learning priorities for your child in the coming year as well as the strategies required to achieve these.

Each year, on the anniversary of your child’s statement of special educational needs, you will be invited to participate in a review of your child’s provision and future education plans as an equal partner. The FSU staff will present a full report of your child’s progress since the last review.

In addition, the FSU staff regularly organise ‘coffee mornings’ which provide a good opportunity for parents to meet informally with one another and the people working with their children.

DISCLAIMER

The information given on this paget was valid in the Spring of 2007. It is possible that there could be changes affecting either the arrangements generally described on this page or any particular part of them before the start of the school year 2007/2008 or in the subsequent years. Parents wishing to contact the individual members of staff or governors named in this leaflet are advised to check the details with the school for any changes beforehand.