Hebden Green School
Foundation Stage
The Early Years and Foundation Stage at Hebden Green School is based on the aims and principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. This document is designed to support children’s learning, development and care from 2 to 7 years. We use this framework as a basis on which to integrate our specialist provision. The aim of this provision is to support our special learners within their very early and crucial years of learning. This early learning creates the foundations on which all future learning can be based and, we believe, determines how successful our pupils will be in their future learning pathways and throughout their lives.
Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to achieve their full potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure safe and happy childhood is important in its own right and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. When parents choose to use early years services they want to know the provision will keep their children safe and help them to thrive. The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework that provides that assurance. At Hebden Green School we have extended the Early Years Foundation Stage until the end of Key Stage 1 and we call it The Foundation Stage. We have done this to ensure we give our pupils enough time to flourish through discrete skills based learning, play and many opportunities to engage in real life learning.
Early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives. It is not just a preparation for the next stage but it is vitally important in itself. For children there is no distinction between work and play. Learning for young children is a rewarding and enjoyable experience in which they explore, investigate, discover, create, practice, rehearse, repeat, revise and consolidate their developing knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes. During the Foundation Stage many of these aspects of learning are brought together effectively through playing and communicating.