The Early Years is the start of the journey to finding and creating each and every child’s remarkable. The Early Years at St Helen's is built combining Foundation 1 and Foundation 2. 

Our Early Years unit is a fully free flow setting with children aged between 3 and 4 years within our F1 and children aged between 4 and 5 years in our F2. 

Here at St Helen's we love and thrive from learning through play and the best of all we have fun from engaging in a wide variety of opportunities and experiences. We have many different areas in which we can choose our learning both indoors and outdoors and this highly contributes to our good level of development throughout our time in the Early Years Unit.

• To provide every child with a broad and ambitious curriculum in order to provide a strong foundation ready for their future learning at St Helen's.

• A high quality and consistent curriculum so every child achieves their full potential.

• A close partnership between teaching staff, professionals and parents so each and every child flourishes and is supported.

• A specialised St Helen's curriculum is taught which reflects the Early Years Foundation Stage and children’s interests. 

• A well balanced variety of child and adult led activities are undertaken ensuring new skills and knowledge are taught and opportunities to embed and secure these skills and knowledge are in place. 

• A wide range of experiences and opportunities are provided in and outside of school to further develop children’s understandings.

• Children are prepared for Year 1 and have reached the Early Learning Goal 

• Children have a wide range of experiences to reflect their learning too

• Children have a good level of confidence and self esteem which thrives their learning and development

• Children are well rounded individuals with good foundations of development.

Micro level - Formative assessment (Task by Task)

Ongoing AFL during inputs, carpet time, adult led and child led activities through:

• The use of good quality questioning 

• Modelling 

• Challenge

Meso level - lesson by lesson assessment 

•   Recap previous learning at the start of inputs

•   Same day interventions

•   Reteaching if children are not confident 

Macro level -  end of term

•  We analyse children's levels of development at the end of each half term. Relevant interventions are put into place to ensure every child keeps up.

• Read Write Inc termly assessments to check and assess progress.

Mega level - Standardised test

• September Baseline Assessment 

•  Early Learning Goal