Foundation Stage

The British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) philosophy is deeply rooted in fostering holistic development and a love for learning in young children. At GEMS FirstPoint School we emphasise the importance of providing nurturing and stimulating environments where children can thrive and reach their full potential.

Through carefully planned experiences we encourage challenge, risk-taking, and problem-solving as essential components of children's learning. By providing opportunities for children to encounter manageable challenges and make decisions, our skilled staff support the development of resilience, perseverance, and critical thinking skills.

In the Foundation Stage at GEMS FirstPoint School our child-centered approach prioritises the individual needs and interests of each child, while also recognising the importance of fostering a supportive and enriching learning environment. Through this approach, children are empowered to become confident, curious, and lifelong learners.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, there are seven areas of learning and development, which are divided into prime and specific areas. Here they are:

Prime Areas:

Communication and Language: This area focuses on developing children's speaking, listening, and understanding skills. It includes activities that encourage communication through language, both verbal and non-verbal.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Well-being): This area focuses on developing children's self-confidence, self-awareness, and social skills. It includes activities that support children's emotional well-being, relationship-building, and understanding of social norms.

Physical Development: This area emphasizes the development of children's gross and fine motor skills. It includes activities that promote movement, coordination, and control of the body.

Specific Areas

Literacy: This area emphasises the development of early reading and writing skills. It includes activities that promote phonics, reading comprehension, handwriting, and early literacy concepts.

Mathematics: This area focuses on developing children's understanding of numbers, shapes, patterns, and measurements. It includes activities that promote counting, sorting, comparing, and problem-solving.

Understanding the World: This area emphasises developing children's curiosity, knowledge, and understanding of the world around them. It includes activities that explore people and communities, the natural world, and technology.

Expressive Arts and Design: This area focuses on developing children's creativity, imagination, and self-expression. It includes activities that involve art, music, dance, role-play, and imaginative play

These areas of learning and development are interconnected and provide a holistic framework for supporting children's growth and learning during the early years. By addressing each area through a range of experiences and activities, educators can promote children's progress across all aspects of their development.

The Foundation Stage philosophy at GEMS FirstPoint School is deeply rooted in providing exciting and engaging learning opportunities that foster a love for learning while promoting holistic development. In addition to emphasising challenge, risk-taking, problem-solving, and critical thinking, this philosophy incorporates elements such as swimming, PE lessons, off-site visits, and assemblies to enrich our children's experiences.

Smooth transitions to the next year group are a priority for us at GEMS FirstPoint School. Our dedicated staff work collaboratively with children, families to ensure a seamless transition and offer support to address any concerns or anxieties.

As a High-Performance Learning (HPL) school we are dedicated to unlocking and maximizing every child's potential, with the belief that there should be no ceiling on what a child can achieve. This philosophy embraces the idea that all children are capable of high levels of performance and achievement, given the right support and opportunities. At the core of HPL is an empathetic approach to education, where educators understand and cater to the individual needs, strengths, and interests of each child. This involves creating a supportive and nurturing environment where children feel valued, understood, and empowered to reach their full potential.

HPL schools aim to develop "super thinkers" – learners who are not only academically proficient but also possess critical thinking skills, creativity, resilience, and emotional intelligence. These super thinkers are equipped to navigate complex challenges, think innovatively, and thrive in an ever-changing world.

At GEMS FirstPoint School we promote a culture of hard work and perseverance, where effort and determination are valued as much as achievement. Our Foundation Stage children are encouraged to set ambitious goals, take on challenges, and persist in the face of setbacks, fostering a growth mindset and a lifelong love for learning.

Central to the HPL approach is the concept of making links in learning. This involves helping children see connections between different subjects, concepts, and real-world contexts. By making these links, children develop a deeper understanding of the material and are better able to apply their knowledge in new and unfamiliar situations.

Our Foundation Stage department strives to create an environment where every child can excel academically, socially, and emotionally. By fostering empathy, cultivating super thinkers, making links in learning, and promoting hard work, our school empowers children to realise their potential and become confident, capable, and resilient individuals.

The wellbeing of our children in the early years at GEMS FirstPoint School is crucial because it forms the foundation for their overall development and sets the stage for their future health, happiness, and success. By intentionally integrating strategies into our early years department, our staff can help children cultivate essential social and emotional skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

At GEMS FirstPoint School we strongly believe that teaching kindness, empathy, patience, and resilience to early years children is foundational to their social and emotional development. Young children learn by example, so through our highly skilled Foundation Stage staff modeling positive behaviour, promoting kindness, empathy, patience, and resilience in all their interactions with others, children understand how to apply them in their own lives. We spend time teaching children how to resolve conflicts peacefully and respectfully promoting empathy and kindness. Providing opportunities for children to build positive relationships with peers and adults fosters empathy, kindness, and resilience. Collaborative activities, group projects, and cooperative play encourage teamwork and communication skills while reinforcing the importance of empathy and kindness in building strong relationships. At GEMS FirstPoint School we recognise and celebrate acts of kindness and encourage children to demonstrate empathy and kindness towards others. We model and encourage simple gestures such as sharing, helping a friend in need, or expressing gratitude as this has a significant impact on building a caring and empathetic classroom community.

Desert school offers a wide range of benefits for children's development and education. The Desert School at GEMS FirstPoint School provides children with the opportunity to connect with the natural world, fostering an appreciation for the environment. Spending time outdoors can improve children's well-being and mental health, reduce stress levels, and promote a sense of calm and relaxation. Our Desert School offers a dynamic and diverse learning environment that allows children to thrive outside the traditional classroom setting.

Our carefully planned and thoughtfully resourced outdoor learning environment supports holistic development by engaging children's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Activities such as exploring the natural environment, investigating a range of living things and engaging in problem solving activities help our students to develop scientific literacy, empathy, spatial awareness, and sensory abilities.

Our students from FS1 to Year 3 are encouraged to think critically as they observe, explore, and make sense of their surroundings in Desert School. Activities such as identifying and researching plant and animal species, and analysing environmental patterns promote inquiry-based learning and scientific inquiry.

Our resident terrapins are always a hit with our young learners!

There are 2 options for this. Either you can provide a healthy snack and lunch from home or there is the option to order weekly from our school catering provider. We can share the menu link so you can choose and pay online based on the menu for that week. We are a healthy eating school and also have a no nut and no pork policy.

Your child does not need to be toilet trained for our Nursery and we will support your child and your family with potty training. For FS1 your child does need to be toilet trained. We appreciate children have accidents occasionally when they are busy playing and that is fine we will help to change them into clean, fresh spare clothes provided from home. We have a toileting policy for frequent accidents which is shared ahead of your child starting at GEMS FirstPoint school.

At GEMS FirstPoint School we have an open-door policy so you can speak to your child’s class teacher at pick up and drop off, you have their direct email address, and arrange a face to face meeting or request a phone call within school hours. We also use an online learning journey, Arc Pathways, which is a way to share photographs and videos as well as a clear and concise assessment tracking tool for full transparency of your children progress and development across the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum. We encourage parents to add to this too so we can see achievements from home as well to get a complete insight into your child’s development and application of skills. We share a report termly and also offer parent meetings each term to discuss your child’s learning and progress.

Students from Nursery have access to the School Transport Service. Foundation Stage bus services arrive in time for the start of the school day and leave campus at either 12:00pm or 3pm. On Fridays all bus services leave at 12pm. Our Teaching Assistants and Bus Conductors accompany children to and from the bus daily, ensuring there is always an adult-to-adult handover. CCTV, GPS tracking, live updates and ‘sleeping child’ checks are some of the key safety features on board our STS buses.