‘Play is the highest form of research ’

Albert Einstein

At St Anne’s Church Academy we aim to provide a setting for Reception children where they feel safe, loved and valued so they can learn in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.  Staff respect and trust the children in their care and recognise the importance of working with families as partners in their child’s learning. By creating an inclusive and enabling environment we encourage children to have choice in the way that they learn and our approach is to value each child in their own unique way. We teach the children to love and feel loved so that they can love learning in all of its richness.

The Learning environment:

The environment is fundamental to children’s development and aims to promote a deep love of learning.  Children are encouraged to explore the environment which is purposeful, playful and full of provocations for learning.  It is crafted to make the learning irresistible to young children.

The classroom is a place which thrives on curiosity, excitement and discovery and language and communication are the foundations of the play and the adventures we create.  Books and storytelling bring the learning to live and build an atmosphere where anything and everything is possible.  As practitioners we listen to and respect the children’s thoughts and ideas with no idea to big or too small. The generosity of resources is designed so that children can play ‘big’ whilst enabling them to explore and take controlled risks.  Continuous provision both inside and outside classrooms give children the opportunity to deepen their learning in all areas of the curriculum.

 Learning and Development:

We recognise that each child is unique and that a child’s growth is developmental with all children developing and learning in different ways.  Phonics and Maths fluency are taught discreetly while the majority of learning is developed through a play based, child led curriculum which immerses children in opportunities to experience a range of skills and experiences in a purposeful way.

Assessment:

It is important to spend time watching, listening and recording children’s learning and at St Anne’s we record children’s learning on Tapestry, an interactive learning journal.  This method of recording allows the parents and children to see the learning and contribute to it in a meaningful way.