Working In Partnership

Partnerships with families

We value the contribution that our parents and carers make to their child’s learning and take every opportunity to work in collaboration with them.  Each half-term, we publish a newsletter to inform parents of what their child will be learning and how they can support them at home.  In the Autumn and Spring terms we hold parents’ evenings and in the Summer term we send home detailed reports and offer meetings with staff to discuss these. 

Parents and Carers are encouraged to contribute towards the evidence gathered towards the Early Years outcomes through incidental discussions with staff, completing ‘sparkle’ slips and commenting on ‘Tapestry’.  Tapestry is a secure online Learning Journey; which parents are given access to.  Parents have the right to opt out of their children’s Learning Journey being put online and in this case a paper record of achievement is kept. Parents and Carers sign a confidentiality agreement to agree that no information from Tapestry will be displayed elsewhere online.  Parents are given a child specific password to enable them to view their child’s learning journey and leave comments relating to what they have seen.  There is also the opportunity for parents to share observations from home.

The children take reading books home to share.  Throughout the year, there are parent’s meetings and open mornings where parents can find out how their child learns in school.

We provide a pack for new parents and carers that includes information about our daily routines, the types of activities provided, staffing and food and drink.  There is a parent’s notice board outside the main entrance of the EYFS unit.

Community Links and the Wider World

Over the year, we arrange visits from members of the local community to support our topic work.  We also arrange trips for children in the EYFS within the local community, for example going ice-skating.  The children take part in educational experiences and visits linked to their topic work.  Film clips, non-fiction texts and artefacts are also used to introduce new concepts in real-life contexts.  We aim to develop the children’s awareness of other cultures by exploring different countries and celebrations.

Partnerships with other settings

We recognise that children may access EYFS provision through other providers throughout the week and that all providers have an equally important role to play in their early year’s experiences.  We seek information about the other settings that our children attend so that we can establish communication about their learning and development.