Foundation Stage

Welcome to Foundation Stage. Children here are taught by Mrs Freund, Mrs Felstead and Mrs Henson, assisted by Mrs Patrut, Ms Domenici, Mrs Whaites and Miss Cook. 

At Upton Meadows, we have a very strong Early Years ethos and follow the four main principles of good early years practice. 

1. We believe that every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. 

2. Children learn to be strong and independent through developing positive relationships. 

3. Our children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to individual needs and there is a strong partnership between our practitioners and parent/carers. 

4. Our children embrace learning and development in different ways and at different rates. We support the education of all children at Upton Meadows through our inclusive practice. 

Through using the four principles we acknowledge that all children develop in different ways and this development is not a linear or an automatic process. At Upton Meadows, we ensure each unique child has the opportunities to interact in positive relationships and provide enabling environments that encourage their engagement and recognise their strengths which helps children to succeed.  

We teach the children through the seven areas of learning and development in the EYFS. These are grouped into two categories – prime areas and specific areas. The prime areas are important because they the foundations for children’s success in all other areas of learning and of life: 

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development 

• Physical Development 

• Communication and Language 

The specific areas provide the range of experiences and opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills: 

• Literacy 

• Mathematics 

• Understanding of the World 

• Expressive Arts and Design 

As practitioners we observe and respond to each child in our care on an on-going basis. We take a flexible approach, responding to each child as an individual learner and give them a wide range of creative learning experiences. For examples we have had visits from the fire brigade, the police, paramedics, Northampton Saints, Northampton University students sharing information on oral hygiene and Northampton Town FC. We also immerse ourselves in activities that reflect different cultures, celebrations and experiences to deepen learning.  We also enjoy Forest Schools that offer ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in our Forest School site. 

You can keep track of your child’s development with a secure parent’s login to our online Learning Journey on Class Dojo. You will be supported to set this up and more information can be found in the side panel.