Play & Learning

[himage]Honey BeesHoney Bees[/himage]

[himage]Busy BeesBusy Bees[/himage]

Worker Bees

School-Readiness

At the Beehive we believe school-readiness starts in Honey Bees, as soon as children begin to carry out self-help skills such as feeding themselves, putting on their coats and communicating with their peers. In the Worker Bees, we plan the environment and provision mindfully, to promote children to become confident, independent, resilient, and respectful learners who develop an ‘I can’ attitude to trying new things.

At meal times, we support the children to serve their own food, use a knife and fork and to pour their own drinks. We encourage all the children to get themselves changed, doing up their own shoes, putting on jumpers and coats. The Worker Bees children have independent access to the bathroom so they can use the toilet and wash after mealtimes and messy activities themselves, the children also have free access to their bags, which is why it is very important that all of their belongings are named so that the staff can make sure all items are returned. We invite children to bring in one toy from home to share with their friends but would like to remind parents that we cannot accept liability for any loss or damage of these items.

Each year, in the Autumn term we have a ‘School Readiness’ evening where we give examples of activities you could complete with your child. These range from ideas for Maths (for example when shopping) and how to encourage your child in their love of books without any pressure to ‘read’. We will also explain the benefits of Forest School and will explain the role of Funky Fingers and our daily Phonics sessions in more detail. Information will also be provided about how to apply for your child’s school space.

When the time comes and you have your choice of school confirmed, we will invite your child’s teacher to come into the setting to meet both your child and their Key Person. This informal chat enables the teacher to learn about their interests and the personality of your child in an environment in which they are relaxed and familiar.

We work in partnership with our local Reception Teachers to ensure a smooth transition for all our children, following-up with a phone call in September to ensure the children have settled; offering to help in any way we can.