Dear Parents
Personal & Learning Behaviours
Whaddon CofE School guides, develops, supports and teaches children from 4 to 7 years of age. We believe learning must be a holistic practise to ensure balanced, independent, confident thinkers. What use is knowledge, without the ability to apply it, test it organise it, share it?
When children enter our school and join Foundation Stage, they learn under the EYFS framework. This includes the Characteristics of Effective Learning. This is a guide to the Learning Behaviours children need to develop. It is a clear and useful document that EYFS practitioners can refer to as they work with the children. It is accompanied by the Prime areas of Learning and Development, which are:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development and the Specific areas of Learning and development, which are:
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
The Early Years guidance states:
The ways in which the child engages with other people and their environment – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.
The prime areas begin to develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences, and run through and support learning in all other areas. The prime areas continue to be fundamental throughout the EYFS.
At Whaddon School, we believe children do not stop developing in the Characteristics of Effective Learning and the Prime areas of Learning and Development when they move from EYFS to Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and 2). These vital skills should continue to be developed and strengthened through all aspects of their learning. We have used the framework to create a document that can guide us throughout their time at Whaddon School. This document outlines the learning behaviours, broken down into subheadings for further clarification. We have also included helpful ways in which adults can effectively support children in their development. The staff believe it would be beneficial to share these with you so that the whole school community can work together to support our children as lifelong learners. Please read through the attached document. If you have any further questions or are interested in our Development of Positive Learning Behaviours, please speak to your child’s class teacher at a mutually convenient time.
Yours sincerely
Whaddon CofE School Teaching Staff