Welcome to

Early Years

at

Richmond Hill Primary Academy!

Here at Richmond Hill Primary Academy, we understand that this will be your child’s first experience within a school environment. This is a big milestone for both you and your child. We are sure that you have many questions and will be experiencing a mixture of emotions. ‘How will they settle in school’ or ‘how many jumpers will they need?’ These are very common questions and we are here to support you during this transition into school. We do have an open door policy where parents and carers are welcome to speak to us freely.

We offer a secure, welcoming, and nurturing environment that supports every child as they settle into their new learning setting. Your child’s well-being is always our highest priority. While we provide a gentle structure, we also remain flexible, recognising each child as an individual with their own needs and pace. We place great value on fostering self-worth, confidence, independence, and a strong sense of self.

Our environment is designed to enrich your child’s development through opportunities to explore, play, and feel completely at ease. We celebrate each child's uniqueness and are committed to respecting and responding to their individual needs. By giving every child the time and encouragement they need, we help them grow into confident, independent, and joyful learners.

Our aim is to ensure your child feels safe, supported, and secure in our care. We understand how important they are to you, and we strive to provide a trusted and comforting place for them to thrive.

A partnership with parents is fostered and valued and we ask you to help us as partners in developing your child’s learning. We hope that in encouraging an effective partnership between home and school, we can help your child become an independent learner. It is very important to us that your child is happy at Richmond Hill. We have an open-door policy and parents are welcome to come and speak with us if they have a query. 

Meet the EYFS staff:

Mrs Johnson-Quinn - EYFS Lead

Miss Challinor – Nursery Lead

Mrs Walker - F2 Class Teacher

Miss Billingham - Trainee Teacher

Mrs Frost - HLTA

Miss Smith – Teaching Assistant

Mrs Thompson - Teaching Assistant

Mrs Elliff - Teaching Assistant

Home-school links

For our Early Year's children, home-school links take on particular significance as they establish the foundation for your child's entire educational journey.  Building meaningful connections with families transforms how we nurture each child's earliest experiences of school life. 

Before your child joins us at Richmond Hill, we will offer you the opportunity for a home visit with our early years staff.  Home visits are an important practice where we can visit you in a comfortable environment and begin to build a positive relationship with you and your familiy.  It allows you to ask questions and share important information with us.  Research and practice show that children tend to settle more quickly, parents feel more connected to their child's education and the transition from home to school is much smoother when a home visit is conducted. 

At the start of the year, you are given a journal or diary that can be used to document your adventures and experiences that you share when away from school.  We value your child's interests and use these as conversation starters that spark rich discussions between our staff and your child.  The journals help to support our continuous provision and adult-focused activities to create a seamless experience where children feel that their whole lives are respected. 

 Our Projects

Characteristics Of Effective Learning

A typical day in F1

8:35 Registration

am - Communication and language focus & phonics 

 - snack

 - provision indoor and outdoors

11:45 lunchtime

pm - Maths meeting

 - provision indoor and outdoors

 - Storytime

3:00 - hometime

A typical day in F2

8.45 Registration and Maths Meeting

9.00 – 10.00 Phonics

10:00 - 10:15 Maths Meeting

10.15 – 10.45 Snack & Outdoors

10.45 – 11.30 Maths Mastery

11.30 - 11:50 Storytime

11.50 Lunch

12.55 Registration 

1.00 - 2.45 Cornerstones/Project and Provision *PE Lessons with Mr Butler on Thursdays

2.45 - 3.15 Story and home time prep

Click the following link to see our children exploring and engaging in outdoor learning. Welly Wednesday is such fun!

WellyWednesday.mp4

Aims of the Foundation Stage

· That each child should be provided with the opportunities, skills and environment that enables them to develop into active, confident and independent learners.

· To foster an effective partnership between home and school.

· To maintain a safe but challenging environment in which each child can be helped to develop to his/her full potential.

· To develop social, moral, cultural and spiritual awareness in our children.

· To foster in the children a belief in their own worth and enable each child to become increasingly confident, independent and able to make their own considered choices.

· To ensure that each child regardless of gender, race, culture or ability, is given an equal opportunity to develop to his/her full potential.

· That there is continuity between Nursery and Reception and effective liaison to support this transition.

· To develop a positive approach to the acquisition of new skills that will provide a firm foundation for future learning.

Play

At Richmond Hill Primary School, we believe that well-planned play, both indoors and outdoors, is a key way in which young children learn with enjoyment and challenge. Through play, children can develop an understanding of the world around them. They can practise and build up ideas, concepts and skills. They learn how to control impulses and to understand the need for rules. They can take risks and make mistakes, think creatively and imaginatively.

During play children learn how to communicate with others as they investigate or solve problems. They are able to express fears or relive anxious experiences in controlled and safe situations. They can be alone, be alongside others or cooperate as they talk or rehearse their feelings. We can help children to learn through their play by planning and resourcing a challenging environment, supporting children’s learning through planned play activity, extending and supporting children’s spontaneous play and developing children’s language and communication in their play.

Independence

Before starting school, it is helpful if your child could do some or all of the following.

· Change their shoes if required

· Use the toilet

· Wash and dry hands

· Tidy away toys

· Use a handkerchief

· Put on their coat

· Use a knife and fork

· Have an awareness of some traditional nursery rhymes and stories

Home Learning

Children are encouraged to read daily at home just as we do in school, sharing stories with adults and joining in with known repeated refrains. 

We will send ideas for activities you might like to do at home linked to Maths & projects we are learning about.

We look forward to welcoming your child into our Early Years. We are confident that they will have fun, make new friends and thoroughly enjoy being part of our family at Richmond Hill Primary Academy.

Useful Links

The link below is a helpful document called 'What to expect When'. This may help you with expectations at home and could inform your 'wow moments'.

https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/03/4Children_ParentsGuide_2015_WEB.pdf

Meet the Teacher Session

/uploads/547/files/Reception Transition Meeting powerpoint 2025.pptx

Phonics

How to say the sounds

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/HEyhWdsr/yIdj39EE

Why to read to your child

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/tHFpgaLu/SMu7v9qE