Author: LocalAdmin

Early Years of Schooling
Handbook

OUR VISION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AT
CREANEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

At Creaney Primary School, we aim to be a part of a community which develops a child who is motivated to reach their potential academically, socially and responsibly, in a caring and supporting environment.
In early childhood, our school motto of CARING relates to our focus on the wellbeing of the WHOLE CHILD.
We realise that early childhood education is the foundation for lifelong learning.
C – We believe in open collaboration and communication between all families and our community.
A – We aim to support all children with the opportunity to achieve their full academic, creative and social-emotional potential through a balanced play-based and explicit teaching program.
R – We aim to build and maintain respectful relationships between staff, students and our school community.
E – We provide a safe, engaging and caring learning environment that builds on children’s strengths, abilities and interests.
The actions of our Early childhood staff, students and parents are guided by our Creaney Primary School core values:
A pursuit of knowledge and a commitment to achievement
Self-acceptance and respect for others
Respect and concern for others and their rights
Social and civic responsibility
Environmental responsibility

OUR PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE

We believe that teaching and learning must be centred on the child, providing a balance of play, child-directed and teacher-facilitated activities that nurture skills, values, knowledge and understandings.
Principles
The following five principles from the Early Years Learning Framework underpin our ethos:
Learning Outcomes
We want our students to:
Teaching Practice
Our programs will promote all children’s learning through the provision of learning experiences that encourage:
Early Childhood Curriculum
At Creaney PS we use the following resources to guide our teaching and learning programs.
Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)
Early Years of Schooling document
Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines
Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)
Pre-primary On-Entry Assessment
West Australian Curriculum
National Quality Standard (NQS)
Department of Education policies
Kindergarten Assessment Tool (KAT)
Evidence-based programs eg: Letters and Sounds, Talk For Writing

Have a strong sense of identity	Be connected with and contribute to their world	Have a strong sense of well-being	Develop into confident and involved learners	Become effective communicators

HOLISTIC APPROACHES

Holistic approaches to teaching and learning recognise the connectedness of mind, body and spirit, paying attention to children’s physical, personal, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing as well as cognitive aspects of learning. They see children’s learning as integrated and interconnected.

Staff at Creaney agree to:	K	P	1	2
Provide learning opportunities as outlined in the school’s Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Build relationships with students and their families – hold parent interviews or class meetings within the first two/three weeks of the year	P	P	P	P
Provide a balanced timetable with opportunities to express ideas through creative and artistic endeavours, physical, and social experiences as well as literacy and numeracy	P	P	P	P
Have parents complete an information form outlining their child’s interests, family backgrounds etc	P
Conduct a parent Kindergarten Orientation Information Session and invite students to a Kindergarten Orientation morning	P
Provide opportunities for students to transition to their next year level at the end of the year	P	P
Invite parents to special events such as Mother and Father’s Day events, assemblies, workshops and opportunities for parents to come on roster and engage in the learning program	P	P	P	P
Provide a parent noticeboard and use Class Dojo message system to promote communication between home and school	P	P	P	P
Explicitly teach social skills and provide a rich virtues/values program that utilises restorative practices	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for children to engage in regular reflective circles	P	P	P	P
Provide social/emotional support to students and parents incidentally throughout the year as needed	P	P	P	P
Embed sustainability in daily routines and practices – recycling bins, food scraps for worms, rubbish collections	P	P	P	P
Promote environmental responsibility through ‘Adopt a Spot’ to enhance the appearance of the school grounds - water wise, garden club, collecting rubbish , worm farms and sweeping paths	P	P	P	P
Provide children with access to a range of natural materials, eg: baskets, natural objects for sorting such as shells, gumnuts etc	P	P	P	P
Model respect, care and appreciation for the natural environment and enable children to plan, prepare and maintain a vegetable patch	P	P	P	P
Provide a safe environment with adequate physical space and a range of good quality resources	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities to engage in fundamental movement skills programs, daily fitness or healthy activities to promote student health and wellbeing	P	P
Promote Crunch and Sip and provide information on nutrition to parents and monitor lunchboxes	P	P	P	P
Provide access to fresh drinking water throughout the day	P	P	P	P
Promote good health and hygiene practices – hand washing, nose blowing, safety helmets for bikes and scooters etc and sun safety – ‘No hat, No play’, ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’	P	P	P	P
Ensure students maintain a high standard of integrity and behaviour at all times	P	P	P	P

Responsiveness to Children

Educators are responsive to all children’s strengths, abilities and interests. They value and build on children’s strengths, skills and knowledge to ensure their motivation and engagement in learning.

Staff at Creaney agree to:	K	P	1	2
Provide learning opportunities as outlined in the school’s Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Ensure students maintain a high standard of behaviour at all times	P	P	P	P
Build and maintain positive relationships with students and their families	P	P	P	P
Gather information about students and share with colleagues — handover processes at end of year	P	P	P	P
Ensure the teaching program is responsive to the assessment, planning and teaching cycle – assessment for learning	P	P	P	P
Articulate clear boundaries and high standards of achievement using explicit teaching processes	P	P	P	P
Value and build on children’s strengths, knowledge and skills to ensure motivation and engagement in learning	P	P	P	P
Access and utilise a range of teaching and learning resources, including ICT	P	P	P	P
Develop classroom and playground rules and expectations as a class and use traffic lights	P	P	P	P
Use Class Dojo to reward and monitor behaviour across the school	P	P	P	P
Promote a sense of ‘who I am’ by highlighting cultural traditions and languages, through Harmony Day activities , NAIDOC celebrations and curriculum documents	P	P	P	P
Celebrate differences and strengths and acknowledge personal ‘areas for improvement’ with sensitivity	P	P	P	P
Create safe, inclusive environments for all children - in particular, those with additional needs	P	P	P	P
Promote the use of open-ended learning activities that cater for different learning styles	P	P	P	P
Provide whole class, individual and group activities	P	P	P	P
Be proactive in identifying and referring students ‘at risk’ and provide opportunities for extension	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for child initiated, child directed curriculum and build on student interests	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for developmental grouping and cross-setting across classes and year levels	P	P	P	P
Stimulate higher order thinking skills by promoting cooperative learning strategies	P	P	P	P
Respond to children’s evolving ideas by entering their play, extending through open-ended questions, providing feedback, challenging their thinking and guiding their learning	P	P	P	P

Learning Through Play

Play provides opportunities for children to learn as they discover, create, improvise and imagine. When children play with other children they create social groups, test out ideas, challenge each other’s thinking and build new understandings. Play provides a supportive environment where children can ask questions, solve problems and engage in critical thinking.

Staff at Creaney agree to:	K	P	1	2
Provide learning opportunities as outlined in the school’s Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Ensure students maintain a high standard of behaviour at all times	P	P	P	P
Ensure the timetable allows for intentional teaching, structured and unstructured play	P	P	P	P
Ensure there are opportunities for child-led, child-centred play through teacher led/directed play, guided/mutually directed play and free play.	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for children to access and use resources in imaginative and unconventional ways	P	P	P	P
Use play as an opportunity to assess social interactions between students	P	P	P	P
Ensure play resources are purchased in line with the school’s priorities and Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for structured and unstructured play at learning centres – blocks, home corner, books, puzzles etc	P	P	P	P
Provide resources and activities for children to create imaginative and original arts works through collage, painting, drawing, 3-D models etc	P	P	P	P
Educate parents about the reasons for play-based learning – posters around room, notes home or produce a class booklet with snapshots of children learning through play for children to share and take home, class stories posted on Dojo	P	P
Explicitly teach social skills so children can interact positively and ensure they know the limitations/expectations of unstructured playtimes – rules, sharing, boundaries etc	P	P	P	P
Ensure play resources are safe to handle and there is adequate space to explore	P	P	P	P
Where necessary, provide direction and scaffolding to extend students’ play	P	P	P	P
Ensure resources are developmentally appropriate and provide toys that are culturally appropriate and non-gender specific	P	P	P	P
Support the inclusion of all children in play activities – equality of opportunity	P	P	P	P
Structure the program to ensure children play and engage with students across classes and year levels	P	P	P	P
Encourage older students to engage with students and model appropriate social skills (Buddy Classes, Library by Lamplight, Book Week, Nature Play buddies)	P	P	P	P

Learning ENVIRONMENTS

Learning environments are welcoming spaces when they reflect and enrich the lives and identities of children and families participating in the setting and
respond to their interests and needs.

Staff at Creaney agree to:	K	P	1	2
Provide learning opportunities as outlined in the school’s Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Ensure students maintain a high standard of behaviour at all times	P	P	P	P
Ensure the learning environment is welcoming and students feel a sense of belonging—name cards, names on trays, pegs for bags (enabling environments)	P	P	P	P
Display student work that demonstrates the learning process — through class stories on Dojo, Learning Journey, working walls etc	P	P	P	P
Ensure literacy and numeracy learning is displayed on focus walls	P	P	P	P
Ensure student work samples are well presented and displayed around the room	P	P	P	P
Ensure the learning environment is fully accessible to all students and are modified where necessary – seek assistance from SAER Coordinator	P	P	P	P
Ensure classrooms are neat and tidy with independent and easy access to good quality resources	P	P	P	P
Provide structured activities and times when children can work and explore independently	P	P	P	P
Ensure all students engage in independent packing away both inside and outside	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for children to work alone or in small groups	P	P	P	P
Encourage parents to participate in classroom activities and engage in the learning program	P	P	P	P
Ensure all ‘common use’ areas are neat, tidy and welcoming learning spaces	P	P	P	P
Ensure outside areas are well maintained	P	P	P	P
Encourage children to express ideas and participate in the program	P	P	P	P
Facilitate end of year transitions through regular visits to classes and areas of the school	P	P
Provide opportunities for children to engage in out-of-school activities such as local excursions	P	P	P	P
Invite guest speakers and community representatives to present to classes	P	P	P	P

INTENTIONAL TEACHING

Intentional teaching is deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful.

Staff at Creaney agree to:	K	P	1	2
Provide learning opportunities as outlined in the school’s Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Provide daily uninterrupted Literacy and Numeracy Blocks	P	P	P	P
Use self-assessment and diagnostic information to inform the planning, teaching and learning cycle	P	P	P	P
Engage in regular moderation processes as per the school’s Operational Plan	P	P	P	P
Engage in collaborative planning to ensure conformity across classes	P	P	P	P
Provide programs that are targeted to specific students	P	P	P	P
Share resources and ideas through Phase of Learning team meetings, collaboration meetings or whole of staff meetings	P	P	P	P
Explicitly teach concepts, knowledge and skills during Mat Sessions using explicit teaching practices	P	P	P	P
Provide a variety of teaching and learning situations such as modelling, demonstrating, open-ended questions, shared thinking, problem solving, explaining and engaging	P	P	P	P
Provide opportunities for purposeful and deliberate play	P	P	P	P
Provide access to good quality resources	P	P	P	P
Plan for and use digital technologies within the classroom including Interactive Whiteboard, robotics and iPads.	P	P	P	P
Place children into developmental groups across classes and/or year levels for extension and support and provide time for cross-setting learning experiences to occur throughout the week	P	P	P	P

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Assessment for children’s learning refers to the process of gathering and analysing information as evidence about what children know, can do and understand. It is part of an ongoing cycle that includes planning, documenting and evaluating children’s learning.

Staff at Creaney agree to:	K	P	1	2
Complete formal reporting schedule as per DoE policy and the school’s timeline	P	P	P	P
Conduct mandated assessments On-Entry assessment over two weeks to ensure equity (Weeks 3-4)		P
Analyse On-Entry data together with year level colleagues, Kindergarten teachers and Administration (Week 6)	P	P	P	P
Use On-Entry results to set targets for improvement and inform planning (Week 6, Term 1)		P	P	P
Send home On-Entry parent reports and use as basis for interviews for ‘at risk’ students (Week 6)		P	P	P
Conduct whole school Learning Journey as per the school’s timeline	P	P	P	P
Utilise the explicit, intentional teaching process throughout the day where applicable	P	P	P	P
Conduct Kindergarten Assessment Tool (KAT) for Literacy as per the timeline. Analyse data with KP colleagues and Administration	P
Participate in the Pre-Primary Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) as required		P
Utilise a range of assessments such as conversations, checklists, mark books and teacher observations to identify ‘at risk’ or TAGS	P	P	P	P
Use digital photos and videos to demonstrate students’ hands-on learning	P	P	P	P
Collaboratively devise diagnostic and common tasks for literacy and numeracy and gather evidence for grading and moderation	P	P	P	P
Run parent interviews (formal and informal) ongoing to meet the needs of individual students	P	P	P	P
Use Class Dojo message system to inform parents of any general or behavioural issues or concerns	P	P	P	P
Collaborate with K-2 colleagues to produce report comment banks for Literacy and Numeracy	P	P	P	P

INTENTIONAL PLAY-BASED LEARNING AT CREANEY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Play is the ultimate ‘integrated curriculum’. It offers teachers windows to view all aspects of children’s development, including concepts, skills, dispositions and feelings. (Van Hoorn et al, 2015, p 153)
Research shows that positive and varied play-based learning experiences in early childhood from birth to age eight years of age are crucial for the development of social, linguistic, cognitive, cultural, emotional and physical dimensions of ‘self’. These practices are the platform from which every child can thrive and become a successful student.
Effective early childhood educators achieve a balance between child-initiated learning experiences and adult directed learning experiences and explicit teaching.
As students progress through the early years of school to Year 2 and beyond, the nature and appearance of effective play-based learning evolves across ages, settings and context, but is always characterised by engagement, challenge, support, differentiation, well-time and graduated input from educators, clear instructional intent and sensitive ‘fit-for-purpose’ assessment.
At Creaney Primary School, our early childhood educators aim to provide learning experiences that are:
Intentional (purposeful, deliberate and thoughtful)
Focused on the development of the whole child
Integrated
Based on children’s strengths, abilities and interests
Varied
Regularly assessed

Secure, respectful and reciprocal / relationships	Partnerships with families	High expectations and equity	Respect for / diversity	Ongoing learning and reflective / practice
We are attuned to our students’ thoughts and feelings, and work hard to support the development of a strong sense of physical and psychological wellbeing	We recognise that families are children’s first and most influential teachers and endeavour to provide a welcoming environment where all children and families are respected	We hold high expectations for all students to succeed, regardless of their diverse circumstances and abilities	We respect diversity and the vast array of values and beliefs of families. We acknow-ledge the histories, cultures, languages, traditions, child rearing practices and lifestyle choices of / families	We constantly strive to build our own professional knowledge-base and develop a learning community through regular meetings and collaborative planning

Holistic / approaches	Responsiveness to / children	Learning through play	Engaging Learning / environments	Intentional teaching	Assessment for learning