Parents Handbook - EYFS

W E L C O M E T O T H E E A R LY Y E A R S F O U N D A T I O N S T A G E AT S H E R B O R N E Q ATA R P R E PA R AT O R Y S C H O O L

OUR MISSION To produce well-educated, well-rounded individuals who have high aspirations and achieve their potential, in a happy and nurturing school.

OUR VALUES Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Perseverance, Responsibility and Teamwork.

OUR AIM All - round excellence

OUR L E A R N I N G D I S P O S I T I O N S Creativity

Independence

Curiosity

Communication

Resilience

Risk-taking

ERBORNE QATA

R E P A R A T O R Y 2

S C H O O

Contents 2

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Our Mission - Our Values - Our Aim

Attendance / Punctuality

Teaching Staff

Enrichment Programe

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

Keep up to date

Uniform

Monitoring Progress

At the start of the school year

PE

Pastoral Care & The House System

Food and Drink

Houses

Things to do before your child starts school

Your questions

The School Day - Pre School

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Communications

The School Day - Reception

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Early morning drop off and after school care

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We would like to welcome you to EYFS at Sherborne Qatar Preparatory School.

This booklet gives you general information for new pupils to our EYFS classes.

BA (Hons) Music, Birmingham Conservatoire; PGCE Primary, Nottingham Trent University; MBA (Senior Leadership in Education), Coventry University.

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eidi was Head of Pre-Prep at Sherborne Prep in Dorset from 2010 until 2022 when she joined Sherborne Qatar Prep School as Deputy Head / Head of Pre-Prep. She is passionate about giving young children the very best start in their educational journey, ensuring they are happy and confident to succeed. Heidi lives with her husband in Qatar and has 3 children at University in the UK. She is a keen musician; playing violin and singing, and enjoys running to keep fit.

MRS HEIDI BERRY Head of Pre-Prep

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BSc Psychology, Loughborough University; PGCE in Early Years, Cambridge University.

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indsey worked as an Operations Manager in London for eight years before starting a family and changing career to become an EYFS teacher.

Lindsey has taught in Early Years for over nine years in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Qatar. She particularly loves to find play-based ways to encourage children to develop their new skills. In her spare time, Lindsey loves to travel. She enjoys outdoor activities, especially swimming and enjoys cooking with her family.

MRS LINDSEY WILKIN Head of Year - Pre-School

v BSC Cardiac Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University; PGCE in Primary Education, University of Manchester.

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annah worked in Cardiology for 1 year before deciding to change her career and become a primary school teacher. She joined Sherborne Qatar EYFS this year after teaching in another British curriculum school in Qatar.

Hannah enjoys learning new things and going on holidays. She also enjoys staying active and baking. Due to Hannah’s science background, she enjoys getting children involved in investigations and making discoveries of their own both inside and outside of the classroom.

HANNAH JOHNSTON Pre-School Teacher

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BA (Hons) English and Publishing; PGCE, University of Central England.

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his is Debbie’s ninth year teaching at Sherborne Qatar. She taught in Reception for three years and this will be her fourth year working with the Pre School team. She spent ten years working as a journalist and public relations manager in the UK before completing her PGCE and has been teaching for more than 10 years. She has two boys; one is in Year 11 at Sherborne Senior School and the other is playing professional rugby in the UK. Debbie enjoys travelling and reading in her spare time.

MRS DEBBIE EITE Pre-School Teacher

LTCL, Trinity College of London.

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ichelle is a New Zealander and a primary trained teacher, musician and singer, who took the role of Primary Music Specialist for the first six years of her career at two schools in New Zealand and Copenhagen International School. During six years in Shanghai, raising three small children, she trained as a Kindermusik Educator, then created and led Baby and Toddler Music Classes at various expat locations.

Michelle next discovered the delight of teaching EYFS, bringing her love of music to young children at the Netherlands International School in Jakarta followed by Dukhan English School in Qatar. With the arrival of a fourth child, she spent two years at home teaching music lessons on piano, guitar, ukulele, flute and recorder. Michelle has now been a Pre School teacher at Sherborne Prep for the last three years. Outside of school she enjoys fun activities out and about in Qatar with her family, netball, and swimming.

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MRS MICHELLE YOUNG Pre-School Teacher

BA (Hons) Education and Sport Studies, Liverpool Hope University PGCE Primary, University of Southampton.

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MISS CIARA TRAINOR Head of Year - Reception

iara has been a teacher for seven years. She has lived in Doha for the past six years and joined Sherborne Qatar EYFS in September 2018.

Prior to this, she worked in EYFS and KS1 settings in England, Northern Ireland and in another British Curriculum school in Doha. She is passionate about children learning through continuous provision and constantly strives to adapt the children’s environment to support this. Ciara thoroughly enjoys playing sport- particularly invasion games such as Netball and the Irish sports of Gaelic Football and Camogie. She also enjoys other activities such as going to the gym, running, cycling, playing tennis and mountain walking. During the school holidays, Ciara enjoys travelling and has visited many different countries and states within Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.

BA (Hons) in Early Childhood, Sheffield Hallam University; PGCE Early Years, Cambridge University.

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bah is an experienced educator with almost 10 years of working within EYFS and KS1 settings. She has worked at Sherborne Qatar for 3 years and prior to this she worked in Dubai and in various schools in the UK. She is passionate about children’s books and has more recently completed an online creative writing course in her pursuit to write her own children’s book. Ubah enjoys spending her spare time with her family and friends. Since arriving in Doha, her love for travel and adventure has taken her to Oman, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India.

MISS UBAH ABDI Reception Teacher

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BA (Hons) in Primary Education specialising in EYFS and KS1, Roehampton University.

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fter graduating from Roehampton University, Danikka taught in London before relocating to Qatar in 2019. Danikka has experience in both Early Years and Key Stage 1 and has enjoyed returning to Reception at Sherborn Qatar. She is passionate about ensuring that the well-being of all children is at the centre of her teaching. She has played a role in enhancing pupil voices and implemented environmentally friendly initiatives in her schools. Her interests include yoga, reading, being creative and spending time with family and friends.

MISS DANIKKA BROWN Reception Teacher

BSc (Hons) in Information Systems, Brunel University; PGCE (specialised in Early Years), University of East London.

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azia has lived in Doha the past six years and has taught in a British Curriculum School in Doha for 3 years. Prior to this, she taught in KS1 and EYFS settings in England.

Nazia enjoys spending time with friends and family. She enjoys reading, watching films and travelling. Since moving to Doha, she has visited Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Turkey.

MISS NAZIA RAHMAN Reception Teacher

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EYFS CURRICULUM

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t Sherborne Qatar Prep School we deliver a curriculum based on the framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This describes the seven areas of learning and development which “must be implemented through planned, purposeful play”. The curriculum is built around these seven areas and is interrelated to support and encourage your child’s personal, social, emotional, physical and intellectual well-being and development.

Personal, social and emotional development

Physical development

Communication and language

Mathematics

Expressive arts and design

Understanding the world

Literacy

The framework also states that “Practitioners must respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, positive interaction.” We have a fantastic team of adults who put this into practice every day.

In addition the framework describes “Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning ... playing and exploring ... active learning and creating and thinking critically.” These describe exactly the approach we take to learning in our Foundation Stage at Sherborne Qatar Prep School.

Throughout the year the Pre-School and Reception children play, make friends, develop and learn. They have great fun, exploring and creating, indoors and outside. They gain independence and confidence and their natural curiosity is encouraged at all times.

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MONITORING PROGRESS

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n entry to EYFS, children’s progress is assessed against the Learning Outcomes of the EYFS. We gather evidence by observing what the children know and can do, discussing evidence of learning with colleagues. This gives us a Baseline Assessment of where each child is performing against the ages and stages of the Development Matters Framework.

Children’s progress is recorded in a variety of ways including photographs, long observations and WOW moments, which are either planned for formal or incidental observations capturing immediate learning experiences which demonstrate new or embedded learning during independent play. These are all collected and shared with parents via our Tapestry program. Comments and feedback from parents are crucial for demonstrating progress within the context of the whole child as well as through more formal work and experiences which have been annotated and marked by an adult.

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AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

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t the beginning of the term, and especially in the first few days, great emphasis is placed on settling the children into the school routine; this is why we like to slowly introduce the children to the day.

Children should be brought into the classroom and helped to settle into an activity. It would be helpful if you could leave as soon as your child is settled to enable a smooth transition.

Parents are asked to make sure their child arrives on time so that the working day may commence on time.

If you arrive after 8am, please take your child to the office so that he/she can be marked on the class register.

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PASTORAL CARE & THE HOUSE SYSTEM

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orm Teachers have the day-to-day responsibility for the welfare of pupils in their forms and they monitor pupil progress by taking account of what is happening in a pupil’s life.

Additionally, all pupils and staff belong to one of six Houses which allow for the vertical integration of pupils and the House Leaders, in particular, become important people in helping to shape and guide the pupils out of the classroom.

There are regular Inter House events and challenges, including whole House days. Older pupils are encouraged to support and help the younger and these events help pupils to develop their social skills, confidence, independence and the ability to work and play harmoniously together. The Houses are each grouped in ‘families’ with a child from each year group.

All children are expected to wear the correct colour House shirt on these special days: Khalifa – Orange Irons – Red Sheppard – Blue Jassim – Purple Powys – Yellow Amna - Green We want our pupils to be caring and considerate of others and to respect fellow pupils and staff alike. A whole school PSHE programme includes a variety of developmental issues and Assemblies during the week both underpin the school’s ethos and celebrate pupil success. The school has a team of nurses who administer to the pupils’ need to day ailments and maintain an overview of the pupils’ health and physical development.

We have a positive rewards system through which pupils earn Merits towards certificates at different levels and they can become Star of the Week or Term.

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THE SCHOOL DAY Pre School Classroom doors open at 7.15am and the school day finishes at 1.45pm. The children will have two breaks throughout the day, morning break is 30 minutes and lunch break is 1 hour.

Entry and exit for EYFS is via Gate 4, however if children have siblings in other year groups, then parents are able to choose the relevant gate to help with logistics.

THE SCHOOL DAY Reception Classroom doors open at 7.15am and the school day finishes at 1.45pm. The children will have two breaks throughout the day, morning break is 30 minutes and lunch break is 1 hour Entry and exit for EYFS is via Gate 4, however if children have siblings in other year groups, then parents are able to choose the relevant gate to help with logistics.

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EARLY MORNING DROP OFF AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE

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arly morning Drop Off and after school care are only offered to pupils from Reception to Year 6. The Early morning Drop Off is a booked service for which an additional fee is applicable.

We encourage all parents to drop off their children and share in the morning learning.

After school care is an emergency service if you are running late for our pickup time. You will be charged for using this service if you are over 15 minutes late.

Please contact Mrs Heidi Berry, Deputy Head, Head of Pre Prep, if you wish to book a place for these services: hberry@sherborneqatar.org when term resumes.

ATTENDANCE / PUNCTUALITY

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t is important for children to attend school on time everyday unless unwell. Getting children into good routines and habits helps their development. Please email or telephone the school office by 8.00am if your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, medical appointment etc.

Otherwise your child will be entered as an unauthorised absence in the register which in turn is recorded on their school report. Please refer the attendance expectations in the separate letter from the Headmaster.

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME

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nrichment is offered to Reception to Year 6 pupils only. The Enrichment Programme takes place after school on every day of the school week and is designed to enrich the curriculum and encourages the pupils to try things which they may not have done before.

While some after school activities are appropriate for some Reception children, we are concerned that the length of an extended school day will be too much for most children.

Therefore, we recommend that you do not sign your children up for activities, particularly in the first term.

Sign up procedures are emailed to all parents at the start of each term.

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KEEP UP TO DATE

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t is really important that we can contact parents/carers quickly and easily if we need to. Please keep contact emails and especially phone numbers up to date by informing the school office of any changes.

UNIFORM

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our child should wear the standard uniform as provided by Noble House for every school day.

Please see our website and uniform list for further information. All items of clothing should be clearly named, either with a sewn-in/iron on label or by writing on the label. Please refer to the separate Prep School Uniform List, that forms part of this pack, for further details • • • • • • • • •

Short sleeved blue EYFS polo-shirt Navy blue school skirt / skort (girls) or trousers and shorts (boys) Short white or navy socks or navy tights (girls) Navy blue jumper or cardigan Black school shoes Navy blue school book bag, PE bag. Please note that only Sherborne Qatar school bags and book bags should be used.

School legionnaires hat House shirt (optional) Girls’ hair bands / bobbles - school colours

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PE

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upils in EYFS have two PE lessons per week with our specialist PE Department. They should spend the full day in their PE kit on the days when they have PE and this includes arriving to school in PE kit. PE kit should include a PE shirt, navy PE shorts, white socks, predominantly white trainers and a PE bag.

Food and Drink

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t Sherborne Qatar we are strong believers that a healthy diet and plenty of fluids are very important in helping your child to learn more and be happier in school. We encourage our pupils to eat and drink regularly. With this in mind, we ask that you support us by providing your child daily with:

• A named, refillable water bottle. Please note that bottles are kept together in the classroom and so it must be possible for your child to identify which bottle belongs to him or her so as to avoid mix-ups.

• A snack box containing healthy food, such as: raisins, dried or fresh fruit, fruit juice or milk, a small sandwich or wrap.

• A larger packed lunch, containing similarly healthy items.

• If your child is coming to school on the bus, or otherwise leaving home very early in the morning, you may like to supply them with a little extra breakfast to eat in school before lessons start, such as a banana and some milk.

• All food containers need to be named clearly, and should identify whether the food is for snack, lunch or breakfast.

• Please note that the school has a ‘no nuts’ policy due to allergies, and chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks are not allowed. Please also do not send food and drinks in glass containers or bottles.

• We appreciate children enjoy celebrating birthdays with their friends. Unfortunately, we cannot allow cakes, muffins, donuts, sweets etc to be shared in class. This is due not only to our healthy eating policy but also the risk they pose to children with allergies. Thank you for your understanding.

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THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR CHILD STARTS SCHOOL • Have conversations with your child as often as possible. This may seem obvious but it is the most valuable thing you can do.

• Read to your child every day if possible.

• Look through this booklet and familiarise your child with members of the EYFS team.

• Enjoy sharing stories, songs and rhymes with your child, both in English and your home language.

• Make good use of outings with your child e.g. parks, shops, libraries, swimming pools etc. Talk about their interests and things they enjoy.

• Encourage your child to look for numbers and words in their local environment e.g. door numbers, bus numbers, shop names and food labels.

• If you would like to bring in any creative models, paintings or drawings, we would be happy to display them in the classroom to celebrate your child’s achievements.

• Encourage your child to be independent when putting on their coats and shoes and when going to the toilet.

YOUR QUESTIONS

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f you have any questions or concerns throughout your child’s time in school, please see your child’s form teacher at the beginning of the day or at end of a day.

Please be aware that this is a busy time of the day and therefore we suggest getting in touch with your child’s Form Teacher first to make an appointment.

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COMMUNICATIONS

EYFS Head of Prep-Prep Mrs Heidi Berry– hberry@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year Mrs Lindsey Wilkin – lwilkin@sherborneqatar.org Pre-School Ms Hannah Johnston –hjohnston@sherborneqatar.org Mrs Debbie Eite – deite@sherbornewatar.org Mrs Michelle Young – myoung@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year Miss Ciara Trainor – ctrainor@sherborneqatar.org Reception Miss Ubah Abdi – uabdi@sherborneqatar.org Miss Danikka Brown – dbrown@sherborneqatar.org Miss Nazia Rahman – narahman@sherborneqatar.org

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