FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

Q.1. What is the Early Years Foundation Stage (‘EYFS’)?

– EYFS, describes the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5. This is a very important stage in your child’s development as it helps your child get ready for school as well as prepares them for their future learning and successes. From when your child is born, up until the age of 5, the child’s early years experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support his/her development, care and learning needs.

Q.2. How will my child be learning?

– The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:

• Communication and language;
• Physical development; and
• Personal, social and emotional development. These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, there are a further four prime areas of learning, these will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:
• Literacy;
• Mathematics;
• Understanding the world; and
• Expressive arts and design. These 7 areas of learning are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals at the Nursery who will be teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like the curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it’s suitable for very young children, and it’s designed to be flexible so that staff can follow your child’s unique needs and interests. Children with childcare providers who follow the EYFS framework learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.

Q.3. As a Parent or Main Carer, how can I help my child learn?

All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development and have a really long-lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school. Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child it will make a real difference to your child’s confidence as a young learner:

• Sing nursery rhymes;
• Talk about the numbers, colours, words and letters you see when you are out and about;
• Help your child to cut out pictures from magazines; ask your child what they can see in the pictures;
• Cook and bake together;
• Use the weather – shadows, rain puddles, wind, mist and sun – to extend your child’s vocabulary;
• Explore the park at different times of the year; talk about the changes they can see;
• Read to them often; point to each word as you read;
• On a trip to the supermarket, talk about all the different shapes and colours of the packaging; and
• Talk to your child at every opportunity; tell them what you are doing;

Q.4. How can I find out how my child is developing?

It is important that we work together. You need to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child. Your child’s key person is the person who:

• Is your main point of contact within the Nursery;
• Helps your child to become settled, happy and safe;
• Is responsible for your child’s care, development and learning; and
• Takes careful note of your child’s progress, sharing this with you, and giving you ideas as to how to help your child at home. You are able to get information about your child’s development at any time from your child’s key person. We also hold three Parents Events in a year (open day) when you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s care, and receive a written report about how your child is developing.

Q.5. What are the 4 themes of EYFS?

– The four themes of the Revised EYFS are; A Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments and Learning and Development. The themes and principles describe the features of practice on which the EYFS is based.

Q.6. How you organise transition at your school

– Transition is an important part of EYFS settings. This is organized by.

– Creating and welcoming them into a warm, friendly atmosphere where they feel loved, cared for, safe and secured. Giving them a sense of belonging, freedom to explore, express themselves and become confident learners.

Q.7. How do you teach early reading at your school?

-We use the Jolly phonic 42 sounds and actions to teach them how to blend words from 2 letters, 3 letters, 4 letters and form and read short sentences.

We have also recategorised our reading books to help children consolidate sounds they’ve already learnt.

Q.8. What are the new changes to the EYFS?

Physical Development will be strengthened to include a greater focus on development from birth to reception and on the link between gross and fine motor skills. Literacy will include a stronger emphasis on pre-reception literacy learning, and the link between language comprehension and later reading and writing.

Q.9. How do you make sure that teaching meets the needs of all children?

-It’s important to meet the needs of all children as they each are unique with their different learning styles and abilities, learning at their own pace.

Children with challenges are engaged in “intervention classes” to meet up and cover their learning gaps.

We also ensure parental involvement so that there is an agreement between home and school.

Q.10. What do you do to engage parents in their children’s learning?

Information and report on the child’s developmental needs and all school activities are communicated daily in the feedback/communication books. Class platforms have been created to further enhance communication and e-learning through audio, visuals and the likes. Newsletters are sent out periodically via social media and hard copies as well.

Stickers or smiley faces are pasted in their books or hands and sent home to parents, so they can share their child’s successes at home.

Parents are invited for class presentations during assembly, our termly activities and themes for each term, such as ‘culture’ where parents cook and come to share with us the ingredients and how they prepared it.

Q.11. What curriculum are you using?

– Integrated Nigerian British curriculum with a combination of Montessori curriculum especially/particularly for the early years, which has to do with the application of real-life situations to everyday learning and the child is allowed to explore [nature] on their own.

Q.12. What is the Montessori curriculum and method of teaching all about?

– The method is characterised by self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher. It stresses the importance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his/her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing abstract concepts and practical skills.

It is the application of real-life situations to everyday learning and the child is allowed to explore [nature] on their own.

Q.13. What methods of teaching do you apply to meet the learning needs of every child.

– We use the principle/method of differentiation amongst others to ensure every child is carried along and equally allowed to work at his/her own pace using their unique learning styles; such as psychomotor, visual, auditory, audiovisual and sensory.

The curriculum [British] allows the principle of differentiation in teaching and learning to cater for each child’s unique abilities and gifting using the different styles of learning; visual, auditory, audio-visual, kinaesthetic, logical, personal and interpersonal.

Q.14. What Montessori materials do you have and use?

– Pink tower, colour box, mathematical intelligence, early learning flashcards, reading tree, puzzles and scrabbles for spellings, concrete objects; household items of same properties and also of different properties. Using manipulative like thermic tiles, counting beads, and movable maps allow pupils to scaffold their learning with concrete materials until they reach the point in each subject where they can work in abstraction.

Q.15. What expectations, targets and goals are to be achieved at the end of the session for each class or/and at the end of the transition class, [early years period 0-5 years]

–  Expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”.  The following are prime areas of learning and their associated ELGs.

– Communication and language development; involves giving children opportunities to speak and listen in a range of situations and to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves. This includes;

• Listening and attention
• Understanding
• Speaking

Physical development; provides opportunities for children to be active and interactive.

• Moving and handling equipment
• Health and self-care

Personal, social and emotional development: This helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others.

• Self-confidence and self-awareness
• Managing feelings and behaviour
• Making relationships

Specific areas of learning and their associated ELGs.

Literacy involves encouraging children to read and write.

• Reading and
• Writing

Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to practise and improve their skills in;

• counting numbers,
• calculating simple addition and subtraction problems,
• describe shapes, spaces and measures.

Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

Expressive Arts and Design

This involves supporting children to explore and play with a wide range of;

• Media and materials
• Being imaginative

– Q.16. What are the criteria for entry?

– Take a placement test with the purchase of the school form.

Q.17. What are the entry ages for each class and their name tags

Creche – 0-12 months

Playgroup – 1-2 years

Pre- nursery – 2-3 years

Nursery 1 – 3- 4 years

Nursery 2 – 4-5 years

Q.18. How many arms do you have for each class?

– We have two arms for some classes and three arms for some classes.

Q.19. Do you operate an inclusive curriculum/ scheme and assessment for special needs children of this age range [0-5 years]?

– The special needs pupils are part of the normal class activities after their sessions in the special needs activity centre. They are exposed to the teaching and learning activities according to their learning abilities and assessed accordingly. The assessment for those who can make responses and exhibit some level of progress are exposed to assessments of the same topics in forms and ways they can easily relate and associate with.

Q.20. How do you assess the children with your adopted curriculum?

In a Montessori method of education, which is also British in nature assessment of learning is based on the observation of the whole child as they work and engage in activities each day. With the combination and the integration of the Nigerian curriculum, assessment is based on work the child produces, using tests and examination so they can compete and fit into the system wherever they find themselves, both in Nigeria and abroad.

Q.21. What do you do to ensure that you have thorough safeguarding policies in place?

– Ensured all furniture and play toys are child friendly with smooth surfaces and edges.

A headcount of pupils is taken before and after any outdoor activity and done in a line at all times singing fun and exciting room as they move along. Pupils are taught to use the rails and signs on the walls always.

Incidences are recorded immediately by the teacher and school nurse and communicated to the heads of the school. First aids are administered where necessary.

Q.22. Do you have a school nurse, first aid and sickbay?

– The school has a functional facility for sickbay, first aid for emergencies and a school nurse who manages it and is attached to the crèche.

Q.23. Is your school registered with a good hospital within the environ or community?

– The school is registered with a good hospital for emergencies less than a 5-minute drive.

MEET OUR CHAIRMAN AND VISIONER

Dr. Augustine Igbuku, the Chairman/CEO of Merosa Academy, Abuja, holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry, M.Sc. in Lipid Biochemistry, MBA in Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Management. He started his working experience as a secondary school teacher at Oyede Comprehensive Secondary School in Isoko L.G.A., Delta State, from 1988 to 1991. He Lectured at the University of Benin from 1991 to late 1992, and later in 1992, joined Shell Petroleum Development Company where he retired in 2018, after 27 years of meritorious service.

Augustine Igbuku is an exceptional and committed individual who is passionate in the development of humanity and the environment. He is a born teacher and has a natural desire to raise young leaders to meet future challenges.

As a way of giving back to the society, Dr Augustine and his wife founded the ‘Epadi-Igbuku Lights-on-Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation that supports education for indigent students within Isoko Local Government Area of Delta State

Dr Augustine is also an author, he has to his credit a number of books, one of which is, “The Pursuit of Sterling Attitude”, a succinct handbook that outlines how to cultivate and develop positive and appropriate attitude needed to be successful in life.

He is married to Erezi Abigail and together they have three lovely children who are leading successful lives in their various endeavours.

Welcome to Merosa Academy, established 17th September, 2016 with 35 pupils at APO. Today (February 2021), the School has about 450 children at the APO and Kubwa branches, making it one of Abuja’s fastest-growing primary and secondary schools.
Our size allows us to provide a very broad curriculum and an extensive range of opportunities for our learners…….