ParentZone is the app that we use to share your child’s day with you. You can access it via www.parentzone.me or by downloading the app on your phone/tablet.
Before your child starts you will be invited to set up an account on ParentZone and you will start to see observations from your child’s first day! You will receive updates on your child's meals, how long they have slept for, or any nappy changes. You will also receive updates about what activities they have taken part in with lots of photographs included. We encourage parents to upload their own observations on ParentZone too, to add to their child’s learning journey!
As part of our Red Bus Approach, we use the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Birth to 5 Matters as tools to support how we plan for children’s next stage in their development. You can learn more about how we use the EYFS and it's supporting document 'Birth to 5 Matters' by clicking the blog post below.
During your child’s journey at Red Bus, there will be planning carried out involving them on a regular basis. We call this In The Moment Planning. Your child will regularly be a ‘focus child’. This means that their key person will be focusing on areas of development from the Early Years Foundation Stage with your child, and will look to achieve Teachable Moments to support and further their development.
We carry out a baseline assessment on your child after 6 weeks at the setting. The Key Person bases the assessment on their observations, conversations with you, and their own judgement to indicate where they currently are in their development. The baseline is shared with you, and used to monitor your child’s progress as they grow and move through the setting.
Summative assessments are carried out on children in February, May and October. They are carried out by the Room Manager and Key Person, and then analysed to establish if there are any children who need extra support or any obvious trends throughout the setting.
When children are around 2 years 4 months old, we carry out a Two Year Check - these are sometimes completed by a Health Visitor but we also complete one. The assessment gives a brief summary of your child’s development—areas where they are progressing well and any where progress is less than expected. You’ll be able to make comments on this check and also discuss your child’s oral health.
Transition assessments are carried out when children are moving to a new room – Nursery to Kindergarten or Kindergarten to Pre-School. The assessment is shared with the child’s new Key Person and yourself, allowing you to contribute and discuss your child’s oral health.
Before children go onto Primary School, their Key Person writes a School Transition Report; summarising their development across the seven areas of the EYFS, their interests and the way your child learns best. This document is shared with you, and then securely given to the school setting.