Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy’s early years foundation stage (EYFS) department has opened its very own veterinary surgery and welcomed its first patient, Roni the sausage dog.
The school’s reception children have been reading ‘A Superhero Like You’, a book by Dr Ranj Singh, which celebrates real life heroes such as doctors, firefighters and teachers.
Inspired by this book, the EYFS department – which was graded ‘outstanding’ in the school’s recent Ofsted inspection – brought this learning to life by teaching pupils about veterinary careers and how to look after animals.
Thornbury Vets’ first patient was reception teacher Miss Carter’s sausage dog, Roni. Teachers Miss O’Dowd and Miss Carter roleplayed as the owner and vet to act out a typical visit to a veterinary surgery. After Roni was checked in at the reception desk, he was given a check-up with a stethoscope and empty syringes, which were donated to the school by a local vet.
After watching the demonstration, pupils replicated much of what they had seen, acting as a receptionist and vets by giving check-ups and wrapping bandages to ‘injured’ soft toys. As well as supporting pupils to develop their verbal communication skills, the role play also inspired the children to write about animal habitats and to explore the sounds of animal names.
The EYFS department regularly provides children with exciting and innovative learning experiences that are linked to reading. To support their reading of ‘The Beeman’ by Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis, Miss O’Dowd dressed in a Beekeeper’s outfit and the pupils tasted honey and honeycomb as they learned about the important roles bees play in food production. Reception pupils also ran their own imaginary restaurant in class, which was inspired by ‘Binny’s Diwali’ by Thrity Umrigar. Acting out the roles of waiter, chef and customer helped pupils to put their communication skills and imagination to the test through creative learning.
Amy O’Dowd, Director of Learning for EYFS at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy, explained:
“We have a motto of making learning come to life for our children, to give them immersive experiences that they would not normally have. Learning through books helps to develop children’s love of reading whilst giving them experiences that they will remember for many years to come.”