EYFS

EYFS  (Early Years Foundation Stage)

Our intent is for the children to have the necessary skills for Year One, and to show love, respect, and courage in their words and actions.

• To build positive relationships with children so that they feel happy and safe to learn and explore.

• To work in partnership with parents and carers, celebrating their child’s/children’s learning and development.

• To support the development of social skills and friendships.

• To support the development of understanding of self, including emotions.

• To encourage curiosity, problem-solving, perseverance, responsibility, confidence, resilience, and enjoyment in learning.

• To provide indoor and outdoor provision that enables children to follow their interests, and which develops and consolidates their learning.

• To develop children’s language skills through interactions, reading and discussion of books, rhymes, songs, and role play.

• To develop children’s reading and writing skills through following a systematic approach to phonics teaching.

• To develop children’s mathematical skills, developing a secure base of knowledge and understanding.

• To support children’s physical development through providing gross and fine motor experiences which the children enjoy engaging with.

• To support children in understanding about the past and the world around them, and the importance of looking after the world.

• To support children in being able to manage their own personal needs and in looking after their own bodies, including the importance of eating healthily and exercising.

• To promote equality of opportunity so that every child is supported.

• To celebrate diversity and individual differences.

Implementation:

We follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, developed by the DfE. This framework specifies the requirement for learning and development in the Early Years and provides prime and specific areas of learning that we must cover in our curriculum.

Our curriculum is based upon themes which engage children. We carry out home visits during the Summer Term so that we are familiar with the children’s interests; we can then build these into the children’s learning experiences from when they start school.

All areas of the EYFS curriculum are followed, and planned for, to ensure there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum. Activities, both inside and outside, are planned to cover the different areas of the EYFS curriculum and enable children to consolidate skills and develop their learning.

Planning for this curriculum is designed to be flexible so that children’s interests can be incorporated.

The children learn new skills, acquire new knowledge, and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development

Communication and Language

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

During each week, the children learn through whole class sessions, adult-led tasks, and play-based Continuous Provision. This means that children have opportunity to learn as part of a whole class, in smaller groups, collaboratively with their friends, independently, and with members of staff.

Through the use of a visual timetable, we communicate what is going to happen in Year R each morning and afternoon; this helps the children to feel safe and secure. Each day starts with a ‘Settle and Play’ session. This gives children time to transition between home and school, enabling them to feel safe, happy, and secure; it allows them time to talk to their friends and the adults in the classroom. The ‘Settle and Play’ session provides opportunity for the children to talk to adults about their feelings and any worries that they have, and to share and celebrate home experiences. Likewise, it gives the adults time to talk to the children about any concerns that they have, and provides dedicated time for relationship building as well as creating time when parents/carers can talk to the Year R adults.

Through observation and discussion, areas of need and next steps are identified for children with the aim that good progress is made. We celebrate children’s learning, with parents/carers, through the use of our on-line learning journal, Tapestry. Parents are also invited into school for Celebration Worship when their child receives a Learning or Values Champion certificate. In addition, we have two formal Parent Evenings, each academic year, and an Open Evening during which parents are invited into the classroom to celebrate their child/children’s learning.

At the end of each half-term, we assess whether there are any children who have not made the expected progress and who we need to plan specific interventions for. During the summer term, the parents/carers receive a written report about their child’s/children’s learning and development; this highlights next steps.

The Year Six/Year R Buddy system enables the Year R children to feel happy and safe. At the beginning of the year, the Year Six children make welcome cards for their Year R buddy and eat lunch alongside them. They also play with them on the playground, during lunchtime break, and help them with friendships, to feel safe and secure, and to develop their confidence and social skills. As the year progresses, there are opportunities for the Year 6 and Year R buddies to learn together as well as share special moments together such as the Christmas pantomime and making Christingles.

Each morning, the children eat a healthy snack in the classroom rather than go onto the large playground; this is busy in the mornings as the rest of the school are outside at the same time. We talk about the importance of healthy eating and model sitting down to eat. In addition to keeping the children safe, this is a happy and sociable time when the children are relaxed and enjoy talking to each other.

During the afternoon, and after having been offered fruit and milk, the children have opportunity to meet with Year One and Two on the large playground; this provides a safe and large space for the children to be able to run in and enjoy playing with a wider group of children.

We meet with Early Years teachers from other schools in our cluster to discuss, moderate and support best practice.

Impact:

Loving, respectful, and courageous children transitioning into Year 1.

Children achieve a Good Level of Development, matching the National and Local Authority data.

Children successfully access the National Curriculum for Year One.

Children enjoy learning and are confident, curious, responsible, and resilient learners who problem-solve, persevere and try their best.

Children manage their own personal needs and know the importance of exercise and healthy eating.

Happy, safe, and friendly children who can say how they are feeling.

Parents are engaged with their child’s/children’s learning.