Early Years
Intent
Our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) intent is:
- To create a happy, safe and nurturing environment where children develop their independence as learners and where individual progress is valued.
- To provide a curriculum which is exciting and motivates children to love learning.
- To create an environment where children develop resilience, friendships and positive relationships.
- To ensure that outdoor and indoor learning is accessible for all and where children explore risks safely and challenge their own learning.
- To work closely and collaboratively with parents in order to ensure we value home experiences and develop a true reflection of the whole child.
- To effectively prepare children for the next stage in their school life.
Implementation
Across our EYFS, we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework. This Framework specifies the requirement for learning and development in the Early Years and provides prime and specific areas of learning we must cover in our curriculum.
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language development
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
We also incorporate the characteristics of effective learning (COEL) into all teaching and learning experiences. The children are taught the skills required in the EYFS through half-termly topics which are coherently planned to build upon the children’s current knowledge and understanding by a cumulative sequence of lessons. The pupils are encouraged to wonder and ask questions about what they are learning and this information is used to plan subsequent lessons. Parents are regularly informed about their child’s progress through Tapestry (the online system we use for sharing their progress in the classroom) and they are provided with the expectations and requirements needed to meet the age related expectations.
Impact
Through the delivery of a well-planned and challenging curriculum we aim that the pupils will leave the Early Years Foundation Stage as independent learners, with transferrable skills needed to start Key Stage One. This will be measured at the end of Reception as to whether the pupils have achieved a Good Level of Development. We aim that our pupils will leave our Foundation stage ready for the next stage in their education and ready for year 1 by:
- Using their phonics knowledge to read accurately with increasing speed and fluency.
- Writing correctly punctuated simple sentences.
- Understanding and using early numbers.
- Having good personal, physical and social skills.
- Enjoying, listening attentively and responding with comprehension to familiar stories and rhymes.
- Demonstrating positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity, concentration and enjoyment.
- Being able to listen intently and respond positively to adults and each other.
- Being resilient learners who are keen to learn and are proud of their achievements.
