Early Years Foundation Stage

Our Reception and Nursery classes are part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We use the indoor and outdoor environments to support play and learning. All children have access to the outside throughout the day during independent learning or adult-directed tasks.

The curriculum is underpinned by the 3 characteristics of Effective Learning: 

Playing and Exploring: Engagement

• Finding out and exploring
• Playing with what they know
• Being willing to ‘have a go’

Active Learning: Motivation

• Being involved and concentrating
• Keeping trying
• Enjoying achieving what they set out to do

Creating and Thinking Critically

• Having their own ideas
• Making links
• Choosing ways to do things

The EYFS Curriculum consists of 7 key areas of learning:

3 Prime Areas:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development - developing confidence and independence as part of a group. Learning to take turns, show awareness of their own abilities. Develop perseverance and empathy.
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• Communication and Language - communicating with one another through speaking and listening skills. Taking turns when speaking, speaking infront of a group. Using language to retell or make up stories.
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• Physical Development - improving control and coordination of the body and learning to move and handle equipment efficiently. Developing gross and fine motor skills. Learning to move in different ways. How to keep healthy. Developing fine motor control for handwriting and letter formation. Taking care of own physical needs e.g. using the toilet and managing own clothing.

4 Specific Areas

• Literacy - developing early skills in reading and writing. Using phonics to read and write words and sentences.
• Maths - learning about number, counting, quantity, measurement, shape and space.
• Understanding the World - investigating and beginning to understand the things, places and people around the local community. Showing an awareness of other cultures and religions.
• Expressive Arts and Design - finding ways to communicate by using colour, shape, sound, texture, dance, movement, role play and stories.

Assessment and Reporting

All children have an ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ Learning Journey scrapbook in which teachers and staff collect observations on the children and their achievements. These books are available in the classroom for children to look at.

The progress of each child is assessed termly to check that they are working within the expected range for their age. At the end of Reception all teachers complete statutory assessments of the children against the ‘Early Learning Goals’