EYFS

The Early Year’s Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the statutory standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. 

It supports an integrated approach to early learning and care. It gives all professionals a set of common principles and commitments to deliver quality early education and childcare experiences to all children.

There is a strong focus on the three prime areas which are most essential for children’s healthy development:

• Communication and Language; - giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

• Physical Development - providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food. We use ‘Dough Disco’ and ‘Squiggle While you Wiggle’ to help develop fine motor skills and develop pencil grip.

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development - helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

Reception children are also supported in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:

• Literacy - encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

• Mathematics - providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.

• Understanding the world - guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

• Expressive arts and design - enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

A variety of topics are planned across the year and these are also adapted to meet the interests of individual pupils and the class; objectives are set according to on-going assessment linked to the early learning goals.

Play Based Learning

A cornerstone of EYFS provision is well planned play - both indoors and outdoors and is one of the key ways in which children learn. Through play, children are encouraged to explore, investigate, recreate and come to understand their world. It is not just imaginative play and role play but includes spontaneous, self-initiated lines of inquiry and exploration. Play is a vital component of children’s lives. It is an important way for key skills to be developed and practised. Play is essential for physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional, and behavioural and social development.

Outdoor Provision

Outdoor learning is an integral part of the play and learning provision for EYFS. Children are allowed daily access to the outdoor environment for both continuous provision and focussed activities. Planning recognises that the outdoor classroom is an extension of the indoor area but also an area to provide different opportunities on a larger scale. The outdoor learning environment will be set up daily as a stimulating and inviting space, which supports learning across all areas of learning both Prime and Specific.

Forest School

As an extension of our outdoor provision, EYFS children have ‘Welly Wednesday’ – an afternoon session in our Forest School setting. Each week there are planned activities to help develop skills such as sharing, cooperation and team work, gross and fine motor skills, art and craft skills – including joining, sawing, hammering and an opportunity for adventurous play (see Forest School section for further details)