EYFS

Introduction:

Our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum follows the updated revised statutory framework that sets out children’s learning and development in the Foundation Stage.  It outlines a broad range of knowledge, skills and understanding that provides children with the right foundation to make good progress through school and life. Here you’ll find an easy to read parent’s guide to the EYFS framework.

Aims:

The EYFS aims to provide:

• quality and consistency in all early years settings
• a secure foundation for all children for good progress through school and life
• partnerships between different practitioners
• partnerships between parents or carers and practitioners
• equality of opportunity for all children

(Extracted from DfE)

Curriculum:

Our reception children will acquire knowledge, skills and understanding in the following seven areas of learning and development.

The three prime areas are:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

The prime areas are fundamental, work together, and move through to support development in all other areas. These three areas reflect the areas used in healthy development reviews by health visitors when children reach two to two-and-a-half years of age.

The four specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society. They are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive Arts and Design

In addition to these areas of learning children are taught languages of the month.

How the children learn:

The Characteristics of Effective Learning are embedded in the teaching. They are:

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 – thinking

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

Assessment:

Observations take place daily and significant achievements are recorded in the children’s Profile Folder. Parents are invited to make comments and observations about their child and this is included in the child’s Profiles. The children in the Reception class are assessed throughout the year using Development Matters Ages and Stages. At the end of the Reception year the Early Learning Goals are used to determine their progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and to inform the Year 1 teachers of their starting point.