The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
The EYFS seeks to provide:
Quality and consistency
in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind
A secure foundation
through learning and development opportunities which are planned around the needs and interests of each individual child and are assessed and reviewed regularly
Partnership working
between practitioners and with parents and/or carers
Equality of opportunity
and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported
The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare.
Four guiding principles should shape practice in early years settings. These are:
A Unique Child
every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
Positive Relationships
children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
Enabling Environments
children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers
Learning and Development
children develop and learn in different ways (see and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities
What to expect, when?
A guidance to your child's learning and development in the early years foundation stage can be found here.
Children learn and develop through playing, exploring, being active, creative and being asked questions to help their thinking. After each age band the guidance gives you an example of some ideas and tips as to how you can help your child’s learning and development.
As you know, being a parent is very special and amazing as you watch your child grow up. It can also have challenges. This booklet will help you to know how your child is developing by highlighting what to expect, remembering that all children are different.
One way of using this booklet could be to use it as a reference - see what you notice your child can do. Use it as a prompt to explore and try new things together. In using this booklet, if you feel unsure about your child’s learning and development you might want to speak to your child’s key person or a health professional.
To find out more about the EYFS, please visit www.foundationyears.org.uk/parents
A Parent’s guide to the EYFS Framework is available in the setting for you to look at.
Alternatively you can find this information at www.foundationyears.org.uk
Our Curriculum
Click for here an overview of our long term plan for 2023-24
We aim to offer every child the opportunity to participate in a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities, carefully planned to enhance their learning through play. Our curriculum is designed to support children’s progress towards the early learning goals at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Your child will be learning skills acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. Children mostly develop the 3 Prime Areas first:
Prime Areas
The prime areas begin to develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences these are:
Personal, social and emotional development
Adults will help the children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others; to form positive relationships and respect one another. Also they will learn how to manage their feelings, to understand appropriate behaviour in groups and to gain confidence in their own abilities.
Communication and language
The children will be given opportunities to experience a rich language environment enabling them to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves to listen and speak in a range of situations.
Physical development
The children will have the opportunity to be active and interactive; be able to develop their co-ordination, control and movements. They will also learn and understand the importance of physical activities and how important healthy eating is when making choices in relation to food. Children are supported to become independent with their own self-care such as putting on coats, washing hands and toileting.
Specific Areas
The specific areas include essential skills and knowledge.
Literacy
Children will be able to access a wide range of reading material to ignite their interests and they will be encouraged to link sounds and letters in preparation for beginning to read and write. Children take home a library book to share with parents and carers.
Small groups of children take part in a daily phonics game from the Letters and Sounds phase 1 programme. http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/
Mathematics
There is a ‘maths station’ available with a variety of maths equipment for children to use when playing and exploring. Opportunities will be provided for children to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems and to describe shape and measures.
There are daily play-based maths activities planned and led by an adult with small groups of children.
Understanding the world
The children will be given opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places and the environment which will help them to make sense of their physical world and their community.
Expressive arts and design
Children will be able to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. They will be given the opportunity and encouraged to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, design and technology.
Characteristics of Effective Learning
Every child is unique and individual; they learn at their own pace and in different ways. The unique child reaches out to people and things through the characteristics of effective learning which move through all areas of learning:
• Playing and exploring
• Active learning
• Creating and thinking critically
These are promoted by adults providing positive relationships and an enabling environment.
Our activities take into account seasonal celebrations, cultural events and spontaneous learning opportunities but, most importantly, the interests and experiences of the children themselves. Our plans are displayed in the corridor and can be seen at any time. We ensure that all toys and activities are readily available so each child has the opportunity to participate in the full range irrespective of which days they attend.
Maths and phonics groups swap between the morning and afternoon sessions each week, so all children have the opportunity to take part in both sessions regardless of their attended session.
Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outdoors