Intent

The Early Years Foundation Stage is crucial in providing the secure foundations that are built upon throughout a child’s educational journey. It is our intent that the children who enter our EYFS develop the physical, cognitive, verbal, and emotional knowledge and skills necessary to enable their future growth.

Implementation

Our curriculum is the content of what we want our children to know, understand and be able to do. It is broad, balanced, inclusive and tailored to the specific needs of our demographic. It has been informed and developed by all stakeholders and is responsive to emerging trends in school and within our community – operating as a fluid, working document.

Our EYFS curriculum is informed by the Early Years Statutory Framework and additional guidance is taken from Read, Write Inc, Development Matters, Birth to 5 Matters and the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. 

Within our EYFS, a thematic curriculum is sequentially planned for our Nursery and Reception using a two-year cycle. The thematic curriculum informs and provides the foundational knowledge, skills and vocabulary for KS1 and beyond. The thematic curriculum, and progression document, outlines the seven areas of learning which are planned for, and covered in depth in each half-termly theme. The thematic curriculum also includes a detailed Literature Spine which forms the basis for our themes - with specified core texts that children learn in detail, enabling children to develop the necessary vocabulary and reading skills that place reading at the heart of our school curriculum. The EYFS curriculum offer therefore ensures that all children 'learn, know and remember more'.

Alongside our curriculum, our EYFS practitioners recognise their role in facilitating how children’s learning and development is nurtured and enhanced. We also recognise the uniqueness of our demographic and so our pedagogy is reflective of its community, cultural diversity and individual need. We utilise the four overarching principles of the EYFS and dip into many pedagogical approaches which compliment and enhance each other.  

Our EYFS practitioners also acknowledge that an ambitious curriculum and educational experiences are delivered through the complimentary relationship between adult-directed and child-initiated learning and so we carefully balance this relationship throughout our provision, with our teaching and learning  timetable reflecting our key priorities. This means that our pedagogy is reviewed and revised regularly to ensure that practitioners support all children to learn and develop well.

Impact

The philosophy, practice, and curriculum we provide in the Early Years Foundation Stage enables children to enter Key Stage One ready for, and able to excel in, the next stage of their educational journey. They are equipped with the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that are aligned to the school values and reflective of our rapidly changing world. This secures them with a foundation for future learning and progress in both school and life.

• The EYFS Curriculum is progressive, ambitious and reflective of our school and community demographic. It places reading, and our cultural diversity, at the heart of children’s learning.

• Observational practice has been developed and staff utilise observations at ‘the right time’ and ‘in the right way’. High-quality interactions enable pupils to ‘know more, do more and remember more’.

• Children achieve rather than ‘catch up’ in a curriculum which is designed for the access, inclusion and ambition for all.