Curriculum

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five for all early year’s providers in England. 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 learning and development requirements include the seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational programmes in early years settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.

The three Prime Areas are:

  • Communication and Language
    • Listening, attention and understanding
    • Speaking
    • Development of spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning. We focusing on the spoken language, conversations, interactions and provide a language rich environment.
  • Personal, Social and Emotional development
    • Building Relationships
    • Managing Self
    • Self-Regulation
    • Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development.
  • Physical Development
    • Gross Motor Skills
    • Fine Motor Skills
    • Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives.

The four Specific Areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied are:

  • Literacy
    • Comprehension
    • Word Reading
    • Writing
    • Crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading.
  • Mathematics
    • Number
    • Numerical Patterns
    • Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically.
  • Understanding the World
    • People, Culture and Communities
    • The Natural World
    • Past and Present
    • Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community.
  • Expressive Arts and Design
    • Creating with Materials
    • Being Imaginative and Expressive
    • The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity.

Assessment is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners knowing children’s level of achievement and interests, and then shaping teaching and learning experiences for each child reflecting that knowledge.

Your child’s key person will regularly share your child’s progress and development and address any learning and development needs in partnership with you and any external professionals or specialist agencies.

We encourage parents/carers to share their child’s learning and experience in their home environment, this can be done by uploading observations and photos onto your child’s Tapestry on-line learning journal.

Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

If your child has special educational needs, we will work with you to discuss their Individual Education Plans (IEP’s). With your permission can consult with our local authority for specialist help i.e. speech and language etc. Please see our Local Offer.