Children in our Early Years Foundation Stage, (Nursery and Reception) follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). The EYFS Curriculum has seven main areas of learning –
∙ Personal, Social and Emotional Development
∙ Communication and Language
∙ Physical development
∙ Literacy (Reading and Writing)
∙ Understanding the world
∙ Expressive Arts and Design
A practical, playful approach to learning, based on the needs and interests of our children, is delivered mainly through topic based planning.
We teach children individually, in small groups, in class bases and in whole cohorts. Through a combination of teacher input and continuous provision opportunities, learning is planned to encourage children to develop their learning independently through exploration and challenge.
The “Characteristics of Effective Learning” are at the heart of the Early Years Curriculum and explore the different ways in which children learn. They highlight the importance of playing and learning, active learning and thinking critically. All the learning experiences we plan for the children allow them to utilise and develop these skills. Our learning environments, both inside and outside, are stimulating and exciting, and relevant to the needs and age/stage of our children.
High expectations and modelling from adults promote a calm atmosphere conducive to learning, whilst easily accessible resources develop children’s ability to access the curriculum independently. A vital aspect in the development of essential knowledge and skills is the use of continuous provision. This means that children are using and developing certain skills throughout the year on a daily/weekly basis. Continuous Provision practice and principles begin in the Early Years Foundation Stage and support children to develop key life skills such as independence; innovation; creativity, enquiry; analysis and problem solving.
At the end of their time in the EYFS, children at Edgar Sewter are empowered by the learning journey that they have been on. They have developed independence skills and are able to make choices about what they will do, and how they will do it. They have begun to master the challenging skills of negotiating and compromising – finding out about their peers and their preferences, and sometimes putting the needs of their peers ahead of their own. The children have developed a love of learning and have all made progress from their starting points. They are able to tell others about what they have been learning and how this has helped them. The children at Edgar Sewter are able to express preferences for things and explain why they have these preferences. They are able to rise to the high expectations that we have for behaviour, taking turns, sharing and collaborating with each other. The children are happy, enthusiastic and full of ideas that they are keen to share.