Early Years Foundation Stage
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE (EYFS) at LINDHEAD
Rationale
At Lindhead, we place a great emphasis on the first year in school and endeavour to develop the children into active, happy and independent learners. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a framework for care, learning and development.
We aim to support children in their learning through, “teaching and experiences that gives children the broad range of skills that provide the right foundation for good progress through school and in life”.
Aims - We aim to:
- Provide our children with the opportunity to experience the best possible start to their education to develop solid foundations, which will enable them to flourish throughout their school years and become lifelong learners.
- Provide a smooth and positive transition process from early years settings to Reception including visiting ‘new starters’ in their own settings and having a professional dialogue with their key worker;
- Develop good relationships with all children by interacting positively with them and taking time to listen to them;
- Provide a curriculum firmly based upon active learning, meeting the needs of the individual;
- Provide rich learning opportunities through play and purposeful teaching both inside and outside of the classroom;
- Support children to take risks and explore their learning environment in a secure and safe way;
- Provide stimulating resources that children can access independently;
- Provide a safe and stimulating learning environment in which creativity and expressiveness are valued, both indoors and outdoors;
- Promote the intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of each child through a broad and balanced curriculum;
- Provide children with the opportunity to engage in both adult-led activities and child-initiated play within the continuous provision;
- Encourage children to communicate and talk about their learning, and to develop independence and self-management;
- Encourage parents/carers to become partners with the school in the education of their children. We recognise that parents/carers are the children’s first and most enduring educators and we value the contribution they make. We aim to encourage collaboration through our working relationship with parents/carers and support this by parent consultations, parent activity sessions, special events and parent observations forms;
- Plan for smooth transitions from Reception into Year One.
Health and safety and safeguarding.
In EYFS we follow the safeguarding and welfare requirements detailed in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Guidance and we adhere to the school’s safeguarding policy. We endorse the importance of a healthy lifestyle by encouraging children to eat healthily, exercise and promote good hygiene practices.
Inclusion
At Lindhead School we respect the abilities and strengths of all levels of development. We welcome the knowledge and experience that children bring from different backgrounds and cultures; and encourage children to respect similarities and differences between families, communities and traditions.
We develop children’s self esteem and confidence, free from stereotyping and discrimination and adhere to the equal opportunities and inclusion policies of the school.
Guidelines
The ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ refers to children from Birth to the end of Reception class. It sets out a series of Early Learning Goals for children to work towards by the time they reach the end of EYFS at the age of 5+. The key skills that are taught within the Early Years are those of listening, speaking, concentration, persistence, co-operation, literacy, maths, questioning and creativity.
The curriculum is based around Prime and Specific areas of learning, where the three prime areas underpin all of a child’s learning experiences. The seven areas of learning support, foster and promote children’s well-being and development.
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding of the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Our teaching programmes include Nelson Handwriting, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds and Number Blocks.
Assessment
Assessments are made to inform staff of the needs of individual pupils and the needs of the class as a whole. This information is used to plan appropriate activities that match specific needs.
Our Early Years Curriculum is carefully sequenced to meet the above aims and is available below:
In addition to this long-term sequence, parents receive termly topic notes which outline learning in our Reception class on a weekly basis - an example of which is provided below.