Statement of Intent for Early Years
The Early Years Foundation Stage is the period of education from birth to 5 years. In our Foundation Stage we have one reception class. We work closely with the two main feeder nurseries and offer a broad range of transitional support for the children and families to ensure starting school at Barlborough Primary school is as easy and fun as can be and ensure children feel settled in their new environment quickly.
INTENT
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Barlborough Primary School, our curriculum is designed to recognise children’s individual prior learning experiences from previous settings as well as their unique experiences they have at home. It provides first hand learning experiences, whilst allowing the children to build resilience, ambition and integrity. Every child is recognised as a unique individual and we celebrate and welcome differences within our school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching and learning of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. We allow children to practice these regularly and in a variety of different ways in order to embed the skills children need to make a good start in their education. We provide enhancement opportunities to engage learning and believe that our first experiences of school should be happy and positive, enabling us to develop a lifelong love of learning.
Developing children’s ability to express themselves verbally is an essential part of our curriculum as we strive to create vocabulary rich environments and provide many opportunities for children to develop their speaking and listening skills. Our curriculum encourages children to voice their unique ideas and thoughts as well as use language in imaginative ways.
Throughout their time in EYFS, the children develop a sense of belonging to our school community, ready to transition to year 1 the following academic year. They have the confidence and skills to make decisions and self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.
We intend:
- To work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential from their various starting points.
- To understand and follow children’s interests and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning, consolidate and deepen knowledge and ensure children meet their individual next steps.
- To create an indoor and outdoor environment which supports learning.
- To prepare children to reach the Early Learning goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure children make at least good progress from their starting points.
To support the children, transition into KS1.
IMPLEMENTATION
Throughout EYFS at Barlborough Primary School, we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (Published in March 2021.) This framework specifies the requirement for learning and development in the Early Years and provides prime and specific areas of learning we must cover in our curriculum. We have a curriculum that is child-centred and that is based upon wow experiences and topics which engage the children. We encourage active learning to ensure the children are motivated and interested. We take time to get to know children’s interests and their likes to support learning. All areas of the EYFS curriculum are followed and planned for to ensure there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum. The children will learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum
The children will learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas of the EYFS curriculum.
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development,
- Communication and Language
- Literacy,
- Mathematics,
- Understanding the World,
- Expressive Arts and Design
These 7 areas are used to plan children’s learning and activities. Planning for this curriculum is designed to be flexible so that a child’s unique interests are supported. During each week, the children will work with an adult to complete at least one 1:1 reading session as well as two adult led literacy tasks, two adult led maths tasks and a range of child initiated tasks through both the indoor and outdoor provision. 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 taught skills throughout the year on a daily basis and with more independence. Continuous provision practise and principles begin in EYFS and support children to develop key life skills such as independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry, analysis and problem solving.
During the school day, children will have an opportunity to work independently, work collaboratively with their friends and with members of staff.
Daily guided activities are also planned to cover different areas of the EYFS curriculum and allow children to develop their next steps in learning.
Through observation and discussion, areas of need and next steps are identified for all children to ensure good progress is made. There are also a range of stimulating and engaging activities which the children can access independently and a variety of opportunities for child-initiated play.
In planning and guiding children’s activities we reflect on the different ways that children learn and reflect these in our practise. Staff in the EYFS make regular observations of the children’s learning to ensure their next steps are met. These are collected in each child’s online learning journey. We regularly assess where the children are, using ‘Development Matters statements’ to ensure they are progressing towards the Early Learning Goals and identify any gaps which we can target. We then use these to ensure our planning, adult interaction and learning environment; including continuous provision, support children to reach their next steps. We will include interventions for groups or individuals if and when necessary.
Children in EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside. Our outdoor areas are used all year round and in most weather conditions. We ensure activities support the Characteristics of Effective Learning to ensure learning takes place.
These are:
Playing and Exploring – children investigate and experience things, and have a go;
Active Learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements;
Creating and Thinking Critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing things.
We have a dedicated time focusing on PSHE and wellbeing where we explore, yoga and relaxation techniques. We share a range of healthy snacks and learn about the importance of a healthy balanced lifestyle to maintain our own wellbeing. All of children perform in a Nativity, receive certificates in assembly, and participate in trips to the, church, local field and Butterfly house. They are visited by a vast range of People Who Help Us, such community members including the police, fire service, postal workers, vets, doctors, nurses, their animals and vehicles. We also incorporate natural learning opportunities for all children to explore their outdoor environment and use seasonal resources creatively.
To support our wider curriculum, we provide regular opportunities for parents and carers to come into school and participate in lessons, share their work and celebrate successes. We ensure that some events for parents are not educational based so that families from all backgrounds feel welcome and it is an enjoyable experience for all. These include family tea parties, wreath making workshops and mystery readers. We keep parents informed and we meet regularly with them to ensure children’s transition into school and through the EYFS is happy and allows them to reach their potential with the support needed. This includes transition days, The teddy bear project, nursery visits, stay and play sessions, parent workshops, learning journeys on Tapestry, help videos, half termly newsletters, reports and parent consultations as well as more frequent informal communication to suit individual families. We also meet regularly with parents to discuss children’s MSLP’s if they are identified as having special educational needs.
We also support the transition into Key Stage 1 for both child and parents. We prepare children for Year 1 with visits to their new class, meeting the teacher and ensuring the environments are similar at the end of EYFS and the start of Year 1. Parents have the opportunity to meet with new teachers and visit their child’s new learning environment. They also complete activities with their child throughout the summer term given to them by the Year 1 teacher. These aim to support the transition for all.
IMPACT
We strive to ensure that our children’s progress across the EYFS curriculum is good from their varied starting points. We also strive for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception and to be at least in line with National Expectations.
Evidence in children’s learning journeys support all areas of the EYFS curriculum. The impact of our curriculum is measured by assessment procedures which allow us to measure outcomes against all schools nationally. We measure the percentage of pupils achieving age related expectations throughout the academic year, put supportive interventions in place if and when needed.
Class teachers use observations to make formative assessments which inform future planning and ensure that all children build on their current knowledge and skills at a good pace. Summative assessment compares children attainment to age related expectations using the age bands in Development Matters. This is tracked using Insight to ensure rates of progress are at least good for all children, including vulnerable groups such as those with SEND, disadvantaged or summer born children. We also use ‘not yet’ grids to highlight children who are not yet meeting these and the next steps we need to take to enable them to continue to make progress.
We conduct regular moderation meetings within school to ensure judgements are accurate and that we have supportive evidence for these. These are mainly focused on reading and writing.
The impact of our curriculum will also be measured by how effectively it helps our pupils develop into well rounded individuals who embody our values and carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens. We endeavour for pupils to be Key Stage 1 ready and have our school values embedded by the time they leave reception, preparing them for their future.
