Intent
Plymtree Primary’s EYFS curriculum is designed to provide our pupils with the fundamental skills they need to access future learning. It enables children to enhance their interpersonal skills, build resilience, foster independence, develop a sense of responsibility and become imaginative, critical thinkers.
Our curriculum provides adult-led and child-initiated learning through a balance of whole class, small group and play-based activities. It is inspired by the interests of our children and delivered through cross-curricular themes.
Our curriculum drivers aim to provide:
* Exposure to a wide range of genres, including fiction and non-fiction. Exposure in a variety of situations, to include independent, whole class, small group.
* A strong foundation in number, through concrete manipulatives to build abstract thinking.
* Wherever possible, encourage the use of questioning to build a curiosity in the world. Making enquiry meaningful to the individual.
* An exploration of technology (digital cameras, CD players, remote control toys) as well as building knowledge of simple algorithms to program and code. Using age appropriate software such as drawing tools.
* A nurturing environment to build confidence and foster independence. Creating an environment in which they can flourish, express themselves and understand their own emotions.
Implementation
We feel that by making our children’s first experiences of school happy and exciting, we can begin a love of learning that will last a lifetime. Our curriculum fosters this positive relationship with education through its promotion of the three characteristics of effective learning:
- 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
At Plymtree Primary School we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. 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.
The children learn skills, acquire 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
At Plymtree Primary we have high expectations and challenge all children from their various starting points to realise their full potential. We recognise that children learn in different ways and our planning and practise reflects this.
In our EYFS setting children are given the opportunity to work independently, collaboratively with peers and with adults. Guided adult-led tasks introduce the children to new concepts and knowledge. Engaging activities are set up to help the children explore and consolidate their learning. Opportunities for child-initiated play are also provided to enable children to develop ideas and explore their personal schemas. Our continuous provision of carefully chosen resources in the learning environment enables children to extend their learning independently.
Staff conduct regular observations to identify areas of need and next steps for the children. These observations are collected in each child’s online Learning Journeys.
Assessments inform our planning, our provision, our adult interactions and the nature of our learning environment. We use assessments to help children reach their next steps by identifying gaps in learning and those who need additional support or challenge.
We believe that reading enables children to access all other forms of learning. To develop reading fluency our children receive phonics lessons on a daily basis and we aim to give each child guided or 1:1 reading sessions at least three times a week. We promote the love of reading by sharing at least one quality text a day in school and encouraging our parents to read with their child every day at home.
We understand that parents know their children best and recognise them as their child’s primary educators. To help us build a rounded picture of our pupils we encourage parents to share their child’s early experiences. This evidence forms an important part of their child’s online Learning Journey. Through daily chats, half-termly newsletters, parent consultations and written reports we keep parents informed about the progress of their children and give them support to help nurture their development out of school.
Our EYFS curriculum has strong focus on PSED through its ‘Jigsaw’ programme which develops the children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural awareness and allows them to become more mindful of what is happening within their own lives. Every day we share a range of nutritious snacks and learn about the importance of a healthy, balanced lifestyle to maintain our own wellbeing.
Our Early Years curriculum recognises the positive impact the natural environment has on learning and promotes ‘free-flow’ movement between indoors and outdoors. Our outdoor areas are used all year round in all weathers. The breadth of our curriculum is enhanced with visits to the theatre, wildlife parks and the National Marine Aquarium.
Impact
Plymtree Primary’s Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum ensures that pupils make significant progress from their varied starting points. We work hard to ensure that the percentage of our EYFS children achieving a Good Level of Development meets or exceeds National expectations.
Our curriculum’s impact on learning is demonstrated by the volume and breadth of evidence in the children’s online Learning Journeys spanning all areas of the EYFS curriculum.
This impact can also be observed in the confident way our EYFS pupils perform their Nativity at our village church and present class assemblies to the school.
Our Early Years curriculum enables Foundation pupil’s to make a seamless transition into Key Stage 1 as respectful, resilient and compassionate individuals with a passion for learning.