EYFS

Edenfield CE Primary School Early Years Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

The EYFS seeks to provide:

quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind
a secure foundation through planning for the learning and development of each individual child, and assessing and reviewing what they have learned regularly
partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers
equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported

The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. The learning and development requirements cover:

the areas of learning and development which must shape activities and experiences (educational programmes) for children in all early years settings
the early learning goals that providers must help children work towards (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five)
assessment arrangements for measuring progress (and requirements for reporting to parents and/or carers)
The safeguarding and welfare requirements cover the steps that providers must take to keep children safe and promote their welfare.

Overarching principles

Four guiding principles shape our practice in the early years setting. These are:

every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates.

There are seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational programmes in early years settings. Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving. These are the prime areas:

communication and language
physical development
personal, social and emotional development

In line with the statutory framework, the school also supports children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:

literacy
mathematics
understanding the world
expressive arts and design

For each area of learning, an educational programme is delivered and states the activities and experiences the children will access throughout the EYFS.

The Early Years Framework does not prescribe a particular teaching approach. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. The EYFS teaching team at Edenfield will decide what they want children to learn, and the most effective ways to teach it. As such they aim to stimulate children’s interests, respond to each child’s emerging needs and guide their development through warm, positive interactions coupled with secure routines for play and learning. As children grow older and move through the reception year, there is a greater focus on teaching the essential skills and knowledge in the specific areas of learning. This will help children to prepare for year 1.

In planning and guiding what children learn, practitioners must reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning 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

Click here for our bespoke EYFS curriculum

Click here for our EYFS intent

Click here for the seven features of effective practice

Click here for the Early learning Goals