EYFS

Nursery Intent

At our Nursery the curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning from previous settings and their experiences at home. We respect that children have different starting points and we strive to provide a nurturing environment for all. We do this through providing a range of child led, hands on learning opportunities. We believe that the ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. As such we provide many first hand experiences to underpin the children’s knowledge, with the aim of broadening their understanding of the world around them.

We believe that our first experiences of school should be happy and positive, enabling us to develop a lifelong love of learning. In order to provide this climate we use positive language to build a positive sense of self. We provide an environment which will enable children to trust in themselves and in their peers, building resilience, ambition and integrity.

Every child is recognised as a unique individual and we celebrate and welcome the broad range of cultures within our community. We endeavour to make the children and their families feel valued, respected and empowered to make choices which influence their own lives for the better. In order to achieve this we use a Conscious Discipline approach to promote positive attitudes to both learning and behaviour. This will enable the children to respect and value the fullness of themselves.

Community involvement and parental engagement form another essential parts of our curriculum. Children leave the Nursery with a sense of belonging to a tightly knit community. They have the confidence and skills to make decisions and self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.

Implementation

Across our EYFS, we follow the DfES Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2014. This Framework specifies the requirement for learning and development in the Early Years and provides prime and specific areas of learning to be cover in our curriculum.

Prime Areas

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language development

Specific Areas

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

During the autumn term, we will focus on the prime areas. These form the foundation of a child’s learning. Once the children are secure in these areas they will begin to work on the specific areas of learning.

Each day the children will work in small groups to complete a Literacy, Numeracy, Reading and Phonics activity. Across the week the children will work with an adult to complete a guided reading session, an adult directed Literacy task and an adult directed Numeracy task.

Alongside the adult led activities the children will be provided with a range of opportunities to complete child initiated tasks both within the indoor and outdoor learning environments through what is known as, Continuous Provision. The practice and principles of continues provision begin in the Early Years and support children to develop key life skills such as independence; innovation; creativity, enquiry; analysis and problem solving. During the Nursery day, children will have an opportunity to work independently, work collaboratively with their friends and work with an adult. The children take what they have learnt during the adult led sessions and further develop, explore and embed their learning during Continuous Provision.

Each day there will be an opportunity for parents and carers to come into the Nursery and work with their child, share their work and celebrate their successes. This is an opportunity for parents to come along and work with their children in a fun and informal environment. During these sessions there will be an opportunity to learn how to support your child with early maths skills, prewriting skills, early phonics as well as an opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics. This setting provides an opportunity for parents to connect with one another, building a supportive and caring network of friends for years to come. In addition to these opportunities we host regular family events throughout the year.

The children are encouraged to follow their personal interests and explore the world around them. We are proud of our outdoor learning environment and are pleased to be able to offer the children a wide range of activities to promote their love of learning. We take a hands on approach to all learning and the children particularly enjoy planting, growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables in our allotment, making potions, pies and cakes in our mud kitchen and exploring the properties of water in the indoor and outdoor water areas.

We have a dedicated time focusing on health and self-care. We share a range of healthy snacks every day and we learn about the importance of a healthy balanced diet. I discuss the impact this can have on our bodies.

Impact

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 by the end of Nursery.

The impact of our curriculum will also, in fact, 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 Reception read and have all six of our school’s core values embedded by the time they leave Nursery. These are: Respect, Ambition, Creativity, Determination, Confidence and Enthusiasm.

We aim to instil a sense of awe and wonder into every child. Making them curious and inquisitive about the world in which they are living. We want our children to ask questions, to dream big and most of all, to recognise the potential within themselves.

Reception Intent

In Reception, we recognise children’s interests and prior learning before planning learning opportunities. We endeavour to provide first-hand experiences which make our curriculum purposeful and relevant. Every child is recognised as a unique individual.

We celebrate and welcome differences within our school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. Children are encouraged to be independent in their learning, with adults facilitating as required.

Throughout Reception, children will have opportunities to develop their social skills and form positive relationships with peers and adults alike. They develop skills in turn-taking & sharing and are given opportunities to practise these skills in a safe and nurturing environment. We use a Zones of Regulation approach to promote positive attitudes to learning which reflect the values and skills needed to promote responsibility for learning and future success. Community involvement is an essential part of our curriculum as we celebrate local traditions, learning new skills to enable the children to take an active role in events throughout the year.

Implementation

In Reception, we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, published in September 2021 by the DfES. 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.

These areas are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Physical Development • Communication and Language development

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the World

• Expressive Arts and Design

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/weekly basis. We constantly provide enhancement opportunities to engage learners and link to our topics. We encourage children to be independent in the continuous provision with “challenges”. We support children to be intrinsically motivated to complete the challenges and therefore take ownership of their own learning.

As well as learning through the continuous provision, children also access Adult Directed activities in which adults teach children particular skills, with objectives taken from Development Matters. Children also take part in daily synthetic phonics sessions, which follow the Read Write Inc. scheme. Children are encouraged to transfer the skills they learn in phonics sessions into their independent reading and writing in the continuous provision. We plan a broad and balanced curriculum which provides children with a range of firsthand experiences and opportunities to get out into the local community.

Impact

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 a ‘Good level of development’ (GLD) by the end of the Reception year.

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 have all six of our school’s core values embedded by the time they leave Reception.

These are:

Respect, Ambition, Creativity, Determination, Confidence and Enthusiasm. When children leave Reception, not only are they Year One ready, but well-rounded individuals with positive attitudes towards learning.