The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Leigh Primary School is made up of our morning Nursery class and our two Reception classes. Our aim is for all our children within the EYFS to be happy, confident and well-rounded individuals who are ready to access the National Curriculum in Year 1. We believe that every child is unique and should be treated so; in a safe and nurturing environment where play and learning is combined. We have high ambitions for all our children and recognise that children have different starting points to their learning. We plan according to a child’s stage of development so all children can thrive and develop in our care.

Our EYFS Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum intent for the Early Years Foundation Stage at Leigh Primary School is to offer a curriculum that is coherently planned, sequenced and rich in wonder and real life experiences. We aim to ensure that all children develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally in an environment that is both inclusive and one which values all cultures, communities and people. We strive for our children to be confident and independent, to believe in themselves and interact positively with others.

It is our intention to provide a curriculum that:

• offers our children a wide range of exciting opportunities and prepares them for the next stage in their education
• provides our children with the knowledge, skills and language that will nourish both them and the society of which they are members
• is structured to have vertical, horizontal and diagonal links in a deliberate, planned way so that the curriculum is memorable; which will enable our children to build up cumulative knowledge over time
• is ambitious and designed to give our children, particularly the most disadvantaged, the knowledge, self-belief and cultural capital they need to succeed in life
• develops our children’s characteristics of effective teaching and learning across the curriculum so as to ensure that we empower all children to become life-long learners.
• broadens our children’s experience by providing opportunities to try new things and encouraging them to relish a new challenge
• provides opportunities that develop our children’s confidence and independence
• ensures that we have stimulating, language rich environments that promote challenge, exploration, adventure and a love of learning
• provides a carefully planned and balanced mix of adult led and child initiated play, to ensure the best outcomes for all pupils
• provides a stimulating, language rich environment, where our children learn to speak clearly and are able express their thoughts and ideas with others
• provides a learning environment that supports all of our children in reaching their full potential
• supports and challenge our children who need additional help, in order to have the best possible outcomes
• provides an environment that values and respects all cultures, communities and people.
• creates a unique learning space where there are consistent routines and positive relationships between staff and children
• develops the skills and expertise of staff working in our EYFS, through regular and comprehensive professional development
• engages parents/carers, so as to foster strong links between home and school

Our EYFS Curriculum Implementation

The implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum at Leigh Primary School, adheres to the learning and development, assessment, safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS Statutory Framework. When implementing our carefully designed curriculum, we prioritise:

• creating a language rich environment, through the use of songs, nursery rhymes and stories so as to develop our children’s speech, language and communication needs
• providing time for quality interactions between adults and between peers
• positive and progressive interactions, which support children in developing their oracy skills, through which to become confident communicators
• fostering a love of reading early through our approach to early reading and our systematic teaching of phonics
• developing our children’s mathematical thinking through direct teaching and exploration so that they can apply what they have learnt to real life experience
• ensuring that our curriculum is specifically relevant to the children of Leigh, we have chosen people, places and problems that reflect and meet the needs of our location, our community, our collective history and our potential for the future
• learning opportunities that allow our children to experience our curriculum through real-life experience thus fostering a sense of awe and wonder
• ensuring that all children are fully engaged in our curriculum, through our carefully planned for and delivered indoor and outdoor provision
• equipping our children ready for their next stage of education and future learning
• actively involving parents and carers to build a strong partnership between school and home
• using our school environment to enable our children to strengthen their core muscles through physical play
• adapting our learning environment so as to reflect our children's interests, needs and support them in making progress
• supporting our children in learning to work together, managing their feelings and communicating their wants and needs
• teaching our carefully planned curriculum through topics, stories, classroom enhancements, trips and visitors

As part of the learning and teaching process, children are assessed in relation to the assessment requirements of the EYFS statutory framework; we use the non-statutory guidance ‘Development Matters’ and ‘Birth to Five Matters’ to support us in the delivering our curriculum.

Our EYFS Curriculum Impact

The impact of our carefully planned and delivered curriculum at Leigh Primary School, enables children to develop detailed knowledge and skills across the seven areas of learning in an age appropriate way.  Through our consistently high expectations for behaviour and outcomes, we support our children’s ethical growth, so as to develop their ability to be trustworthy and respectful, whilst being responsible, fair and caring citizens. This is demonstrated through our well rounded, independent, happy and confident children, who confidently transition into Year One, equipped with the skills needed for the next stage in their education. As leaders and practitioners we:

• identify how we have made a difference to each child’s learning and development, and plan their next steps
• demonstrate effective and reflective self-evaluation of practice, so that we know what we are doing, is making a difference
• see the impact of the education we provide by our observations and assessments of children
• continually evaluate the impact of our curriculum, by checking what children know and can do
• are able to talk about and describe our children’s likes and dislikes, their successes and areas for development
• believe that integral to teaching and learning is how practitioners assess what children know, understand and can do, as well as taking account of their interests and dispositions to learn
• know the key principles of effective observation and assessment and are skilled in monitoring progress and planning next steps
• know how to plan and deliver lessons that support and challenge the needs of all of our children and in particular our most vulnerable

Our judgements are made on the basis of accumulative observations and in depth knowledge of the children acquired through ongoing informal assessments throughout the year.

Our staff

The adults across our setting always provide high quality interactions with the children in their care and they ensure that they are excellent role models for learning and behaviour at all times. They observe and assess children’s learning and development ongoing, so as to plan relevant, engaging and challenging activities, through which to meet each child’s individual needs and plan their next steps.

The adults in our setting are skilled:

• Facilitators – who support learning through play across all areas
• Observers – that continually observe, assess and plan next steps
• Challengers – who lead the learning, so as to enable children to reach their full potential

What is the EYFS Framework?

The EYFS Framework is a legal document that we must follow and it is there to support all professionals working in the Early Years age group. It has a large emphasis on the adult’s role in helping children develop. It sets out:

• The legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare;
• The 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge;
• Assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS;
• The expected levels (Early Learning Goals) that your child should reach at the age of 5, which is usually at the end of their reception year.

You can find out more information about the Early Years Foundation Stage at www.foundationyears.org.uk

What will my child be learning?

Your child will be learning skills, acquiring knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through seven areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the three prime areas first:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in four specific areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

Activities will be suited to your child’s uniqueness. Your child will learn by playing and exploring, being active and through creative and critical thinking. We value the importance of both the outdoor and indoor learning environments and the different opportunities that these offer in the development of the whole child. We ensure that children have the opportunity to learn through play by providing provision planned around our topics but also based on the children’s own interests and experiences. We plan and assess using the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.

As a parent, how can I help?

We value our partnership with parents, ensuring that parents are secure in the knowledge that their child is well cared for and happy at school. Our parents are actively welcomed to be involved in their children’s learning in school and are able to share learning experiences through reading mornings, sharing of learning journeys and parent workshops. We recognise that parents are the first educators in a child’s life and value the contributions they make around judgements of their child’s development. We encourage informal chats at the school gate and parents can always make an appointment to speak with a member of the EYFS team or senior leadership, through the school office.

All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting your child’s learning and development. We ask that you support the learning we do in school by attending workshops and supporting your child with their home learning. If you are looking for new ideas for things to do, then ask one of your child’s teachers. You can find out about what to support your child’s learning at home here:

Our EYFS is part of the Startwell programme. Startwell Birmingham is an NHS approved programmes based around 8 key characters and their messages to help early years settings, parents and health professionals create a healthier environment for our children and families.

Please follow the link below for information regarding the programme and activity ideas:

https://startwellbirmingham.co.uk/babies-parents-carers/

Children’s emotional well-being is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health helps them develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.

Please follow the link below for practical tips to support children’s wellbeing and behaviour:

https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk/

Please use the links below to support you with ideas of activities that you can do with your child at home:

https://birthto5matters.org.uk/information-for-parents/

https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/family-time-tips-free-childrens-activities-try

Please follow the link below to find information and support regarding potty training.

https://eric.org.uk/potty-training/