Learning in the EYFS
EYFS curriculum intent
At South Failsworth, we recognise that all of our children are unique individuals, who join us with a range of starting points, prior knowledge, experiences and skills. Before our children join us, we gather key information from parents and carers, as well as a range of professionals to enable us to begin to understand each unique child. We then carefully build upon each child’s prior learning to provide them with the key skills, knowledge and understanding they need to prepare them for the challenges that face them in Key Stage One and beyond.
Our core aim in the EYFS is to build strong foundations rooted in academic success, as well as moral, cultural and spiritual development. We are committed to developing the characteristics of effective teaching and learning in every child, to enable them to reach success in the next stage of their educational journey. Ultimately, we want to provide our children with a positive start and a secure base on which to become successful adults, who are active citizens of society, and happy, curious lifelong learners.
EYFS curriculum implementation
We have created a broad and balanced curriculum that is ambitious, engaging and inspiring. It maximises opportunities for meaningful cross-curricular links and learning experiences, and it seeks to provide the awe and wonder that captivates young learners.
It is unique to our school and it has been carefully designed to meet the specific needs of the children who join us from our community. It is carefully sequenced to build on the children’s prior learning and to help consolidate and secure essential knowledge and skills. We have placed a great emphasis on working in partnership with parents, as we know that this has a significant impact on young children’s progress and attainment. We have also planned to provide our children with the cultural capital they need in the form of trips, visitors and regular Forest School sessions.
Reading is at the very heart of our curriculum and we passionately promote a love of sharing stories, reading and storytelling in each and every child. We strongly believe that stories are something to be celebrated and we encourage our children to become engrossed in the magical worlds that they enable us to explore. We deliver daily systematic, synthetic phonics sessions which empower our children and provide them with the skills they need to independently read and write simple sentences by the end of the Reception year.
We are also committed to developing and broadening children’s vocabularies and we use a range of innovative ways to embed new words and promote a love of a language.
We are passionate about child development and we strongly believe that young children learn best through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities and challenges. We have carefully created a daily timetable which sandwiches sustained play in between adult-directed teaching sessions. This enables us to deliver rigorous and engaging adult-led sessions before empowering the children to apply and consolidate their new learning during their exploration of our carefully planned and organised continuous provision.
EYFS curriculum impact
Our children are actively engaged in their learning and their enjoyment is apparent in their daily provision and interactions. All of our children experience a curriculum that provides exciting and enriching learning experiences and opportunities, and they make at least good progress from their individual starting points. Our young learners develop an appreciation and understanding of the world around them by experiencing a broad and balanced curriculum, which includes learning about and respecting different cultures, celebrations and beliefs. Children gain a love of reading and storytelling, as well as the fundamental skills they require to access a range of books independently. Our children are encouraged to be inquisitive and we celebrate the confidence they demonstrate when they actively ask questions to deepen their understanding. In Foundation, vocabularies are broadened, early mathematical concepts are developed, and the children become more resilient and compassionate members of our school community.
In summary, by the end of Reception, our children will have developed the essential knowledge and skills required for the next stage in their education and beyond.