Early Years Foundation Stage

In Reception, your child will follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum. This sets the standards for the learning, development and care of your child. The areas of learning have been organised into three prime areas of learning and four specific areas of learning. These are as follows:

Communication and Language
Giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment, to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Physical Development
Providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children learn and understand the importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

Personal and Social Development
Helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others. To form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings. Children learn to understand appropriate behaviour in groups and to have confidence in their own abilities.

Literacy
Encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials such as familiar signs and logos, books and poems based on their interests.

Mathematics
Providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems and to describe shapes, space, and measure.

Understanding of the World
Involves children learning about the world around them, including their local community through exploring, observing, visiting and finding out about people, places and technology.

Expressive Arts and Design
Enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play and design and technology.

We provide many opportunities for children to learn in the Early Years setting through teacher’s planning and children’s activities.  We always take into account the children’s interests and the ways that children learn and reflect these in their practice.

The three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

Playing and exploring – children have the opportunity to investigate and experience a range of activities and are encouraged to ‘have a go’

Active learning – children concentrate and develop resilience when they encounter difficulties, and enjoy their achievements

Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for completing tasks

Your child’s learning will take place both indoors and outdoors through a variety of child initiated and adult led activities.  As the year progresses in Reception the learning will become more formal with more directed teaching. The children will take part in literacy and numeracy carpet sessions and direct phonics teaching (Read, Write Inc Phonics). Play still remains an important part of your child’s development and they will be provided with the opportunity to continue and extend their learning through play alongside more formal teaching.

Here is a guide to the new Early Years Foundation Stage Framework

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You can keep up to date with your child’s learning journey by signing up to our Tapestry online journal. You can get information about this from your child’s teacher.

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