EYFS
Our EYFS team:
INTENT:
At Moorfield Primary School we recognise the importance of giving children the very best start to their education in order to build a secure foundation for future learning and development. We believe that all children deserve an education rich in high quality, memorable experiences that allows our children’s creativity and curiosity to grow, alongside the development of key skills and knowledge. Every child at Moorfield is recognised as a unique individual. We take into account children’s prior learning and various starting points to develop a holistic, engaging, curriculum that interlinks across all areas of the EYFS. We place a strong emphasis on the Prime Areas of Learning; Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development. In addition, we acknowledge and promote children’s interests and strive to embed them in the curriculum to further engage, excite and motivate whilst also making learning relevant and meaningful.
We recognise that children learn most effectively when they are healthy, safe and secure, when their individual needs are met and when they have positive relationships with the adults who care for them. We aim to build strong, positive and lasting relationships with all children, their families and the professionals involved in their care, thus ensuring every child reaches their full potential.
The environment in the early years plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s learning and development. It is our intention to provide a stimulating learning environment where all children can work with adults and peers in a climate of mutual respect to develop confidence in their ability to learn. We aim to provide children with a well-structured, safe and active learning environment.
By the end of the Reception year, our intent is to ensure that all children make at least good progress from their starting points and are equipped with the skills and knowledge to make a smooth transition into Year 1.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Our EYFS curriculum follows the statutory guidance EYFS Framework 2021 and is supported by the Development Matters guidance 2021. The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning are also central to all planned learning experiences in our EYFS curriculum. Our curriculum is carefully planned and implemented using an enquiry based approach which provides relevant and interesting questions as a starting point for deep thinking, active involvement and greater learner autonomy. Children are active participants in their own learning and play a pivotal role in the direction the enquiry questions take.
A great deal of emphasis is placed upon each question making sense to all learners and within their immediate understanding. Throughout the week there is a combination of adult led, teacher taught sessions as well as a wealth of stimulating continuous provision opportunities encouraging children to develop their learning independently through discovery, exploration, curiosity and challenge. Adults scaffold children’s learning through skilful interactions and effective questioning. Our learning environment is vibrant, stimulating and exciting but most importantly relevant to the needs and age/ stage of development of our children. Our learning environment is adapted regularly to meet the developing needs of the children, providing support and challenge to all.
In planning our EYFS curriculum we have considered carefully what we want our children to learn, know and do. We want them to know about themselves, their home and family, then contrast our locality to other places (farm/sea), countries (Africa/ Arctic), learn about the seasons and the science that comes with them (life cycles in terms of growing plants and animals) as well as celebrations and key events throughout the year. We place a great deal of emphasis on the exploration of colour in the natural world and how different colours reflect our thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum at Moorfield Primary. Children follow the rigorous and highly successful Read, Write Inc program in its fidelity, so that they meet good outcomes for reading. Multiple high quality texts are chosen to support our enquiry based curriculum and daily story times promote a love of reading and authors. The children also engage in a twice yearly whole school book study linked to a focused area of the curriculum as well as studying the works of William Shakespeare.
We are committed to ensuring our curriculum meets the needs of all children. Through ongoing assessment, we are able to identify which children are engaged in their learning, meeting expectations and making progress. Staff spend time evaluating how children are learning through talking to the children, working with them and during play. Pupil progress meetings every half term ensure consistency in assessment and planning for all children, identifying those in need of further intervention to accelerate progress.
Formal assessments in the Early Years Foundation Stage also include…
Baseline: Prior to children starting school, staff spend time speaking to the child’s parents, previous settings and read previous learning journey’s to gain an understanding of the whole child and where they are at. During the first half term in Reception, all staff use ongoing assessments, observations and conversations with the child to develop a baseline assessment. This identifies each individual’s starting points in all areas so we can plan experiences to ensure progress.
The RBA (Statutory Reception Baseline Assessment) This assessment focuses on ‘Language, Communication and Literacy,’ and ‘Mathematics.’ The purpose of this is to show the progress children make from Reception until the end of KS2. This is completed within the first 6 weeks of beginning the Reception year.
Ongoing Observation and quality interactions: All ongoing observations are used to inform weekly planning and identify children’s next steps. This formative assessment does not involve prolonged periods of time away from the children and excessive paper work. Practitioners draw on their knowledge of the child and their own expert professional judgements through discussions with each other, photographs and physical examples such as a child’s drawing /making. Work from our enquiry curriculum is also displayed in floor books which are shared with parents and carers.
Parents are valued as first educators and every effort is made to inform them of the EYFS curriculum whilst also providing them with the tools to continue to develop their child’s learning at home. Parents are encouraged to share their child’s achievements through Tapestry and these are celebrated within school. Weekly updates on what we have been learning about as well as strategies to try at home are shared. All home learning challenges are posted to Tapestry on a weekly basis. The challenges aim to provide inspiration for parents and carers to connect with their child through a range of practical, first hand experiences, all designed to have a positive impact on learning and health. These experiences include: baking, craft activities, visiting places of interest in the local area, planting and yoga exercises. As well as providing inspiration outside of school, we also work closely alongside parents providing workshops in school this includes phonics, maths and reading workshops.
IMPACT:
By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, all children will have reached their personal best and the majority will have achieved good progress across all areas of learning, aiming for a good level of development (GLD). Impact is also evident through our successful transitions into Year 1 based upon careful analysis of need and the make-up of individual cohorts. EYFS staff have a good understanding of how ELG’s link to the National Curriculum, and through our robust planning and delivery across the spectrum of subjects- both core and foundation- children leave the EYFS stage with the skills, knowledge and confidence to continue their journey into Key Stage 1 as future scientists, historians, artists and geographers.
Useful information for parents