Early Years Foundation Stage

EYFS Intent, Implementation and Impact Statements

INTENT

In our Foundation Stage we have provision for Nursery children aged 3-4 and for Reception children. We work together as an Early Years Unit, creating a flexible, play based curriculum which incorporates a balance of child initiated and adult led learning.

We believe that children learn best through active engagement with the world around them and through meaningful and relevant experiences, supported by responsive adults. We observe their play and plan around their interests. Self initiated learning and exploration are key ingredients to having independent children who are motivated to learn.

Following personal interests and individual needs allows us to plan and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning and development for all our children, consolidating and deepening knowledge and so ensure they meet their next steps. Our enabling indoor and outdoor environments are designed to inspire children’s innate desire to learn.

Our aim is to create a learning environment and build relationships which support, enhance and stimulate a child’s curiosity, confidence and individual competency to flourish, regardless of backgrounds, circumstance or needs. We aim to work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage resilience, independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential from their various starting points.

We live in an area of outstanding natural beauty and actively seek out opportunities for our children to use the environment to enhance their learning.

One full morning per week is dedicated to Forest School and both Nursery and Reception children are able to access the wonderful learning opportunities this experience provides.

‘Forest School is an inspirational process that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve   confidence and self esteem through hands on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees’ (Forest School Association)

Furthermore: “Nature Play teaches kids to climb higher, think creatively, find their own rhythm, explore, imagine, rely on their senses, assess risk, test their boundaries, use their outside voice, observe, nurture life, resolve conflict, cultivate a sense of place and self, improve solutions, feel free, recognise beauty, collaborate, be resilient, regulate stress, learn through play, wonder why, get messy, develop their strength, build immunity, gain perspective, feel connected to the world”. www.wilderchild.com

It is our intention to integrate Beach School into our Early Years Curriculum as the year progresses, which will allow children to develop such skills further, in a different environment.

We believe strongly in the benefits of outdoor learning and the children have daily access to the outdoor area, except in the most extreme weather. We have exciting plans to continue to develop the outdoor environment to further enhance and deepen learning experiences.

As a rural and largely white community, opportunities for learning first-hand about other cultures are limited. For this reason we introduced a partnership through the British Councils Connecting Classrooms with a preschool in Nepal two years ago. This was such a valuable experience that although the project is finished we aim to rebuild the links. Through online meetings and digital platforms we will each have a direct window into another culture and will thereby directly expand the horizons of our children.

In order to encourage and support our children to becoming independent learners, we promote the Plan, Do Review style of learning at the start and end of our sessions with Nursery and Reception. This promotes decision making and self evaluation as well as being a vehicle for developing speaking and listening skills, all of which are areas in which we know our children need particular nurturing.

We aim to cultivate an environment that supports children to learn through their mistakes.

We believe that pupils benefit enormously from taking an active part in educational visits and off site learning with the school as well as having visitors into school. Recognising that the normal experiences children have before starting school have been reduced as a direct result of Covid, it is our intention to incorporate such opportunities into our planning.

As a result of the way we work as an Early Years Unit, the transition from Nursery into Reception is usually seamless. This year has been very different as we have welcomed 60% of our intake from different settings. We have worked with the settings and with parents to provide an enhanced transition. We prepare children to reach the Early learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage. We work closely with our KS1 colleagues to ensure a seamless transition to Year 1 for all our children.

It is our intention that our children are surrounded by a kind, caring and happy environment, full of love and laughter where resilience, perseverance and successes are celebrated and every child feels valued and respected.

IMPLEMENTATION

We follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is made up of four overriding principles which our Early Years Education is based upon:

1. Unique child – every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
2. Positive Relationships – children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
3. Enabling Environments – children learn to develop well in enabling environment, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers.
4. Learning and Development – children develop and learn in different ways. The framework covers the education and care of all children in Early Years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning underpin children’s learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Our skilled staff observe how the children learn and provide opportunities to promote the characteristics of effective, involved and motivated learners through:

• Playing and Exploring
• Active Learning
• Creating and Thinking Critically

The learning experiences within our Early Years are linked to the seven areas of learning and development within the EYFS. These areas are split into three Prime Areas and four Specific Areas. The three Prime Areas are those which the children should develop first and are considered the most essential for the healthy development of future learning of our children. These are:

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

As children grow and make progress in the Prime Areas, this will help them to naturally develop skills within the four specific areas. These are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

We use a mixture of whole class teaching, small group work and individual work each day. Effective continuous provision practice and principles support our children to develop key life skills such as independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry, analysis and problem solving. During the school day children will have opportunity to work independently, work collaboratively with their friends and with members of staff. Children are provided with plenty of time to engage in exploration through the variety of experiences carefully planned to interest and challenge them in the provision. Practitioners make opportunities for the children to make choices in their learning. They:

• Scaffold the child’s development to support increasing independence and control
• Ask questions to check or develop children’s understanding
• Work collaboratively to solve problems and find answers
• Provide feedback to children to consolidate learning and extend exploration and thinking further
• Move to where the children are to interact with them as they play, making the most of children’s natural desire to explore and learn to enhance the learning as opportunities arise.

When children reach Reception, they continue to benefit from periods of sustained, uninterrupted play alongside periods of direct whole class teaching and engaging, practical hands-on small group activities to ensure children make rapid progress before moving to Year 1.

READING

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and our aim is to encourage a love of reading right from the start. In EYFS we have different Key Texts each half term. These high quality texts have been chosen specifically to develop oracy, vocabulary and comprehension. The books are embedded in our provision through activities and story sessions and are on display for the children to access independently. Through the Key Texts, reading is modelled and there are many opportunities for retelling. Nursery and Reception work from the same texts with differentiated inputs. The approach links with reading initiatives being introduced through the school.

Children are encouraged to read at home through our Reading for Pleasure approach. Stories are read daily with the class and dedicated time is given to reading to children and sharing stories in the Book Area. Children are listened to regularly with their school reading books. These books match the phonic knowledge in order for the children to be able to apply their learning, which in turn contributes to the children becoming successful, confident and fluent readers.

We plan to visit the local library this year. In addition to supporting our Reading for Pleasure approach, this helps establish the all important community links. We have developed a successful weekly Story Reader visit with our Nursery children.

Nursery children are introduced to small group activities which develop speaking and listening skills, laying the foundations for later phonics learning.  In Reception, we follow the Read Write Inc approach for the delivery of phonics skills.

MATHEMATICS

In Nursery children develop a love of maths through games, songs, rhymes and play using concrete manipulatives. There is a focus on following the counting principles: one to one correspondence, stable order and cardinal principle.

In Reception we are using the White Rose Maths Scheme.   Here high quality learning environments and meaningful interactions with adults support children in developing mathematical thinking and discussion. Pupils learn through games and tasks using concrete equipment which are then rehearsed, recorded and applied in their own child led exploration. We also use Numicon and NCETM to support mathematical development.

We understand that children will make different progress at different times, progressing when they are ready. Our inclusive approach means that all children learn together, but we have a range additional intervention and support for children who not be reaching their potential or are showing a greater depth of understanding and need further challenge. This includes for example sessions for developing speech and language, social skills, fine motor skills, phonics and mathematics. We have a higher than average number of children on EHCPs with bespoke plans through school, needs which are often identified and supported in Early Years.

In Nursery and Reception we meet the welfare requirements laid down in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. We actively safeguard and promote the welfare of our children. We recognise that children will 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 provide a setting that encompasses a safe and stimulating environment where children are able to grow in confidence and independence and enjoy learning.

IMPACT

The impact of the EYFS Curriculum can be seen in the children’s positive response to learning in the classroom and in the outdoors, in the respectful relationships established and in the wonderful comments from parents. It is reflected in having well rounded, caring, happy, independent and confident children who are ready for the next step in their learning. Progress is evident through Learning Journals on Evidence Me, books and data.

We strive for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception and to be in line with National Expectations. We aim for progress to be good, whatever the starting point of the child.

On entry to Nursery and Reception, EYFS Team carry out Baseline assessments to gain an understanding of each individual child’s starting point.

Through the year, children’s learning and progress is measured using formative and summative assessments. This is based on a sound knowledge of child development and the teacher’s knowledge of the children, supported by observations of the children, conversations with the children and parents and through discussions with the EYFS Team. Formative assessments are used to inform planning and ensure children build on their current knowledge and skills at a good pace. Summative assessments are carried out termly using the framework in Development Matters, tracking progress. Data analysis helps identify needs of the cohort with particular attention to SEND, PP and summer born boys and supportive interventions are put in place if and when required.

Termly meetings are held with the Head Teacher to review and monitor progress. End of Year data is shared with the Head and this is then fed back to the Governing Body.

We have taken part in local cluster group moderations and in local authority moderations, validating our school judgments.

The Early Years provision features in the School Improvement Plan, with areas for development each year. This is monitored and evaluated by the EYFS Lead and the Head Teacher.