Early Years Foundation Stage

At Coltishall Primary School, our Early Years provision gives children a secure, happy and ambitious start to school.

We believe that every child is unique and should be known, valued and supported as an individual. Our aim is to develop confident, curious and independent learners through high-quality relationships, purposeful play, carefully planned teaching and rich opportunities to explore both indoors and outdoors.

Our EYFS Principles

Our practice is guided by the four principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage:

• The Unique Child – every child is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

• Positive Relationships – children learn to be strong and independent through warm, secure and supportive relationships.

• Enabling Environments – children learn well when their experiences respond to their individual needs and there are strong partnerships between practitioners and families.

• Learning and Development – children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

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How Children Learn

Learning in Reception is practical, active and engaging.

Children learn through a balance of:

• purposeful play and exploration;

• child-initiated activity;

• carefully planned adult-led teaching;

• high-quality interactions with adults;

• opportunities to investigate, create, talk and problem-solve;

• continuous provision indoors and outdoors.

Adults observe children closely and use what they know about their interests, knowledge and development to plan appropriate next steps.

Adults also support learning by joining children in their play, modelling language, thinking and problem-solving, and helping children extend their ideas.

Areas of Learning

The Early Years Foundation Stage is organised into seven areas of learning.

Prime Areas

• Communication and Language

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Physical Development

Specific Areas

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the World

• Expressive Arts and Design

All seven areas are important and interconnected, and together they provide the foundations for future learning across the curriculum.

Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning

We encourage children to develop the behaviours that help them become successful learners:

• Playing and exploring – children investigate, experience things and have a go;

• Active learning – children concentrate, persevere and enjoy achieving what they set out to do;

• Creating and thinking critically – children develop their own ideas, make connections and develop strategies for doing things.

Our Learning Environment

Children have access to carefully planned indoor and outdoor provision throughout the day.

Resources and activities encourage independence, creativity, communication and problem-solving. Children are supported to make choices, follow their interests and apply what they have learned in different contexts.

We aim to provide a stimulating, supportive environment in which children feel safe to explore, make decisions, take appropriate risks and develop confidence.

Transition into Reception

We want children to start school feeling secure, confident and excited about learning.

We work closely with local nurseries and preschools and provide an induction programme designed to support a smooth transition into Reception.

Information from families and previous settings helps us understand each child and respond to their individual needs from the beginning.

Working with Families

We recognise that families are children’s first and most important educators.

Strong partnerships between home and school help us understand children’s interests, experiences and development and ensure that learning in school connects with their wider lives.

Families are encouraged to share information about their child’s achievements, interests and experiences throughout the year.

Assessment

Children complete the statutory Reception Baseline Assessment within the first six weeks of starting Reception.

Throughout the year, assessment is based on what practitioners know about children through everyday learning, observation, interactions and experiences.

Assessment helps staff identify children’s strengths, plan appropriate next steps and recognise where additional support may be needed.

Inclusion

Our Early Years curriculum is ambitious for every child.

We plan provision so that all children can participate fully and make progress, including children with SEND, additional needs or different starting points.

Teaching, resources and the learning environment are adapted where necessary. Where additional support is required, we work closely with families, the school’s SENDCo and relevant external professionals.

Individual support and Learning Plans are used where appropriate to identify priorities and help children make progress.

Our Wider School Values

Our School Values and Learning Dispositions are introduced from the beginning of Reception and are woven through daily life in the Early Years.

They help children develop the independence, resilience, curiosity and positive attitudes to learning that will support them throughout their time at Coltishall.

Aims

At our school we aim to follow the principles set out in the EYFS so that every child can learn and develop effectively. The principles are grouped into four distinct but complementary themes:

• The Unique Child. We recognise that every child is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
• Positive Relationships. We recognise that secure relationships enable children to learn to become strong and independent.
• Enabling Environments. We recognise that the environment plays a key role in which children’s experiences can respond to their individual needs thereby allowing them to learn and develop well; furthermore that a child’s development is supported through strong partnerships between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
• Learning and Development. We recognise that children learn and develop in different ways and at different rates.

We meet their needs by:

• Providing an induction programme that enables children to come to school happily and by collaborating with local nurseries/preschools to ensure a smooth transition;
• Providing a wide range of opportunities to motivate and support children, and to help them to learn effectively;
• Planning experiences that build upon and extend children’s knowledge, understanding and interests, and develop their self-esteem and confidence;
• Providing a stimulating environment that enables choice and decision-making, fostering independence and self-confidence;
• Using a wide range of teaching strategies based on children’s learning needs;
• Working in partnership with parents and guardians, valuing their contributions, to maximise support for children;
• We promote School Values and Learning Dispositions; 
• Providing a safe and supportive learning environment in which the contribution of all children is valued.

Learning and Development

The EYFS consists of seven areas of learning and development, all of which are important and inter-connected. Three areas, the prime areas, are crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity for learning, forming relationships and thriving. These are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
• Communication and Language (CL)
• Physical Development (PD)

Four specific areas allow the prime areas to strengthen and be applied, these being:

• Literacy (L)
• Mathematics (M)
• Understanding the World (UW)
• Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)

All seven areas are delivered through planned, purposeful play with a mix of child-initiated and adult-led activities. We believe that it is important for adults to support children’s learning through play by getting involved in the play themselves and modelling by example. As effective learning builds on and extends what children know and can already do, the planning within the EYFS is always informed by observations we have made of the children in order to understand their current interests, development and learning needs. All staff who work in the EYFS are involved in the process.

In order to meet the needs of every child we plan for their learning using the ‘Birth to Five Matters’ document. The development statements are used to identify possible areas in which to challenge and extend the child’s current learning and development. We are continually drawing on the children’s own interests making sure there is ample opportunity to cover the PSED objectives that are so important for children in the EYFS.

Each area of learning has Early Learning goals which establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the EYFS. When planning and guiding children’s activities, staff support and extend the different ways that children learn by reflecting these in their practice.  

The three Characteristics of Effective Learning which underpin the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning and Development are:

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’; 
• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and 
• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

Equal opportunities and Inclusion

We ensure that all pupils have equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum regardless of age, gender, race and ability.

In the EYFS we set realistic and challenging expectations that meet the needs of all our children, so that most achieve the expected level by the end of Reception. Some children progress beyond this point. We achieve this by planning to meet the needs of boys and girls, children who are working above the expected level, children with specific learning difficulties and disabilities, children from all social and cultural backgrounds, children of different ethnic groups and from diverse linguistic backgrounds. 

Children with special educational needs are supported to enable them to access the provision fully. We liaise closely with our feeder Preschools and with health visitors, the school nurse and social services. Children who have earlier been identified as having special needs are discussed with their parents and the professionals concerned and if necessary the governing body. Learning Plans identify targets in specific areas of learning for those children who require additional support commensurate with the school’s Special Educational Needs Policy. The school’s SEND Co-ordinator is responsible for providing additional information and advice to staff and parents and for arranging external intervention and support as necessary.