EYFS

 

At Hill View, we think that every child deserves the best possible start in life and we offer the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high-quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.

Principles and purpose – the intent of your curriculum

Our approach to teaching within the EYFS sits within our whole school values, curriculum values and wider approached to teaching and learning: https://hillviewprimary.co.uk/values-and-intent/

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

The EYFS seeks to provide:

  • quality and consistency, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind.
  • a secure foundation through planning for the learning and development of each individual child, and assessing and reviewing what they have learned regularly.
  • partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers.
  • equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported.

There are four guiding principles we follow in our early years setting.

These are:

  • every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
  • children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
  • children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
  • importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates.

Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving.

These are the prime areas:

  • Communication and language
  • Physical development
  • Personal, social and emotional development

We also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.

The specific areas are:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive arts and design
Entitlement and Enrichment.

All pupils will be enabled to have access to the best quality EYFS resources. All pupils, regardless of background, gender, individual or additional need will be included and make good progress. Within our EYFS we follow the Early Excellence approach. Early Excellence have established a reputation for delivering excellence built on the strong educational values. Through training we enable early years leaders and teachers to acquire a secure knowledge of the values, principles and practices that underpin high quality learning and teaching. Staff are upskilled at all levels, to ensure that young children receive the highest quality educational experiences that nurture their learning and development and help them to acquire the dispositions, skills and knowledge to thrive in the world.

Breadth and Balance

Our approach to deliver the knowledge and skills within the relevant Early Years Framework.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2

Teaching narrative and resources

Our children learn to be curious about they are taught and encouraged to think deeply about the world around them and to pose questions to deepen their understanding.  The children enjoy an engaging, integrated curriculum but with academic rigour which focuses on children knowing and remembering more, in order for them to build upon their previous knowledge to make links and deepen their understanding of the world around us.

Our curriculum has been developed by experienced, teachers over several years, and this is constantly being evolved and advanced. Children in EYFS are provided with excellent provision that is well planned and thought out to make the most of learning through play. Children enjoy using the EYFS Hib and have a positive attitude to school and learning. We ensure that teaching and learning in EYFS is at Hill View is of the highest standard and children and happy coming to school.

Assessment and outcomes?

Our children’s knowledge and skills are continuously assessed. Teachers’ formative assessment comes through professional observation of class and peer discussions and written work in books, supported by teacher-student dialogue and children’s submission of home learning projects. Alongside this, teachers’ summative assessment is guided through the use end-of-unit opportunities for children to ‘make their learning visible’, where they are asked to represent their learning using words and pictures at the end of their learning. In short, teachers use a holistic approach to assessment to help determine where a child’s understanding is. Teachers, TA’s and parents use Tapestry to record observations.

Resources

RWI – Links sent home to parents/Teachers use in class.

PhonicsPlay – Phonics games

Tapestry – Learning Journal