"Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support to enable 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."

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (DfE, March 2021)

Introduction

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) applies to children from birth to the end of their first year school. At Combs Ford Primary School children join our EYFS in the year they turn five. Children join us from many different nurseries and pre-schools or straight from home. Our EYFS has two classes: Robins Class and Kingfishers Class. Each class is led by a qualified teacher and supported by teaching assistants.

The EYFS is guided by four principles:

• 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 families
• The importance of Learning and Development. Children develop and learn at different rates.

Our aims for the Early Years Foundation Stage at Combs Ford Primary School are that children:

• Are happy;
• Develop a love of learning;
• Develop positive attitudes to learning and skills that will help them achieve in later life;
• Access a broad and balanced curriculum that gives them a solid grounding in the wide-ranging knowledge and skills they need for good progress through school and life;
• Strive to be ‘The best that they can be’ by aspiring to our ‘In Early Years We Are...’ goals:
  • Confident Communicator
  • Proud Performer
  • Independent Individual
  • Fantastic Friend
  • Super Sporty
  • Dynamic Designer
  • WOW Writer
  • Brilliant Bookworm
  • Talented Tool User
  • Master of Maths
  • Exceptional Explorer
  • Incredibly Imaginative

What are we trying to achieve?

Our Early years setting follows the curriculum outlined in the 2021 EYFS Statutory Framework. We use Development Matters (non-statutory guidance from July 2021) to plan objectives that lead children to the Early Learning Goals.

The EYFS framework includes 7 areas of learning and development that are equally important and inter-connected. 3 areas – known as the prime areas – are particularly important for igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building children’s capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

The Prime Areas are:

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

The Prime areas are strengthened and applied through four Specific Areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

These seven areas are a basis for planning, teaching, the environment and the experiences that we offer our EYFS children at Combs.

How do we organise learning?

For each of the seven areas, we have developed a long-term plan of the skills which children will learn each term.

Each half-term our learning is based on a theme. For this, a medium-term plan is produced which outlines the focuses for the half-term for the seven areas of learning. These focusses may change during the half-term to reflect the children’s interests or needs.

Each week a weekly plan is shared with all staff so they know the expectations for that week, how they can move children’s learning on and what knowledge we would like our children to have by the end of that week.

Twinkl Phonics is used to deliver daily phonics teaching to ensure consistency with the rest of the school. From January, children then complete a phonics job four times a week. Friday is used for phonics interventions.

Maths is guided by the White Rose Hub to ensure consistency with the rest of the school. Maths is taught five times a week.

Literacy is based around a high-quality book which engages children and inspires further learning. The first Literacy lesson begins with a ‘Sparkly Start’ to introduce the book and encourage conversation and curiosity. The remaining Literacy sessions focus on developing communication and writing skills.

Every afternoon begins with whole-class teaching which may focus on Personal, Social and Emotional Development (using Jigsaw – our whole school approach to teaching PSHE), The World or Expressive Arts and Design. The focus links to our story or theme of the week. All children join in with the whole-class input. Some may then go and work with a teaching assistant.

We value play and believe it is fundamental to good quality learning for children within EYFS. Our children have lots of opportunities for ‘Busy Time’ where they are independent learners. Each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful play, and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities. These activities and areas offer challenge but also enable children to learn without an adult being present – they act as the ‘Third Teacher’.

Throughout the day, children are able to access outdoor learning either in the Early Years Garden or Willow Bank. When learning outside there are lots of opportunities for children to develop their own learning and follow their own interests.

Where an adult is working with a child they respond to each child’s needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, positive interaction. Where there maybe gaps or inconsistencies in learning the adult will give children a ‘Little Wish’ and help them to move their learning on.

At the end of every session children’s learning is celebrated and linked to our ‘In Early Years We Are’ goals.

You can find out more about how we structure our EYFS teaching in our EYFS Non-Negotiables below.

How well are we achieving our aims?

Daily Assessment

Children are informally assessed throughout each day. Staff observe the children and where there may be gaps in learning, these are identified and shared with the team. The team respond straight away – this may be in the moment by helping the child within their play, revisited again at a different point, or through the phonics and maths jobs the children complete with an adult each week. Any concerns the team have about a child’s learning is recorded on a weekly Assessment for Learning (AfL) sheet.

Phonics Assessment

The week before the end of a half-term, children are assessed for phonics – their sound knowledge, their ability to read and spell words (both decodable and tricky). Children read one to one each week with either their class teacher or their teaching assistant. This is to ensure they are reading at the correct level in line with their phonic knowledge. Each child takes home a Rhino Reader from the Twinkl Phonics Program.

Formal Assessment

Within the first 6 weeks of a child joining the EYFS, staff will administer the statutory Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA).

At the end of the EYFS, staff complete the statutory EYFS Profile for each child. Children are assessed against the 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs) to work out whether they are meeting expected levels of development (‘expected’) or are not yet reaching expected levels (‘emerging’). This information is shared with families and Year One teachers. The 17 Early Learning Goals are:

Communication and Language

1. Listening, Attention and Understanding
2. Speaking

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

3. Self-Regulation
4. Managing Self
5. Building Relationships

Physical Development

6. Gross Motor Skills
7. Fine Motor Skills

Literacy

8. Comprehension
9. Word Reading
10. Writing

Mathematics

11. Number
12. Numerical Patterns

Understanding the World

13. Past and Present
14. People, Culture and Communities
15. The Natural World

Expressive Arts and Design

16. Creating with Materials
17. Being Imaginative and Expressive

Working with Families

We recognise the importance of working closely with our families. Each child has their own Learning Journey which is on Tapestry. Each week families receive a newsletter on Tapestry, keeping them up to date with all the learning for that week.

Each half term each child is a focus child. That means that the team capture their ‘Magic Moments’ and write a commentary about their learning for their family to see. The week prior to this, we send home a letter asking for some more information about the child – what parents think is going well, what their child’s interests are, and if they need further support.

Twice a year, families are invited in to meet with their child’s teacher. At the end of the year, each family receives a formal report about their child’s year in EYFS.

Curriculum Leader: Miss Katie Gregory

Page reviewed on 19/08/24 by KJD.