The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the stage of Education for children from birth to the end of their Reception year.

Intent

At Norwood Primary school, we take into account every child’s individual starting points and needs, through carefully planned transition activities and baseline observations & assessments, whilst recognising that all children are unique and special. We strive to support children to achieve their full potential and make excellent progress throughout the year regardless of their background, circumstances or needs. Through working in partnership with parents.

By the end of their year in Reception, our children will be:

• Able to talk articulately, holding conversations with peers and adults, using newly learnt vocabulary correctly and listening to feedback, taking-turns in conversation,
• Able to listen with careful attention for a suitable period of time, ask questions to clarify their understanding and understand and show acceptance of differing opinions to their own,
• Demonstrate self-regulation, emotional resilience and have the ability to persevere in the face of challenge,
• Kind, polite, resilient, confident and curious learners.

Our intent is to secure solid foundations for learning and to nurture individual talents by offering a range of opportunities to support children’s holistic development.

Implementation

At Norwood Primary School, the Early Years Foundation Stage is one class. We have a well-resourced classroom and outdoor learning space with a canopy area. We plan key objectives in a play-based approach to learning. This provides the children with opportunities to play and explore, actively create, learn and think critically. Through skilful observations and play partnerships, staff are able to adapt their teaching and move learning forward, successfully enhancing the continuous provision, both inside and outside.

Transitions into EYFS begin with Parent Carer meetings. The children are given school book bags and have taster mornings and afternoons. The class teacher visits all the children at their preschools in June and July. She then has 1:1 meeting with all parents and carers to get to know more about the individual needs of the children. In September, during part-time sessions, the children meet their Year 6 buddies who support the children with play and lunchtimes and then during the year form positive relationships reading each week together. 

The children have a well-established routine with visual Widgits so that they are clear about what is happening each day. With for example:  daily self-registration, wake-up song, days of the week song, ribbon dancing, name writing, dough disco, changing reading books, drink and snack time, play time, play to learn time, maths, music, phonics, home time song.

We know the importance of being outdoors for the children’s holistic physical, mental, and social growth in ways that indoor spaces cannot match. In addition to outdoor provision, we have a playtime on the hill each day. This is to encourage gross motor skills and to learn playtime games such as hide and seek. The children have trikes, bikes and scooters. Then 10 minutes of parachute games. Every Wednesday, we have planned nature activity sessions in all weathers. With each season, we go on nature hunts and make use of our school field and trees to investigate the nature around us and notice changes.

Twice a week we have a PE session focusing on gymnastics, multi-skills or team games.

As a class, we take pride in being kind and celebrate this in many ways. Our class mascot ‘Bob’ goes home each Friday for a play date with a child who has shown particular kindness in the week. Several times a week, the children are given opportunities to support well-being such as ‘peer massage’, brain breaks, show and tell and mindfulness activities along with Happy Mind focused lessons.

We like to engage with our local and wider community as much as possible to enrich the children’s learning and give them real-life experiences.  In school visits from the raptor foundation and emergency services. Visits to the local farm, the zoo, local nature areas.

We have parent engagement activities planned each half-term throughout the year, where we love to share our learning. Family members are able to be a ‘Mystery Reader’ and read a story to the class as a surprise each week.

Phonics, reading and writing are taught using the Read Write Inc scheme and Talk for Writing. Our curriculum encourages children to become life-long learners. We provide interesting and engaging opportunities and expand on the skills and knowledge of the children, giving them a secure foundation upon which they can grow and develop as they move up through the other key stages. 

The Early Years curriculum is made up of 3 prime areas:

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

and 4 specific areas:

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

Impact

At Norwood Primary school, the children in our Early Years Foundation Stage will demonstrate high levels of engagement in both Child-Led and Adult-Led activities. By developing their speaking and listening skills, we are enabling them to access more areas of learning and communicate with adults and other children. They will develop concentration, persistence, co-operation and most importantly become willing and confident to ‘have a go’.

The children will develop a sense of the wider world around them and will draw on these experiences during interactions with others, linking this to new learning. They will also be able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations, making links by explaining their ideas and understanding. The children will be confident to take risks and discuss their successes and failures with adults, drawing on their experiences to improve or adjust what they are doing.

From their own unique starting points, we expect all children, even those at risk of disadvantage, to achieve age-related expectation and/or make excellent progress academically and socially. All children will be given the best foundations to prepare them for a life-long learning journey.