Early Years/Key Stage 1

All children within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Mabel Prichard Special School are provided with the best possible start in life through a personalised and creative curriculum. Individual stages of development are recognised, understood and appropriately planned for by using and adapting the underlying principles of the EYFS statutory framework, Development Matters and the Oxfordshire Developmental Journal.  We structure our offer to ensure children’s stages of development are recognised, understood and appropriately planned for. The values and intent of the school underpin the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Characteristics of Effective Learning, the ways in which the child engages with other people and their environment – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to become an effective and motivated learner. We understand every child is unique and recognise the fundamental processes of learning from the earliest stages. 

All inclusive frameworks form the basis of the EYFS curriculum

In the EYFS we recognise the fundamental processes of learning from the earliest stages. The EYFS offer follows Mabel Prichard’s model for Teaching & Learning which is organised into four pathways, Pre Formal, Informal, Semi Formal and Formal.

Essentially, the curriculum is built around meeting the holistic needs of each child. Each child’s Education and Health Care Plan forms the basis of priorities for the provision.

Each learner’s curriculum route has a strong focus around the core areas of communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and physical development and gives each child an individualised pathway through these areas of child development. This is implemented through the inclusive frameworks of communication, physical education and PSHE. 

We use an individual approach to plan for teaching and learning which advocates for creativity and active engagement in learning. We often only have one or two children in the EYFS and therefore, due to this and our focus on individual learning the curriculum is very personalised and based on the interests and fascinations of the child. Some may stay on this curriculum if it appropriate for their developmental needs, and for this reason we blend our Early Years and Key Stage 1. The Mabel Prichard Inclusive frameworks form the basis of the curriculum and development of skills and knowledge from the earliest of ages when learners are ready to move on.