Intent   ~Every Child is Unique

At St.David’s Primary School, our EYFS curriculum is designed to ignite curiosity, foster a love for learning, and provide a strong foundation for every child's Learning Journey. We aim to create a nurturing and stimulating environment where children feel valued, safe and confident to explore, play, and learn.

The intent of our EYFS curriculum is to:

Promote Holistic Development: Foster the personal, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of each child, recognizing their unique potential and individual learning styles. Empower children to become independent thinkers and learners. 

Encourage Active Learning: Engage children in hands-on, meaningful activities using real-world resources and opportunities that will  inspire and promote exploration, discovery, and critical thinking. 

Cultivate Communication Skills: Develop strong language and communication skills through rich, diverse, and interactive experiences. Encourage children to express themselves clearly and confidently.

Support Social Skills: Build positive relationships and develop social skills through collaborative play, group activities and an awareness of our school and wider community. Encourage respect, empathy, and understanding of others.

Develop Physical Abilities: Enhance physical development and motor skills through a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, promoting health, coordination, and a positive attitude towards physical activity.

Foster Creativity and Imagination: Encourage creativity, innovation, and imaginative play. Provide opportunities for children to express themselves through making marks or creating with materials, moving to music, telling stories, singing and dancing or role playing.

Build Foundations for Literacy and Numeracy: Lay the groundwork for Literacy and Numeracy skills through engaging, age-appropriate activities that stimulate interest and foster understanding and an ability to make connections.

Cultivate a Love for the Environment: Instil an appreciation for nature and the environment, encouraging children to explore and care for the world around them.

Respect for Diversity: Celebrate cultural diversity and promote inclusive practices. Ensure that every child feels represented, respected, and valued.

Prepare for Future Learning: Equip children with the skills, attitudes, and dispositions necessary for them to become successful learners, ready to transition to Key Stage 1 and beyond.

Implementation   ~Play is Our Children's Work

To achieve these aims, we:

Provide a Balanced Curriculum: Offer a mix of child-initiated and adult-led activities that cover all areas of the EYFS framework, ensuring a comprehensive and balanced approach to learning.

Create an Enabling Environment: Design stimulating and inviting indoor and outdoor learning spaces enhanced with tailored provocations that encourage exploration, creativity, and independence.

Focus on Play-Based Learning: Recognise the fundamental importance of play in early childhood development and ensure that play is central to our curriculum.

Use Observations and Assessments: Continuously observe, assess, and document each child’s progress to tailor learning experiences to their individual needs and interests.

Engage Families: Foster strong partnerships with families, involving them in their child’s learning journey and encouraging a collaborative approach to education.

Implement Professional Development: Ensure that all staff are well-trained and continuously develop their skills to provide high-quality education and care.

Learning in Foundation Stage takes place during Child Initiated Play, Adult Focus and Discrete teaching times. It is supported with Enhanced Provision and quality interactions in the form of Teaching In the Moment. Each half term begins with a guiding theme and staff plan experiences and opportunities to:

• explore new and interesting concepts

• support and develop next steps, tailored to children's individual needs

• reflect and build on prior learning, knowledge and skills

• explore and develop children's own interests

They reflect on the development of each child and adjust their practice appropriately. They consider the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning in order to track how children learn.

 The three characteristics 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 

• creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things 

Assessment

Children are observed and assessed against development statements on the St. David's School EYFS Profile Tracker which is a tailored combination of developmental steps from the DfE guidance Development Matters and guiding milestones developed as to be pertinent to our unique cohort and situation. 

Observations are collected in individual Learning Journey books, which are shared every term with parents. Staff use Gap Analysis to inform Objective Lead Planning and children's next steps for development.

At the end of FS2 children are assessed against all 7 areas of the statutory Early Learning Goals as either Emerging or  Expected:

There are seven areas of learning and development that set out what providers must teach the children in their settings...Three prime areas are particularly important for learning and forming relationships. They build a foundation for children to thrive and provide the basis for learning in all areas. These are the prime areas:

 • Communication and language

 • Physical development 

• Personal, social and emotional development 

 Providers must also support children in four specific areas, which help strengthen and develop the three prime areas, and ignite children’s curiosity and enthusiasm. The specific areas are:

 • Literacy

 • Mathematics

 • Understanding the world  

• Expressive arts and design                                         Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework 2024

Focussed Teaching - Maths and Literacy

Noticing pattern, shapes, amounts and numbers takes place every day from FS1 onwards and discrete Maths inputs are tailored to children's next steps, ensuring a solid foundation for understanding of mathematical concepts. Our FS2 program utilises aspects of  Maths No Problem and our EYMaths trained staff ensure that children transition as confident, inquisitive mathematicians.

Our synthetic phonics programme begins in FS1 with activities aimed at queuing in to sounds, and continues in FS2 with ‘Jolly Phonics’ in which children learn to read and write consecutively through a rigorous daily program supported by quality resources and parent support programs. 

 Appreciation of story elements and of understanding text types begins early with the introduction of wordless books before children move at their own pace through banded levels. FS2 children read weekly in guided groups with their teacher focussing on progression of reading skills,comprehension and discussion.

Impact   ~The Power of Play

Research has shown that play-based learning has a profound impact on fostering cognitive, social, and emotional skills in young children. 

The impact of our EYFS curriculum will be evident in:

• Confident, Happy Learners: Children who are confident, happy, and enthusiastic about learning.

• Strong Foundations: Children who have a strong foundation in all areas of learning and development, ready to transition to the next stage of their education.

• Positive Relationships: Children who have formed positive relationships with their peers and adults.

• Continuous Progress: Children who make continuous progress in their learning and development, meeting or exceeding the expected milestones.

By implementing this curriculum intent, we aim to nurture well-rounded, curious, and capable young learners who are prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.