two girls holding chicks

The Early Years Foundation Stage at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School

Intent:

At Carleton Endowed CE Primary, the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum delivery is designed to work alongside children to develop language and vocabulary skills focusing on child-adult interactions.  We strive to provide motivating, first-hand learning experiences and support children to build resilience and become independent, creative, critical thinkers.  Every child is recognised as a unique individual and we celebrate and welcome differences within our school community.  

Our ethos is to support children’s personal, social and emotional development so that they feel healthy, safe and secure. We strive to meet the needs of every child, build positive relationships and provide high expectations for all. We aim to build on the knowledge and skills that the children come in with by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values.  

Community involvement is an essential part of our curriculum as we celebrate local traditions and learn new skills to enable children to take an active role in events throughout the year.  Children leave Reception with a sense of belonging to a tightly knit community where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.  

We endeavour to work in close partnership with parents to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential.

Implementation:

We follow the EYFS revised curriculum (2021) and adapt when necessary to meet the needs of our children.  All of the seven areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.

Prime areas

•           Communication and Language

•           Physical Development

•           Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific areas

•           Literacy

•           Mathematics

•           Understanding the World

•           Expressive Arts and Design

Achievement of these prime and specific areas of learning is seen through the Characteristics of Effective Learning

•           Playing and Exploring

•           Active Learning

•           Creating and Thinking Critically

Through these areas of learning, we provide learning with no limits or barriers, that excite and engage children and develop their experiences of the world around them.  All learning builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children, whatever their starting points.  Learning is enhanced with educational visits and visitors in order to provide children with first-hand experiences.

We use a combination of adult-led and child-initiated experiences and teach the children individually, in small groups and as a whole class. These learning opportunities are planned to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all children, and provides them with the knowledge and skills for their next stage of learning. 

A vital aspect in the development of essential knowledge and skills is the use of continuous provision. Our learning environment, both indoors and out enriches and enhances the curriculum on offer.  This means that children are using and developing skills throughout the year on a daily/weekly basis.  These skills include independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry and problem solving.  Children have opportunities to work independently, collaboratively with their friends and work with staff members. 

We recognise the importance of high-quality interactions between adults and children in the classroom through quality conversation, language/vocabulary modelling, questioning and clarification.   This impacts greatly on the progress of all children.

Careful assessment is undertaken through observations which are recorded into an online Learning Journey via Tapestry.  Children, parents/carers and staff input into these over the year and they are shared with parents/carers.

Parents and carers are valued as first educators and every effort is made to inform them of the EYFS curriculum whilst providing them with the tools to continue learning at home.  Strategies to include and inform parents/carers include pre-school visits, induction meeting, phonics workshop, parent consultation sessions, reading record books, Mother’s day/Father’s day sessions, Curriculum Plans, Curriculum Bulletins, weekly Newsletter, Seesaw and Tapestry.

Impact:

We endeavour to ensure that all children achieve their maximum potential regarding their attainment in the EYFS and make good progress from their starting points.  The impact of our curriculum is measured by assessment against all seventeen ‘Early Learning Goals’ where children meet the ‘Emerging’ or ‘Expected’ level for each goal.

The impact of our curriculum will also be measured by how effectively it helps our children develop into well rounded individuals who have the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens.  We endeavour for children to be Year One ready and have our school’s core Christian values rooted by the time they leave Reception.  These are: Friendship, Endurance, Trust, Thankfulness and Peace.