Early Years Curriculum Statement
EYFS Curriculum Statement
"Children get off to a flying start in the early years. There is a focus on spoken communication from day one, and so children become confident at sharing their feelings and ideas. The school provides carefully selected resources both indoors and outside. Children are happy and becoming independent from an early age. This sets them up well as they join Year 1". OFSTED October 2023
Intent
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Pupils will develop language acquisition and expand their vocabulary in order to become confident and effective communicators.
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Pupils will extend their understanding in personal, social and emotional development in order to become resilient and self assured learners.
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Pupils will be taught how to manage their feelings and behaviour in a range of situations.
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Pupils will develop their knowledge in early literacy and mathematics.
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Pupils will acquire a range of physical key skills including: rolling, bowling, throwing, catching, fine and gross motor control.
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Pupils will acquire a range of artistic key skills including: drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, textiles, printing.
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Pupils will explore the world around them and deepen their understanding of living things and the environment.
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Pupils will experience a curriculum immersed in story and literature.
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Pupils will begin to transfer their learning (taught skills) into the wider environment especially the outdoors and become competent problem solvers.
At Clee Hill Community Academy we aim to provide an exciting and engaging curriculum, starting from the Early Years, which will inspire children to nurture a passion for learning. We have designed our curriculum (both the Nursery and Reception) using Development Matters and the Statutory Framework as a foundation.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we offer a high quality broad and balanced curriculum which has four main elements:
1. Teaching and Learning based on the children’s interests
2. A regular cycle of learning related to: core books, rhyme and songs, forest school and trips/ experiences.
3. Core Experiences
4. Milestones and Curriculum goals
Implementation
Teaching and Learning
The children are introduced to new ideas and further thinking through the seven Areas of Learning and Development: The first three are known as the Prime Areas (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development) and develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences. This supports and scaffold the four Specific Areas (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design) which include essential skills and knowledge to ensure that children have the best possible start to their learning journey.
EYFS Statutory Framework Educational Programme
Click on the links at the bottom of the page to find out more about each area of learning:
- Communication and language
- Personal, social and development
- Physical development
- Literacy
- Maths
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
Our Early Years curriculum is delivered through:
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Well planned and purposeful play based activities
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Teacher directed lessons and learning activities
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Child led activities
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Opportunities for exploration, choice and decision making by the children
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Well resourced indoor and outdoor environments
The Early Years Teaching Team seek to ensure that children are equipped with
a range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good progress through school and life.
A regular cycle of learning
Each half term, EYFS staff in Reception introduce a new theme to provide inspiration for learning, whilst providing the flexibility for children to follow their own interests and ideas. Children learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities. The timetable is carefully structured so that children have directed teaching during the day. The timetable changes throughout the year to take into consideration the changing needs of the children. These sessions are followed by small, focused group work. This means the teacher can systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions quickly and provide real-time verbal feedback which results in a strong impact on the acquisition of new learning. Children are provided with plenty of time to engage in ‘exploration’ throughout the variety of experiences carefully planned to engage and challenge them in the provision. The curriculum is planned for the inside and outside classrooms and equal importance is given to learning in both areas.
Core books, rhyme and songs
Core books and key rhymes are embedded in our curriculum to support and enhance learning.
Nursery rhymes and songs
In nursery we sing as much as possible and have a selection of different traditional and new rhymes and songs. We also enjoy children’s own choices and ‘made up’ songs and rhymes! We use our nursery rhyme spoons to help prompt children if needed.
Enabling Environments
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. When children feel emotionally safe and secure they are able to explore and find out about the place they are in and the things they can see, touch, manoeuvre or manipulate. In the EYFS the environment is described in terms of three aspects: The emotional environment, the outdoor environment, the indoor environment. These three aspects of the environment together make up the environment for play and learning in the EYFS.
Nursery Environment expectations at Clee Hill Community Academy
Reception Environment Expectations at Clee Hill Community Academy
Milestones and Curriculum goals
As part of our EYFS curriculum, there are milestones which have been carefully constructed with an end goal, to reflect our own dynamics and environment to meet our children’s needs, whilst ensuring a stimulating, challenging and diverse curriculum. 