Early Years Foundation Stage

At Leigh we believe that all children are entitled to the best possible start in their school life, in order to enable them to develop their full potential. We aim to support each child’s welfare, learning and developmental needs by:

·Recognising that all children are unique

·Understanding that children develop in individual ways and at varying rates - physically, cognitively, linguistically, socially and emotionally

·Providing a safe, secure and caring environment where children feel happy and know that they are valued

·Fostering and nurturing children’s self-confidence and self-esteem

·Teaching them to express and communicate their needs and feelings in appropriate ways

·Encouraging children’s independence and decision-making, supporting them to take risks and learn through their mistakes

·Supporting children to develop care, respect and appreciation for others, including those with beliefs, cultures and opinions different to their own

·Understanding the importance of play in children’s learning and development

·Providing learning experiences which reflect children’s personal interests and curiosity

·Providing experiences which build on children’s existing knowledge and understanding in order to challenge, stimulate and extend their learning and development

·Providing effective learning opportunities in a range of environments, inside and outside.

Curriculum

Our early years setting follows the curriculum as outlined in the statutory framework of the EYFS. The EYFS framework includes 7 areas of learning and development that are equally important and inter-connected. The curriculum is centred on 3 prime areas of learning:

1. Communication and Language.

2. Physical Development

3. Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Practitioners also provide activities through 4 specific areas which strengthen the prime areas.

1. Literacy

2. Mathematics

3. Understanding of the World

4. Expressive Arts and Design

These 7 areas of learning and development address children’s physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional development. No one aspect of development stands in isolation from the others as all areas of learning and development are all closely interlinked. This ensures the delivery of a holistic, child centred curriculum which allows children to make lots of links between what they are learning.

Planning

A carefully structured curriculum forms the basis for planning in the EYFS. Staff plan activities and experiences for children that enable them to develop and learn effectively across all areas of the curriculum. To do this staff take into account the individual needs, (including language needs) interests, and stage of development of each child, and use this information to plan challenging and enjoyable learning experiences which effectively ensure progression. The programs below are followed to ensure the high-quality teaching of Phonics, RE, Music, Maths & Literacy and prepare the children well for a smooth transition into Year 1:

• Read, Write, Inc
• Maths No Problem
• The Power of Reading
• RE Today & Understanding Christianity
• Charanga Music