E.Y.F.S.

What is the E.Y.F.S.?

The Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) curriculum sets standards for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5. It's the first stage of a child's education. It ends when a child enters Key Stage 1 (Year 1). At Yardley Primary School, our E.Y.F.S. is the Reception year.

The Early Learning Goals set out the expected level of development to be attained by children by the time they reach the end of the E.Y.F.S. There are 17 Early Learning Goals, covering the 7 Areas of Learning in the E.Y.F.S. Curriculum.

Area of Learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Early Learning Goals:

Self-regulation
Managing self
Building relationships

Area of Learning:

Communication and Language

Early Learning Goals:

Listening, attention and understanding
Speaking

Area of Learning:

Physical Development

Early Learning Goals:

Gross motor skills
Fine motor skills

Area of Learning:

Literacy

Early Learning Goals:

Comprehension
Word reading
Writing

Area of Learning:

Mathematics

Early Learning Goals:

Number
Numerical patterns

Area of Learning:

Understanding the World

Early Learning Goals:

Past and present
People, culture, and communities
The natural world

Area of Learning:

Expressive Arts and Design

Early Learning Goals:

Creating with materials
Being imaginative and expressive

What are we aiming for?

At Yardley Primary School, the Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) curriculum is designed to encourage independent, inquisitive and happy learners. We aim to provide children with important foundational skills and knowledge that will later be enhanced and embedded in Key Stage 1.

We aim to build on the wealth of knowledge children already have and are actively developing relationships with our feeder settings to enhance. We recognise that all children are unique, and take every opportunity to celebrate and welcome the diversity within our school community.

How do we achieve this?

Our curriculum is developed and adapted each year to follow the interests and fascinations of the children in the current year group whilst also building specific knowledge, identified through the areas of learning. We recognise how learning builds sequentially – by building knowledge, skills and learning behaviours from what the children already know and can do towards identified end points or outcomes.

Pupils learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities and challenges. The weekly timetables are carefully structured so that children have rigorous directed teaching in Literacy, Mathematics and Phonics. We also ensure regular circle time/P.S.H.E. sessions to focus on Communication and Language and P.S.E.D. and Topic sessions to focus on Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. These sessions are followed by group work where children work with a member of staff to develop their individual targets. This focused group time enables the teacher to 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.

The curriculum is planned for the inside and outside classrooms and is planned in a cross-curricular way to enable all aspects of the children’s development as well as to promote sustained thinking and active learning.

What does success look like?

Class teachers record ongoing individual observations and photographs of children’s learning and play and interests. These observations are used to support teachers make to informative assessments and inform potential next steps for each child, this includes careful consideration of children with S.E.N.D. or are who are disadvantaged. Formal assessments are recorded using our whole school tracking system linking to the Early Learning Goals. These summative assessments are completed termly to judge each child’s progress in the 7 areas of learning. Their progress against the Development Matters age related expectations is monitored. This allows us to assess the impact of our teaching and decide if sufficient intervention measures are needed to help specific children.

The impact of the E.Y.F.S. curriculum is reflected in having well rounded, happy and confident children. The children transition into Year 1 with key knowledge and overarching concepts to enable them to access the requirements of the National Curriculum. Our children are often amazing role models for others in school. Our children consistently exceed the National and Local Authority data for children achieving a Good Level of Development.