Our EYFS Aim (Intent)

• To work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential from various starting points.
• To understand and follow children’s interests and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning, consolidate and deepen knowledge and ensure children meet their next steps.
• To create an indoor and outdoor environment which support learning.
• To prepare children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure children make good progress from their starting points.
• To support transition into KS1.

How we do this (Implementation)

• We keep parents informed and we meet regularly with parents and carers to ensure children’s transition into school and through the EYFS is happy and allows them to reach their full potential with the support needed. This includes, parent consultations, parent meetings/workshops and Class Dojo.
• We have a curriculum that is child-centred and is flexible to be based upon topics, which engage the children. We encourage active learning to ensure the children are motivated and interested. We take time to get to know children’s interests and their likes to support learning.
• We provide children with a range of experiences including visits to local places of interest such as Conishead Priory, Barrow Library, walks around the local area, the beach, Greenhart Den.

All areas of the EYFS curriculum are followed and planned for to ensure there is a broad, balanced and progressive learning environment and curriculum. The children will learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate understanding through the seven areas in the EYFS curriculum:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development

Communication and Language

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

These 7 areas are used to plan children’s learning and activities. Planning for this curriculum is designed to be flexible so that the child’s unique needs and interests are supported.
 
Daily Guided activities are set up and planned that cover different areas of the EYFS curriculum and allow children to develop their next steps in learning. Areas of need and next steps are identified for all children to ensure good progress is made. There are also a range of stimulating and engaging activities which the children can access independently and a variety of opportunities for child-initiated play. In planning and guiding children’s activities we reflect on the different ways that children learn and reflect these in our practice.
 
Activities support the Characteristics of Effective Learning to ensure learning takes place. These 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 their own ideas and develop these to, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing things.

Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside. Our outdoor areas are used all year round and in most weather conditions.

Staff in EYFS make observations of the children’s learning to ensure their next steps are met. These are collected in a variety of ways including objective led planning, short observations and photos.

We regularly assess where the children are and then ensure our planning, adult interaction and learning environment support children to reach their next steps.

Staff support transition into KS1, preparing children for Year 1 with visits to their new class, meeting their teachers and ensuring the environments have similarities to the end of Reception and the start of Year 1.

The outcomes (Impact)

We strive to ensure that all children make good progress across the EYFS curriculum from their individual starting points. We also strive for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception to be ready for transition to KS1.

• Class teachers use observations to make formative assessments, which inform future planning and ensure that all children build on their current knowledge and skills at a good pace.
• Summative assessment compares children’s attainment to age related expectations. This is tracked to ensure rates of progress are at least good for all children, including vulnerable groups such as those with SEND or who are disadvantaged.
• Assessment judgements are moderated both in school and externally with local schools.