EYFS Vision

Our aim is to provide a safe and caring environment in which every child can flourish. We aim to ensure all children’s individual needs, both academic and emotional, are fully met. We aim to develop a love of learning by providing children with a fun, engaging and suitably challenging environment. In the EYFS we ensure that the opportunities we provide are inclusive for all and we believe that every child has the right to achieve their full potential.

INTENT

We understand that our children commence their journey at Earl Spencer from different starting points, with different needs and interests. Our curriculum is designed to provide learning opportunities for all, we understand the importance of supporting children to reach their full potential.

We understand the importance of working in partnership with families to support the child and aim to provide opportunities to nurture this. We aim to provide many opportunities for children and families to get to know us before starting school so that they are better prepared for the transition from nursery to school.

It is our intent that by taking account of the children’s starting points and our own observations of the children’s characteristics of learning, we are able to plan and provide a curriculum that gives opportunities for all children to actively learn.

The characteristics of effective teaching and learning 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 and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things (Dev Matters, Pg 12)

IMPLEMENTATION

Our EYFS provision focuses on the important starting points as per Development Matters (Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage (publishing.service.gov.uk) and links in to our wider school curriculum to ensure a continuous learning approach from EYFS onwards.

We plan and deliver learning using the EYFS Framework.

This covers the seven areas of learning:

Prime Areas (these underpin all areas of learning)

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)        (Self Regulation, Managing Self, Building Relationships)
• Communication and Language (CAL)         (Communication and Language, Listening and Attention, Speaking)
• Physical Development (PD)         (Gross Motor, Fine Motor)

Specific Areas

• Literacy (L)            (Word Reading, Comprehension, Writing)
• Mathematics (M)            (Number, Numerical Patterns, Shape, Space and Measure)
• Understanding the World (UW)            (Past and Present, People and Communities, The World)
• Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)            (Creating with Materials, Being Imaginative and Expressive)

Our EYFS curriculum has been carefully linked to the wider school curriculum so as well as provision planned by the EYFS team to support the needs of the children, we follow several schemes of work to ensure coverage and progression of skills throughout the different areas of learning. These include:

• Past and Present, Creating with Materials - Cornerstones
• Letter join - Fine Motor/Writing
• NCETM Mastering Number - Mathematics
• Discovery RE - People and Communities
• 3D PSHE/Cornerstones – PSED
• Real PE – Gross Motor
• Charanga – Being Imaginative and Creative
• Essential Letters and Sounds – Word Reading (Phonics)

Our provision includes a balance of whole class teaching, adult led activities and child led continuous provision both inside and outside. Our progression of skills for continuous provision document ensures that the provision provides opportunities through the year for children to rehearse, extend and revisit their skills in each area of learning. The EYFS team plans enhancements to support the needs of the children and encourage children to access different areas within the provision.

IMPACT

The impact of the EYFS curriculum is reflected in having well rounded, independent, 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 and whole school curriculum.

Phonic assessments are carried out using a phonics tracker spreadsheet every half term to quickly identify children who are not making expected progress. Intervention groups are implemented where necessary.

We measure progress and children’s learning across the year through formative and summative assessments which are based on the teacher’s knowledge of the children.

The EYFS team work with the Year 1 team to prepare children for the transition from EYFS to Year 1. Early in the year, children enjoy story time in the Year 1 classrooms, so that the environment is familiar to them. As the year progresses, children join in playtimes with KS1, and the KS1 teachers make visits to EYFS. We work together to ensure that towards the end of the year, aspects of the EYFS environment are reflected in the Year 1 environment and similarly at the beginning of Year 1, key elements of the EYFS provision are reflected in the Year 1 environment.

EYFS - Long Term Curriculum Plan 2023 - 2024

	Autumn 1   Me and my community Marvellous Machines	Autumn 2   Exploring Autumn Sparkle and Shine	Spring 1   Starry Night Stories and Rhymes	Spring 2   Dangerous Dinosaurs Signs of Spring	Summer 1   Creep, crawl, wiggle Animal Safari	Summer 2   On the Beach Splash
PSHE (3D PSHE)	Settling In	Building Relationships	Self Regulation	Managing Self	Moving On PSHE (Cornerstones) Moving On - Transition
Physical development Gross Motor (Real PE Curriculum)	Unit 1 Personal	Unit 2 Social	Unit 3 Cognitive	Unit 4 Creative	Unit 5 Applying Physical	Unit 6 Health and Fitness
Expressive arts and design Music (Charanga)	Me!	My stories!	Everyone!	Our World!	Big Bear Funk!	Reflect, rewind and replay!
KEY TEXTS for Literacy - Comprehension   CAL – Listening and Attention   CAL - Speaking	Ruby’s Worry   Mixed: A colourful Story by Arree Chung	The Gigantic Turnip   Leafman   The Snowman	How to catch a star   The Elves and the shoemaker   Jack and the Beanstalk	Am I yours?   Stanley’s Stick	Yucky Worms!   Monkey Puzzle   Non fiction Animal texts	On the Beach   Surprising Sharks   Billy’s Bucket   Pirate stories
Literacy Word Reading – Phonics (Essential Letters and Sounds, ELS)	Phase 2	Phase 3	Phase 3 – 4	Review	Phase 4	Phase 5
Literacy - Handwriting – forming of letters as part of ELS phonics Handwriting – Letter Join Weekly Lessons x 2	On whiteboards Pre-writing patterns Lessons 1 - 10	On whiteboards Pre-writing patterns Lessons 10 - 20	Letter Families	Letter Families	Letter Families	Consolidation
Maths Number Numerical Patterns (Mastering Maths NCETM)	Subitising Counting Comparing	Counting 5 Comparison Whole/Part Numerals	Subitise within 5 focusing on die patterns The staircase pattern More than/less than Equal/unequal	Focus on the ‘staircase’ pattern and ordering numbers Doubles Odd/Even	Counting – larger sets and things that cannot be seen Composition - of 10 Ordinality	Introduce the rekenrek Composition of numbers to 10 Counting beyond 10/20
Maths   Shape, space and Measure (WRM)	-	2d shapes Night/Day	Explore length, compare length, explore height, compare height, talk about time, order and sequence time.	3D shapes Patterns	3D and 2D shapes	-
Understanding of the world RE (Discovery RE) People and Communities	Special People	Christmas	Celebrations	Easter	Story Time	Special Places
Understanding of the world      (Cornerstones)	Our school Community Community Helpers Messy Maps Machines then and now Magnets	Hibernating Hedgehogs Woodland Walk Leaf skeletons Festive lights Christmas around the world Is it shiny?	Why is is dark at night? Nocturnal animals The moon Helping humpty Castle problems Voting station	Dangerous Dinosaurs Dinosaur island Carnivore/Herbivore Looking for signs of spring Froggy fun Rain and Shine	Minibeast safari Looking after nature Comparing places Meet the animals Comparing places Animals around the world	What can you do at the beach? Looking after our beach Holidays in the past Melting and freezing Hydration Making ice lollies
Expressive arts and design    (Cornerstones)	Circles and spirals Frame it Mark Making Marvellous Machines Transiitional Art	Exploring leaves Seed Patterns Leafman Making tea lights Bright lights Diwali dancing	Sky painting Classical lullaby Rocket builders Sing a rainbow Name that tune Gingerbread man	Prehistoric Worlds Cave Painting Ammonite Art Spring music Spring flowering plants Spring poems	Making our fav minibeasts Wonderful webs Matisses Snails Camouflage Animal Masks Landscapes	Sea investigation Seaside scenes Sounds of sea Water music Graffiti Art Underwater Painting