Early Years Curriculum
Woodcocks' Well Early Years Curriculum Statement
Intent
At Woodcocks’ Well CE (VA) Primary School we are discovering a world of wonder, empowered by God’s spirit. We believe that every child should be provided with a range of experiences to develop their sense of self and discover a lifelong love for learning. ?We aim to offer an experience that sets every child up for a successful school experience whilst encouraging them to build their resilience and foster the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ values; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To do that, we aim to provide a safe and nurturing environment which promotes the highest standard of education for our youngest pupils. We recognise every child as a unique individual and celebrate and welcome differences within our community. Our Early Years team is committed to providing an environment that is rich with possibilities, developing children’s independence and encouraging positive learning experiences for all. We intend that our children will be nurtured in an environment where they feel safe, secure and valued, building relationships effectively with adults and peers. Our curriculum is child centred, following the interests and fascinations of the children in the current year group. The Early Years team will set high expectations for the children, encouraging them to develop perseverance and self-belief to problem solve and achieve their full potential. A high level of support will be given for all children, including those in need of additional help in order to maximise their chances of achieving the Early Learning Goals.
The aims of our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum are to develop young pupils who are:
- Confident and competent learners (through play)
- Resilient
- Independent
- Creative
- Curious
- Self-assured
- Accepting
- Aspirational
- Passionate
- Positive
- Brave
- Unique individuals
Implementation
At Woodcocks’ Well CE (VA) Primary School, we follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (effective from 1st September 2021), taking elements from the Development Matters non-statutory document to supplement teaching and learning activities. Our practice is play-based since we believe that play, with all its language, physicality and social interaction, is what gives children the right and appropriate grounding for their educational journey. Alongside play, we also incorporate direct teaching times across each day to introduce and consolidate skills in Phonics, Language and Literacy, Mathematics and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
On a day to day basis, the children in Reception will be encouraged to learn through the characteristics of effective learning, as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Our children will:
- Play and explore to investigate new things and develop a ‘can do’ attitude
- Partake in active learning to build their curiosity, resilience and enjoy achievements
- Be encouraged to create and think critically to develop their own ideas further, make links between ideas and develop their own individual strategies for doing things
Through our child-centred approach, we aim to plan exciting, enriched activities based on the children’s interests. We create a sense of awe and wonder through creative ideas which involve the children and, as much as possible, are based on real life experiences. We value the importance of learning outdoors and enjoy using our special early years’ outdoor area within our everyday planning.
We understand that parents play a big part in the early education of our youngest learners and we look to forge positive relationships with parents to enable us to support learning both at home and school. We share the children’s learning through a range of ways including parent-teacher meetings, through the use of Facebook and our open-door policy.
Children are continually assessed through planned and spontaneous observations, photographs, videos and information drawn from discussions with the children and their parents. These are recorded using class books and individual ‘learning journey’ books. Parents can contribute at any time to the learning journey by the addition of photographs and/or comments. We encourage this communication to ensure that achievements are celebrated both at home and in school and to understand any new interests that the children may present. This information is used by the class teacher to assess children’s attainment against the Early Learning Goals and to inform future planning to ensure that interests are embedded in their learning experiences.
Impact
Our EYFS curriculum provides a high quality, well planned and progressive curriculum for the unique child. Our curriculum is underpinned by consideration of the children’s’ starting points, individual interests and previous experiences. We ensure our staff have good knowledge of child development to ensure this is tracked clearly and everyone has a good understanding of the progress and attainment of our youngest learners.
The positive relationships developed between staff and children ensure that the children are self-confident, with a good degree of self-esteem and resilience. The Early Years team will be fully involved in all aspects of children’s learning and the interactions between staff and children will be purposeful and effective. In addition to this, the children’s level of involvement ensures they are intensely engaged in activities which encourage a deep level of learning and development. The encouragement of active learning will develop their love for learning and inspire children to be inquisitive and independent individuals.
Throughout the school, staff regularly review pupil progress through pupil progress meetings, staff supervision meetings and moderation of children’s profile (both in school, across schools and county) ensuring that all judgments of attainment are accurate and clear. All children’s progress is tracked, and attainment is closely monitored. By the end of the EYFS phase (end of Reception), all children will have had a completed Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) outlining their attainment across the phase. From this, it is judged whether children are achieving at age related expectations and have achieved a ‘good level of development’ (GLD).