The Early Years Curriculum

We implement a curriculum that addresses both the more general concepts within the Early Years and the seven areas of learning through a balance of adult led, child initiated and play based learning. Our curriculum embraces children's interests, themes, questions and stories. 

There are three prime areas to learning, essential for building a strong foundation and in supporting teaching and learning going forward.

• Communication & Language
• Physical Development 
• Personal, Social & Emotional Development.

There are four specific areas to learning as well which are also used to develop the 3 prime areas

• Mathematics
• Literacy 
• Knowledge and Understanding of the World
• Expressive Arts and Design.

We provide first-hand learning experiences that enable children to develop interpesonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers who are willing and able to challenge themselves. 

We use a book-based approach to planning, with plans being adapted and amended in response to the children's needs, interests and the outcomes of teacher assessments and gap anaylsis. We use quality stories across EYFS each week as a focus to the learning and areas of provision may be enhanced to support the learning through these stories. 

Curriculum Themes

The curriculum within EYFS is planned around four main themes:

A Unique Child

Every child is  a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable confident and self assured. 

Positive Relationships

Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships. We also endeavour to make strong links and relationships with the child's family whon we see as an extremely important part of a child's learning and development. 

Enabling Environments

Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and make links to what the children are learning. 

Learning and Development

Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years including children with Special Education Needs and disabilities. 

Reading in Early Years

Language and communication are vital to child development. We provide a rich language environment, which includes regular conversations, singing and sharing of stories. We use rhyme to support language development. Children chant or sing the rhymes in groups and through play. We use a series of 'core rhymes' with the intent that children will leave EYFS with a wealth of nursery rhyme knowledge.

Nursery rhymes

Nursery children are involved in daily prephonic activities which revolves around the following areas

• Tuning into Environmental sounds
• Tuning into Instrumental sounds
• Body Percussion - clapping, stamping, flicking
• Rhythm and Rhyme
• Alliteration 
• Voice sounds
• Oral Blending and Segmenting - the term before they enter reception. 

Children are given a book bag when they first start nursery. They are encouraged to take a storybook to share at home and this can be changed regularly. We endeavour to instill a love of reading from an early age. 

We hold a reading session during the year which provides an opportunity for parents and carers to spend time with their child enjoying and sharing much loved stories. 

We celebrate World Book day every year and our older children enjoy sharing stories with our younger children. 

When the children enter Reception, they are involved in daily phonic activities and follow the school scheme which is Read Write inc. Children build upon their phonic awareness, gradually learn letter sounds and begin to read words and sentences. You can find more information on how we teach early reading and phonics here.