EYFS

Intent

At Linden Road Academy, our aim is to create a learning environment and build relationships, which support, enhance, and invite a child’s curiosity, confidence and individual competency to flourish regardless of backgrounds, circumstances or needs. We aim to work collaboratively with parents and carers to encourage independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential. It is our intent that children who enter our EYFS begin their lifelong learning journey by developing physically, verbally, cognitively, and emotionally whilst also embedding a positive attitude to school and a love of learning.

To ensure children make outstanding progress in Linden Road Academy EYFS, it is our intent to take into consideration their starting points and needs of our pupils as they begin their learning journey. Every child has access to a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum, which prepares them for now and for the future in terms of opportunities and experiences.

Our EYFS curriculum will enable our children to be:

Competent and creative learners, who are curious about the world around them.

Secure and confident, who enjoy coming to school and learning new skills and knowledge building on their existing learning.

Skilful communicators, who connect with others through language and play, ensuring that they play in a vocab rich environment.

It is our intent to ensure that all children will receive the teaching of early reading through systematic, synthetic phonics Little Wandle to learn to read words and simple sentences accurately by the end of Reception.

Every child is an exceptional individual, and we celebrate and respect differences within our diverse school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge and values that equips our children for their future successes. We inspire our children to become accomplished, happy individuals, ready to reach their full potential in an ever-changing world.

 

Our aims.

 

Work in partnership with our parents and carers to promote independent, confident, and enthusiastic learners who thrive in school and make at least good progress from their various starting points.

Plan for our children’s interests and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning consolidate and deepen knowledge and ensure children meet their next steps.

 

Provide our children with a wide range of rich, first-hand experiences to take the curriculum beyond the classroom.

Foster the development of each child’s character. Personal development, health and wellbeing preparing them to make a valuable contribution to society.

 

Provide purposeful, enticing and well planned indoor and outdoor environments, which supports learning in all areas of the curriculum.  Using the newly designed outdoor area and the fully refurbished indoor areas.

 

Prepare children to reach the Early Learning goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and ensure children make at least good progress from their starting points.

Implementation

 

In Nursery and Reception, we meet the welfare requirements laid down in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. We actively safeguard and promote the welfare of all our children. We recognise that children will learn most effectively when they are healthy, safe, and secure, when their individual needs are met and when they have positive relationships with the adults who care for them. We aim to provide a setting that encompasses a safe and stimulating environment where children can enjoy learning and grow in confidence and independence.

 

Our Nursery and Reception classes follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and work towards the Early Learning Goals.

The 7 areas of learning are:

 

 Personal, Social and Emotional Development

 Physical Development

 Communication and Language development

 Literacy

 Mathematics

 Understanding the World

 Expressive Arts and Design

 

The core aim of the Foundation stage is to provide a strong and solid platform. To aid the early development of our children, we strongly believe that they should develop the three prime areas first. This begins with our youngest children aged 3-4 who attend our Nursery.  As children grow and progress, the prime areas will support them to develop skills in the four specific areas.

Children in 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. We ensure 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 and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

Our themes are driven from high quality texts (recommended by CLPE and Pie Corbett), based on providing our pupils with ‘enticing experiences’ which motivate the children, and are deeply rooted in the love of stories and reading.  New vocabulary and concepts through reading will excite and engage all learners which includes staff modelling standard English and always asking high quality questions.  A range of educational visits (including our local community) bring ‘learning to life’. Subject knowledge of the EYFS curriculum is strong among all practitioners and is used to plan a broad, balanced, and progressive learning environment and curriculum for all of our pupils.

Effective continuous provision practise and principles support our children to develop key life skills such as independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry, analysis, and problem solving. During the school day, children will have an opportunity to work independently, work collaboratively with their friends and with members of staff.

 

We provide regular opportunities for parents and carers to come into school and support their child, share their learning, and celebrate successes. We keep parents informed through weekly newsletters and we also meet regularly with them to ensure children’s learning and development through the EYFS is happy and allows them to excel with the support needed. This includes transition sessions, nursery visits and home visits, stay and play sessions (Nursery and new starters in Reception), online (Tapestry and Dojo), celebration assemblies, reports, and parent consultations as well as more frequent informal communication to suit individual families.  Using Tapestry means that parents can engage with children regularly about their daily learning and can contribute to the knowledge we have of the children in school.  It also enables parents to show us what they are doing in their home environment.

Monitoring

* Learning walks and discussions with children.

 *Lessons observations (Head Teacher and Subject Leads)

 *Learning Journey and ‘Book Looks’ to monitor progress, attainment, and standards.

 *Professional dialogue between all members of the Early Years Team.

 *Pupil Progress Meetings.

 *Regular review of the impact of interventions.

 

Impact

 

Our children have varied and diverse starting points. Therefore, we have high expectations to ensure that all children make ‘strong progress’ across all the areas of the EYFS curriculum. Progress is evident in, books, Tapestry, and data.

We strive for children to reach the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception and to be at least in line with National Expectations.

We measure the percentage of pupils achieving age related expectations throughout the academic year and put supportive interventions in place if and when needed. 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 using ‘Development Matters’.  This is tracked using Bromcom (school’s data system), to ensure rates of progress are at least good for all children, including vulnerable groups such as those with SEND, Pupil Premium or EAL children. Our assessment judgements have been moderated both in school and within Enquire Learning Trust Hubs. We also partake in local authority moderation which has validated our school judgements.

The impact of our curriculum is also measured by how effectively it helps our children develop into well rounded individuals who embody our school values and carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens. We endeavour for our children to be ‘Reception Ready’ and ‘Key Stage 1 Ready’.

Our children make strong progress academically, emotionally, creatively, socially, and physically. Knowledge, understanding, and skills are secured and embedded so that children attain highly and are fully prepared for their new year group.

At the end of EYFS our children.

* Have strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Our children also listen respectfully and with tolerance to the views of others,

 *Take pride in all that they do, always striving to do their best,

 *Demonstrate emotional resilience and the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge,

*Develop a sense of self-awareness and become confident in their own abilities,

 *Are kind, respectful and honest, demonstrate inclusive attitudes and have a sense of their role in our wider society.