Foundation Stage
The EYFS Reception Year Curriculum at EastWood Village Primary
Our EYFS Curriculum has been designed to reflect our children’s interests, the seasons of the year, nature, culture and environments around our school. It aims to teach the children how their environment compares to other places, cultures and nature in other parts of the world. It is therefore unique to EastWood Village Primary school.
Each topic planned is included in the curriculum for very specific reasons and we want to ensure that all children leaving the EYFS are ready to start our KS1 curriculum. Each topic does not last a specific amount of time but is based on the children’s learning at the time, and so a topic can run from anything between two and seven weeks. All the topics have resources and activities ready to use in the continuous provision. Topics are introduced with a good quality storybook or an age appropriate non – fiction text. Using books in this way teaches children that books and reading form the basis of all learning.
This ambitious Early Year’s curriculum aims to teach all children the skills and knowledge in order that they reach the seventeen Early Learning Goals described in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. We teach through a range of teaching strategies including child-initiated learning, whole class teaching, group teaching, investigations, enquiries and problem solving together, and independently. All activities are modelled, and children are given sufficient time, support and resources to repeat and practise them.
Welcome to Eastwood Village Primary Foundation Stage
This is the entrance to Foundation Stage. We look forward to welcoming you to our school.
Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to their full potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. When parents choose to use early years services they want to know the provision will keep their children safe and help them to thrive. At Eastwood Village Primary School we recognise that every child is a competent learner who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. We recognise that children develop in individual ways, at varying rates. Children’s attitudes and dispositions to learning are influenced by feedback from others; we use praise and encouragement, as well as celebration and rewards, to encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning.
We recognise that outdoor play is an important aspect of every child’s growth and development. Our Early Years Foundation Stage outdoor area allows children to access and discover the whole EYFS Curriculum through many exciting, stimulating and challenging experiences. Experiences that are different but complement the experiences they gain from the indoor environment. When playing outside children not only develop their physical skills but also their communication, problem solving, personal, social and emotional skills as well as developing their language and the range of vocabulary that they use. We believe that our outdoor area is as important as the indoor provision we provide and that the two should complement each other.
“Learning together at the heart of our community” is our school’s mission statement. This is an ethos we strive to achieve within everyday school life. Our online learning journey allows our families access to their children’s progress and we encourage their interaction and input into this. We love to invite our parents and families in as many times across the school year as possible as we understand the need to include the community into the children’s learning and development.
The Early Years Foundation Stage applies to children from birth to the end of the F2 year. In
our school, children join us, full time in F2 or part time entry in F1.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is based upon four overarching principles:
- A Unique Child
- Positive Relationships
- Enabling Environments
- Learning and Development.
We value the diversity of individuals within the school. All children at Eastwood Village Primary School are treated fairly regardless of race, gender, religion or abilities. All children and their families are valued within our school. We give our children every opportunity to achieve their best. We do this by taking account of our children’s range of life experiences when planning for their learning. When planning, we strive to create as many experiences as possible which will in turn, impact their quality of work. The Foundation Stage classroom is organised to allow children to explore and learn securely and safely. There are areas where the children can be active, be quiet, creative etc. The Foundation Stage has it’s own outdoor classroom area. The free flow between the inside and the outside has a positive effect on the children’s development. Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. The children can explore, use their senses and be physically active and exuberant. There are seven areas of learning and development that must shape educational provision in early years settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.
Prime Areas:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development.
Staff will also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.
Specific Areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design.
To give us a base for our curriculum, we used the EYFS Statutory Framework alongside the Development Matters Document. We then designed a bespoke curriculum to ensure that our children are engaged and enjoy their learning which in turn encourages excellent progress.
Please see our Long-Term Plans and Progress Models to see more information on our curriculum.
Please make sure that your child is wearing the correct school uniform everyday. Don’t forget that uniform is black or grey trousers/shorts/skirt, a white polo t-shirt and a school jumper or dark blue jumper.
On PE days, your child needs a white t-shirt and blue or black shorts. Children can take home a book each day to read and bring back to school the next morning. The child who has read the most at home will win “Star Reader” award on a Friday.
In Foundation Stage, your child will take home a home learning pack each week which will include:
- A book at their phonic level. Please support your child to read this book and discuss the story or the pictures that they see.
- A maths related activity. Please support your child to complete this.
- Handwriting practise sheets. This could be your child’s RWI sound they are learning or their name to practise writing.
Here are a few links of websites that you could access with your child at home:
