At Longford Church of England Primary School, the Reception children are taught in a mixed aged class with Year 1 and 2 children through careful planning and allocation of the teachers and teaching assistant(s).
The reception children follow the curriculum set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which covers all areas of children’s learning and development from birth to five years old.
What underpins our EYFS learning at Longford Church of England Primary School:
It is our intent that the children who enter our Early Years develop physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally whilst embedding a positive attitude to school and learning. Within our setting we aim to provide a stimulating environment that provides a fun, safe and creative area rich in wonder and memorable experiences, which is suitable for each child’s unique needs and stages of development.
In EYFS, we aim to provide a climate of mutual respect, so children are able to solve problems, understanding their own and other’s feelings and develop the social skills needed to learn , allowing them the confidence in their own ability.
Whilst we understand that children learn in different ways, play is an integral part of learning and this is at the heart of our Early Years curriculum. A mix of adult-led and child initiated led activities, both indoor and outdoor, enable children to lead their learning. We recognise that children are happy, independent learners when secure relationships are formed and in place with both adults and their peers. This enables our children to be curious and inquisitive about the world around them allowing them to succeed in the ever changing world.
We work in partnership we parents and carers to provide and encourage our children to become confident and independent learners. We are building strong foundations which will encourage a love of learning, academically, morally and spiritually.
By the end of EYFS, children will develop resilience and independence and are emotionally prepared for the challenges in KS1, giving them firm foundations for their further education and the society they live in.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework
The EYFS sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
The EYFS seeks to provide:
- quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind
- a secure foundation through planning for the learning and development of each individual child, and assessing and reviewing what they have learned regularly
- partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers
- equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported
The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. The learning and development requirements cover:
- the areas of learning and development which must shape activities and experiences (educational programmes) for children in all early years settings
- the early learning goals that providers must help children work towards (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five)
- assessment arrangements for measuring progress (and requirements for reporting to parents and/or carers
The safeguarding and welfare requirements cover the steps that providers must take to keep children safe and promote their welfare.
Please look at these documents, for an overview of the progress we aim for your child to make throughout the foundation stage:
