Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) - Reception Class

‘Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the Early Years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up’.

Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Published 3 March 2017, updated yearly.

Curriculum Intent

The Woodridge EYFS curriculum is exciting and challenging; it provides a wide range of opportunities and memorable opportunities for our pupils. Through our teaching at Woodridge, we aim to ignite each child’s unique curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, building their capacity to learn, assisting them to build positive relationships and most importantly to thrive. Our Early Years Foundation Stage setting is an exciting, happy and nurturing environment where children achieve these things through play. We endeavour to provide our children with knowledge, skills and experiences in a realistic, hands-on way so that all learning is ‘sticky’ and embedded in a meaningful context. We do this through a curriculum that challenges and engages our children and provides them with memorable opportunities. We understand that our children develop in individual ways and at varying rates; physically, cognitively, linguistically, socially and emotionally and endeavour to provide a curriculum that reflects this.

Curriculum Implementation

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we implement all our learning through a range of individual, group and whole class activities whilst also aiming to provide the children with a high quality learning environment, through rich continuous provision.

In the Early Years, staff act as facilitators generating high quality verbal interactions throughout the day. We have a large focus on ambitious vocabulary development in all areas. They question the children and guide them in the learning process whilst giving them opportunities to make choices. We teach children in ways that build on previous learning and help them to make links with what they already know. We aim to make our Early Years Classroom and Outdoor Space a safe place where children can feel confident to make mistakes and understand that making mistakes leads to real learning. The children focus on developing a growth mindset and “I can’t do it yet” attitude. The children are exposed to a vibrant range of enrichment activities both indoors and outdoors. They are given the opportunities to take part in local Nature Reserve adventures, trips further afield eg The Arts Depot Theatre or Bekonscot Model Village, have interesting visitors, involve their parents and guardians in school life eg Stay and Play days or Mystery Readers, take part in our Christmas Play and in addition use of our outdoor garden and large grounds to explore learning on large scale. We regularly plan and deliver activities and experiences that support the children to develop care, respect, and appreciation of others, including those with beliefs, cultures and opinions different to their own. This is linked to Woodridge whole school Values.

Curriculum Impact

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have a positive attitude towards learning and a thirst for knowledge. Their approach to learning along with the Quality First Teaching ensures that many of our learners reach and exceed the ELGs and our curriculum end points. We have regular opportunities to assess the children’s progress towards these end points, usually at the end of the Autumn and Spring terms. Through the curriculum they develop key skills to approach new learning and new situations which they can then take forward into Key Stage 1.  The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is not static and is subject to ongoing development in order to meet the needs and interests of the learners and enhance delivery to our children. The impact of this ever-evolving curriculum enables the pupils to have the confidence, take risks with their learning and to have high levels of attainment and achievement.

National Assessments Points

The children undertake the Department for Education’s National Baseline Assessment within the first six weeks of school. This data is used by the DfE (but not the school as we do not have access to the data) to track the progress of the children when they reach the end of Year 6. However, we have our own Woodridge Baseline Assessment which is also carried out in the first half term and used to deliver a curriculum tailored to the co-hort.

The children are assessed under the Department for Education’s EYFS Profile in June and the results of this are shared with parents and the Year 1 teachers.

EYFS Leader - Mrs Nichola Wheatcroft