EYFS Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage at Hetts Lane Infant and Nursery School

At Hetts Lane, we believe that ‘All children deserve the care and support they need to have the best start in life’ (EYFS Framework ’23).

In the Foundation Stage we aim for all children to be Caring, Successful, Happy  Learners by teaching the 7 Areas of Learning and Development (Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design) through a carefully planned, meaningful, play based curriculum which enables all children to be successful and flourish in a safe, nurturing and engaging learning environment.       

We deliver the curriculum in a way that prioritises the development of:

• our School Values (Respect, Caring, Keeping Safe and Doing Our Best)
• children's fundamental basic skills (particularly communication, language and reading),
• personal development (positive physical and mental wellbeing)
• vocabulary and engagement with quality texts (Wonderful Words)

        as well as providing all children with shared memorable experiences 

We understand the importance of the Foundation Stage as the bedrock for all subsequent future learning and through our provision we aim: 

• to give all children the best possible start in life to enable them to fulfil their potential.
• to provide all children with the values, skills and knowledge they need to be Caring Successful Happy Learners both now and in the future.
• to value children as individuals and for them to feel loved and cared for.
• to promote our 4 school “values” of: Respect, Caring, Keeping Safe and Doing Our Best alongside, in an age appropriate way the British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty and mutual Respect and Tolerance
• for our practise to be shaped by the 4 principles: The Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments and Learning and Development.
• to provide children with a happy, caring, stimulating environment both indoors and outdoors.
• to provide a curriculum driven by giving children opportunities, ensuring engagement, and developing a sense of responsibility. 
• to use our curriculum as a progression model.
• to ensure we have a focus on improving speech and language, including broadening children’s vocabulary.
• to promote a love of reading and make sure our children experience high quality texts that are revisited.
• to provide high quality opportunities for children to be inquisitive, curious, creative, critical thinkers and to give them the chance to consolidate, rehearse and develop their skills and knowledge. 
• to teach phonics systematically
• to nurture the characteristics of effective learning

Our Curriculum

Our curriculum is driven by giving children opportunities, ensuring engagement, and developing a sense of responsibility. We encourage active, meaningful learning.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Statutory Framework (2023, DfE) alongside the Development Matters Non-Statutory Guidance (2020, DfE) to ensure our curriculum meets the needs of all our learners and offers the best possible opportunities for all. In addition to this, in FS2 we follow a DfE accredited Phonics Scheme ‘Twinkl Phonics’ to ensure that all our children have the best opportunity to become confident, independent readers and writers. In FS1 we use a pre reading and writing skills programme called Rhyme Town during the Autumn and Spring terms before introducing the bridging unit to Twinkl Phonics in the Summer Term, in preparation for children starting FS2.

We have given great consideration to the knowledge that children will learn during the EYFS and are committed to the whole child and to the characteristics of effective learning, we want to make sure that our children have the learning behaviours they need to succeed not only in school, but in life.

We use the Development Matters non-statutory guidance along with our knowledge of the children in our school and their needs and interests to plan our curriculum. Curriculum themes are carefully and thoughtfully considered to motivate and engage children whilst planning also allows for flexibility to take account of childrens interests.

A carefully planned progressive, sequential curriculum through EYFS enables children to meet Early Learning Goals by end of FS2 and be ready for KS1. By the end of the EYFS we aim for all children to make accelerated progress from their starting points in order to equip them for future learning and foster characteristics to make them lifelong learners.

Staff have developed a broad and balanced curriculum which focusses on child development and ensures children build on skills and knowledge that they already know. Each area of learning is implemented through a balance of child-initiated, adult directed activities and guided play. The Characteristics of Effective Learning underpin the children’s learning and development across the seven areas. Staff ensure that the children’s needs are met through continuous provision and enhanced provision linked to topics.

Staff identify and recognise the differing needs and abilities of learners across the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide suitable provision and adaptions to learner where needed. Staff work alongside and seek support from our school SENCO and other appropriate outside agencies to ensure all learners have the opportunity to meet their full potential.

Each child’s journey through the Early Year Foundation Stage at Hetts Lane Infant and Nursery School begins with us developing strong, mutual relationships with the children and their families. These strong relationships ensure that staff know the children really well and enables us to provide opportunities and learning experiences for the children to build on their existing knowledge, skills and understanding.

Our staff use opportunities through playing alongside and observing the children, to gather a clear understanding of where the children are in their learning and any gaps they may have. Staff then work as a team to discuss all of the learners and devise individual, personised next steps for each child.

On-going assessment is at the heart of good quality, effective EYFS provision. Assessment is used to inform planning and children’s next steps. A progression document is in place for each area of learning from entry to nursery through to the end of FS2 which is also linked to National Curriculum subject areas.

We provide effective and focussed intervention for those children who are finding learning challenging and are not on track to meet the expectations at the end of the year. This will ensure that all children have every chance to achieve the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Reception year.

We measure progress and children’s learning across the year through formative and summative assessments.

FS1 (Nursery)  Long Term Curriculum Plan

Children join our nursery in FS1 the term after their 3^rd birthday and our FS1 Curriculum Overview has been developed around themes which are familiar to the children, including themselves, their family and their locality. This supports all children to see themselves as successful learners from the beginning, using common familiar contexts to build and encourage self-confidence and develop their use of language.

Where appropriate links are also made to the rest of the Schools Long Term Curriculum Overview, with themes such as, “Myself and my School” in Autumn Term, “Traditional Tales” in the Spring Term and “Animals” in the Summer Term.

This enables FS1 children to be part of the whole school curriculum themes whilst at the same time focussing on the requirements of the seven Areas of Learning of the Foundation Stage.

FS2 Long Term Curriculum Plan

In FS2 learning follows the themes of "Ourselves and Our Community", "Our Country" and "Our World" which link closely to the school's long term 3 year curriculum plan. Teachers plan using the long term overview where the progression of skills and knowledge linked to the 7 areas of learning are developed.  In addition, relevant links are made through Subject Learning Organisers to the  pre skills and knowledge needed to enable children to then be able to access the KS1 curriculum in the future. 

Impact

Our ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum ensures that the needs of all learners, including those within vulnerable groups, can be met within the Early Years Foundation Stage environment through high-quality first teaching, supported by targeted interventions where needed. We work hard to ensure we are closing the gap for all of our learners. We aim to have well-rounded, happy and confident learners ready to transition into the next stage of their learning in Key Stage 1.

We aim for our children to make more than the expected progress from their own individual starting points despite most of our children entering our Nursery with well below the expected level of development for their age. We have high expectations of all learners and aim for as many children as possible to achieve a Good Level of Development in the Early Years Foundation Stage by the time they leave Reception.