The Early Years Foundation Stage at Harper Bell
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At Harper Bell we incredibly proud of our EYFS provision!
Children leave our EYFS being confident, independent learners. They have a very smooth transition from home to Reception and then to Year 1. They function brilliantly as a group and have built sturdy foundations for the rest of their learning journey.
Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs and interests of the current pupils and is always planned with a holistic approach. Our aim is to enable children to learn independently across a broad spectrum of subjects, as opposed to learning being taught in a fragmented way. We plan opportunities and activities that will grab the interests of the children and set them up to make strong links in their learning.
Our staff continuously assess the progress and needs of each child, allowing them to plan for the individual child eat all times. From our combined observations of the day we plan and create opportunities for children to embed or extend their learning experiences in different areas of the curriculum. This is often done immediately so the impact is not lost. Assessment, communication and reflection of what sparks the children’s imagination and learning is at the heart of making those activities high quality learning experiences.
We foster the attitude in our learners that everyone can have a go and succeed. All efforts are praised and the children’s achievements are celebrated daily – where the children learn to feel proud of themselves. We also teach the children to feel proud of others’ achievements – efforts never go unnoticed!
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We strive to create a rich and stimulating learning experience for all the children every day. We plan our weeks through topics and we always use high quality texts to introduce this to the children as a way in for their learning to begin. We link all areas and activities as much as possible so the children immerse themselves in new experiences. This reaches all the senses and enables them to develop their communication and language, raising their confidence and feeding into all areas of their learning and development. We teach the children lots of games and songs, which link directly to their learning.
We know children develop different skills and understanding at different paces and we plan for this. We support and encourage children who need a little more time and challenge those with a deeper understanding.
Key Documents: EYFS
What is Early Years Foundation Stage?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), is how the Government and early years’ professionals describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age five.
This is a very important stage as it helps your child get ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. From when each child is born up until the age of five, their early years’ experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs. Nurseries, pre-schools, reception classes and childminders registered to deliver the EYFS must follow a legal document called the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
What is the EYFS Framework?
The EYFS Framework exists to support all professionals working in the EYFS to help your child, and was developed with a number of early years’ experts and parents.
It sets out:
- The legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare;
- The seven areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge;
- Assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS;
- Expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”
There is also guidance for the professionals supporting your child on planning the learning activities, and observing and assessing what and how your child is learning and developing.
The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through seven areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the three prime areas first.
These are:
- Communication and language;
- Physical development; and
- Personal, social and emotional development.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in four specific areas.
These are:
- Literacy;
- Mathematics;
- Understanding the world; and
- Expressive arts and design.
These seven areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it's suitable for very young children, and it's designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child's unique needs and interests.
Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.
Evidence of Impact on Pupil Learning
Ofsted - July 2019
Early Years Provision - Outstanding
Children learn well through a well-planned curriculum that has early language development at its heart. Funding ensures that all children experience a wide range of activities, such as farm visits. This helps children acquire a broad vocabulary and to be able to engage in a wide range of learning activities.
