EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage)
Our Reception class follows the Early Years Framework, which includes the seven areas of learning.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE
This area of learning includes listening, attention, understanding, and speaking skills. As a prime area of learning, language is the foundation of children’s thinking and learning. We place a strong emphasis on communication, promoting a language-rich environment through conversations with their peers and staff in the setting. Through conversations, storytelling and role-play, children are supported to share their ideas.
PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PSED)
This area includes self-regulation, managing self, and building relationships. Children are supported and guided to work on building strong relationships with staff and their peers, establishing daily routines, using good manners and looking at how we deal with our feelings. This all helps to imbue the children with a positive sense of themselves and respect for others, which are crucial for school readiness. As part of personal growth, children learn the importance of looking after their bodies, mental wellbeing, and how to manage their personal needs independently.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
This area includes gross and fine motor skills. Movement skills, coordination and spatial awareness are developed through swimming and PE lessons, dance, games and play in different spaces, indoors and outdoors. Activities such as gymnastics and ball skills enable the children to learn what the body can do. Fine motor skills opportunities are promoted through play with small world and loose parts, puzzles; activities such as mark making, cutting, construction and the use of one-handed tools in funky finger activities. Continuous provision allows children the opportunity to independently practise and develop competence in these skills.
LITERACY
This area includes comprehension, word reading and writing. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum, and we share stories from a variety of genres from around the world. Children are given the opportunities to predict, read and write for varying purposes. Through daily phonics lessons, children learn how to blend and segment words, and daily reading with your child allows staff to target and provide a bespoke experience on their reading journey. Correct letter formation is focused upon during phonic lessons and discreet handwriting lessons.
MATHEMATICS
This area includes numbers and numerical patterns. Children begin making sense of numbers by talking about what they can see and how they see it. We develop subitising skills, reasoning, sorting and looking at patterns, thus giving children an excellent starting point on mathematical concepts and the skills to explain their choices. Real world examples, cooking, water and outdoor play lend themselves to capacity, measure, position and direction.
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
This area includes Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities, and the Natural World. We encourage active, independent learners who take an interest in their surroundings. Children learn to make sense of the physical world and their community through a variety of practical experiences, with visits from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue, Proctor and Gamble, the police, vets, Dogs Trust, authors, doctors, and other visitors who share their culture and celebrations. Through topics, children develop their natural curiosity and this is nurtured through indoor and outdoor experiences as well as visits that allow children to develop a sense of their place within our local community and the significance of past and present events.
EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND DESIGN
This area includes Creating with Materials and Being Imaginative and Expressive. Children benefit from accessing a variety of media, where they can express what they see, hear, and feel, by giving them the opportunity, through music and movement lessons, to experience drama, singing and performances both on and off the stage. Children have discreet singing and music lessons with continuous provision, inside and outside school.
