Intent:

• To put every child and their family at the centre of all decisions we make
• To create a warm, positive and loving environment in which to learn and work
• To have Christian & British values permeate a rich and varied curriculum resulting in excellent outcomes for all
• Develop children's understanding of their own world around them and into the wider world
• Enable children to be inquisitive and develop their language
• Create children who are confident to question, explain their thinking and share their knowledge

Implementation:

We believe that all children deserve to be valued as an individual and we are passionate in allowing all children to achieve their full, unique potential. With all of this in mind, we begin each new year by looking at the individual needs of our children and – taking into account their different starting points - we then carefully develop our flexible EYFS Curriculum which enables them to follow the path of their learning journey, at a point, that is suitable for their unique needs and stage of development. Our curriculum provides children with a careful balance of both adult led and child initiated learning experiences, which stimulate interest and curiosity in all 7 areas of learning and is highly responsive to the needs of all children. Through a combination of teacher input and continuous provision opportunities, learning is planned to encourage children to develop their learning independently through exploration and challenge. The “Characteristics of Effective Learning” are at the heart of our Curriculum and explore the different ways in which children learn. They highlight the importance of playing and learning, active learning and thinking critically. All the learning experiences we plan for the children allow them to utilise and develop these skills. Our learning environments, both inside and outside, are stimulating and exciting, and relevant to the needs and age/stage of our children. Our environments are literacy rich enabling children to develop their understanding of language and build their vocabulary. Environments are easily accessible to develop children’s independence. 

The curriculum celebrates diversity and supports the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Those children with particular needs, including SEND, are supported appropriately allowing them to be successful. Our curriclulum ensures children are well prepared for the next step in their learning journey. 

Within the curriculum there are seven key areas of learning:

• Personal, social and emotional development 
• Communication and language 
• Physical development 
• Literacy 
• Maths 
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design 

The curriculum also contains three characteristics of effective learning:

• Playing and exploring 
• Active learning 
• Creating and thinking critically 

Impact:

The impact of the EYFS curriculum is reflected in having well rounded, happy and confident children transitioning into Year 1. We measure progress and children’s learning across the year through formative and summative assessment which are based on the teacher’s knowledge of the child and supported by WOW moment observations on Evidence Me and work in children's books. We aim to exceed the National and Local Authority data for children achieving Good Level of Development. The judgements of our school are moderated with other schools to ensure that they are secure and consistent with government guidelines. The teaching and pedagogy are reviewed and evaluated regularly through fortnightly staff phase meetings. These have an agenda and actions which are then reviewed in the following meeting. We ensure that the areas we discuss and develop are reflected in changes and developments in our classroom practice. The Early Years provision features in areas of the School Development Plan and has a rigorous plan for development each year. This is monitored and evaluated by the EYFS Lead, the Head Teacher and the Link Governor.

To see what our learning looks like in the classroom please visit the Nursery and Reception class pages.