EYFS CuRRiculum

Intent

Our Early Years team provides children with an exceptional foundation, which fosters a lifelong love of learning. Through Planning in the Moment, children are encouraged to take an active role in their learning, resulting in creative, resilient learners. Our passionate team has the child at the centre of everything they do, providing a caring, supportive environment where children feel safe to develop as an individual. We believe that this provides our children and families with an exceptional start to school.

Implementation

Since September 2019, our EYFS team has incorporated “Planning in the Moment” which is a child-led approach to teaching and learning and ensures that the child’s interests are at the heart of what we do. Teachers will take into consideration the children’s interests to create meaningful educational experiences through providing an enabling environment, using quality interactions and ‘teachable moments’. The adult goes to the child rather than the adult calling the child to the table. The teacher will observe, listen, model, demonstrate, explain, encourage, question and facilitate and this is where the children will learn and make progress. This approach enables every child to become more confident, independent and fully engaged in their learning.  Planning and teaching is tailored to the individual’s needs and interests enabling them to reach their full potential. 

Each week, in pre-school there are different focus children . These children will be observed, assessed and planned for to meet their needs and interests. When a child is chosen,  parents receive a planning document to fill in with any details they may want to share, e.g. any exciting news, anything happening at home, visits to family and are key to documenting the child’s learning and progression.

Continuous provision is set up to enable and promote high quality learning opportunities, inside the classroom and outdoors. The classroom is designed to ensure children feel safe and secure. We resource to match learning needs and interests and it evolves constantly in line with the children. There are no overarching themes or topics that are taught year on year. Following a theory of Planning in the Moment, practitioners respond with compassion and expertise to children’s interests. Using their knowledge of their current stage and next steps they extend the learning opportunity as it happens. This is when it is most powerful, has the most impact and enables rapid and accelerated progress.

Using data, teacher knowledge and Early Learning Goals we plan 4 daily inputs. These are specific to the needs within the current cohort. We ensure they provide a clear and concise skill development, which can be practised, applied and consolidated through continuous provision. This will always include precise, tailored and differentiated maths and phonics. Our 4th session is decided based upon the specific need of the current cohort, for example we ensure that physical skills are developed consistently as this is a barrier to achieving a good level of development.

The quality of teaching is consistently strong and is based on a secure knowledge of how to promote learning and development in young children and what they can achieve. Staff present information clearly to children, promoting appropriate discussion about the subject matter being taught. They communicate well to check children’s understanding, identify misconceptions and provide clear explanations to improve their learning. In doing so, they respond and adapt their teaching as necessary. Interventions are fluid and occur in an organic nature through positive relationships with practitioners. Misconceptions are spotted, and acted upon before revisiting. This prevents gaps opening and then widening over time.

Children enjoy, listen attentively and respond with comprehension to familiar stories, rhymes and songs that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children develop their vocabulary and understanding of language across the seven areas of learning.

Children are encouraged to be aware of their own feelings and those of others. We teach empathy right from the early years, which enables a greater sense of self. We believe that once children are aware of the impact of their actions on other people, they are able to show remorse and adapt their behaviours going forwards. We have a conflict resolution area where children can explore their feelings, can calm themself using brushing stones and sit to talk things through. Practitioners will model and exemplify the area and its uses, at appropriate times that will have most meaning.