Reception
We have worked hard to develop a broad, balanced curriculum that provides all learners with key knowledge and skills to enable them to become lifelong learners. We aim to ensure that whilst providing children with this knowledge, learning is also exciting and engaging, igniting their curiosity and giving them a passion for learning. We hope to create resilient, curious and tenacious learners that are fully prepared for their futures beyond.
Each half term, EYFS staff introduce 4 to 5 core texts to provide inspiration for learning, whilst providing the flexibility for children to follow their own interests and ideas. Children learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities. In maths and phonics children need a carefully sequenced curriculum to ensure they securely learn the small units of knowledge they need incrementally to succeed but play is crucial too. Our timetables are carefully structured so that children have directed teaching during the day. The timetable changes throughout the year to take into consideration the changing needs of the children.
Early Reading
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and our aim is to encourage a love of reading right from the start. We use EYFS CUSP to supplement the teaching of reading and each term we focus on 4-5 core texts. The texts have been arranged to coincide with our yearly timetable. For example, Pumpkin soup is taught at the end of Autumn term 1 and Celebrations around the World is first introduced at the end of Autumn 2. The aim is to expose children to a range of books that not only develop a love of reading, but have been chosen specifically to develop their oracy, vocabulary and comprehension. These books will be embedded in our provision through activities and story sessions. Through this, children begin to internalise new vocabulary, language patterns and begin to retell stories.
We deliver story time daily in EYFS. This may be using one of our core texts or sharing focus children’s books. The CUSP story time texts are coherently sequenced and each lesson includes a strand on vocabulary, fluency, reading the text and ‘thinking harder’. This ensures there is cohesion and consistency with our approach to align with the whole school English Curriculum (CUSP) that is followed from Years 1-6.
Phonics
In Reception, the children rapidly learn sounds and the letter or groups of letters they need to represent them. Simple mnemonics help them to grasp this quickly. This is especially useful for children at risk of making slower progress. This learning is consolidated daily. Children have frequent practice in reading high frequency words with irregular spellings (common exception words).
We make sure that children read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and the common exception words. This is so that, early on, they experience success and gain confidence that they are readers. Re-reading and discussing these books with the teacher supports their increasingly fluent decoding.
Embedding the alphabetic code early on means that children quickly learn to write simple words and sentences. We encourage them to compose each sentence aloud until they are confident to write independently. We make sure they write every day.
Children write at the level of their spelling knowledge. The quality of the vocabulary they use in their writing reflects the language they have heard in the books the teacher has read to them; they have also discussed what the words mean.
Children are encouraged to read at home and are listened to regularly in school. They are given books that match their phonic knowledge in order for them to apply their learning with the aim of becoming successful, confident and fluent readers.
Maths
In Reception, we follow the White Rose Maths Scheme of work. High quality learning environments and meaningful interactions with adults, support children in developing mathematical thinking and discussion. Children learn through games and tasks using concrete manipulatives and pictorial structures and representations which are then rehearsed, applied and recorded within their own child-led exploration. Children who need interventions to help keep up have daily, ‘table time’ sessions to develop fluency, revisit key concepts and address
misconceptions.
Wider Curriculum
Our planning for the foundation subjects is built around the CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum. The curriculum is effectively sequenced, cumulative, vocabulary and knowledge-rich. It focuses heavily on the ‘what’ – with knowledge being clearly verbalised, concepts clearly identified, and subject-specific vocabulary taught and used. Through the carefully planned sequence of lessons, both within and across year groups, knowledge is cumulative and retrievable. We have adapted the curriculum to match with our local context and to meet the needs of individual cohorts.
Continuous provision
A vital aspect in the development of essential knowledge and skills is the use of continuous provision. This means that children are using and developing taught skills throughout the year on a daily basis. Continuous provision practice and principles begin in EYFS and support children to develop key life skills such as independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry, analysis and problem solving. During the school day, children have opportunities to work and play independently, collaboratively with their friends and with members of staff. This learning is accessible indoor and out where children can freely access our provision.
When our children are learning in their child-led time our adults move to where the children are engaged and interact with them as they play, making the most of children’s natural desire to explore and learn to enhance the learning wherever a ‘teachable moment’ is spotted. Adults create enabling environments that are equipped to meet the needs, interests and stages of development of each child.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This is made up of four overriding principles which our Early Years education is based upon:
● Unique Child – Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable,
confident and self-assured.
● Positive Relationships – Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
● Enabling Environments – Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their
experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners
and parents and carers.
● Learning and Development – Children develop and learn in different ways. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early year’s provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Children benefit from meaningful learning across the curriculum and staff plan resourcefully for opportunities for communication, sustained shared thinking and physical challenge to build on existing skills taking into account the Characteristics of Effective Learning.
These are:
● Playing and Exploring – children investigate and experience things, and have a go.
● Active Learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy
achievements.
● Creating and Thinking Critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing things.
The learning experiences within our Early Years are linked to the seven areas of learning and development within the EYFS. These areas are split into three prime areas and four specific areas. The three prime areas are those which the children should develop first and are considered most essential for the healthy development and future learning of our children. These include: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development.
As children grow and make progress in the prime areas, this will help them to naturally develop skills within the four specific areas. These are: Literacy, Mathematics , Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.
Our inclusive approach means that all children learn together, but we have a range of additional intervention and support for children who may not be reaching their potential, or are showing a greater depth of understanding and need further challenge. This includes, for example, sessions for developing speech and language, attention and listening skills, social skills, fine motor skills, phonics, and maths.
Parental involvement
We pride ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our parents and carers here at St Mary’s. We provide regular opportunities for parents and carers to come into school with their child, share stories and celebrate successes. We keep parents informed and meet regularly with them to ensure children’s transition into school and through the EYFS is happy and allows them to reach their full potential. This includes transition days, nursery or home visits, stay and play sessions, parent workshops, reports and parent consultations as well as more frequent informal communication to suit individual families. We also support the transition into Key Stage 1 for both the children and adults. We prepare children for Year 1 with visits to their new class, meeting the teacher and ensuring the environments are similar at the end of EYFS and the start of Year 1.
IMPACT - how do we know our curriculum is effective?