EYFS

INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT OF THE EYFS AT OAKE, BRADFORD AND NYNEHEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL 

September 2021 The Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to 5 years. 

Intent  

Our curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, both from previous settings and their experiences at home. We work in partnership with parents, carers and other settings to provide the best possible start at Oake, Bradford and Nynehead ensuring each individual reaches their full potential from their various starting points. Our curriculum has been designed to enable children to succeed through cooperative and collaborative learning principles. As such, there is a strong emphasis on the Prime Areas of learning; we recognise that oracy not only improves academic outcomes, but is a life skill to ensure success beyond school, in life and future employment. Oracy develops children’s thinking and understanding, which in turn promotes self-confidence, resilience and empathy which support the child’s well-being. Our enabling environments and warm, skilful adult interactions support the children as they begin to link learning to their play and exploration right from the start. We believe that high level engagement ensures high level attainment. We therefore provide an engaging curriculum that maximises opportunities for meaningful cross-curricular links and learning experiences, as well as promoting the unique child by offering extended periods of play and sustained thinking. We consider children’s current interests and ideas in order to foster a lifelong love of learning both in and outside of school. By the end of the Reception year, our intent is to ensure that all children make at least good progress from their starting points are equipped with the skills and knowledge to have a smooth transition into Year 1. 

 Implementation  

Each half term, EYFS staff introduce a new theme 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. The timetable is 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. These sessions are followed by small focused group work. This means the teacher can systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions quickly and provide real-time verbal feedback which results in a strong impact on the acquisition of new learning. Children are provided with plenty of time to engage in ‘exploration’ throughout the variety of experiences carefully planned to engage and challenge them in the provision. The curriculum is planned for the inside and outside classrooms and equal importance is given to learning in both areas.

Mathematics  

In Reception, we follow the White Rose Maths Scheme of work which is divided into 3 weekly units. High quality learning environments and meaningful interactions with adults, support children in developing mathematical thinking and discussion. Pupils 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. In pre- school children develop a love of maths through games, songs, rhymes, and play using concrete manipulatives. There is a focus on the following counting principles; one to one correspondence, stable order and cardinal principle. Children’s fine manipulative skills are a focus to develop 1-1 correspondence so children count each object only once.  

Our wider curriculum is taught through the learning areas; ‘Understanding of the World’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design.’ EYFS staff have a good understanding of how ELG’s feed into the National Curriculum through our robust planning and CPD opportunities. In reverse, colleagues throughout the school are also aware of the key ELG’s that link to each foundation subject and the progression of the subject. Exciting, purposeful and contextual activities are planned to build on children’s natural curiosity. For example, building a boat for their favourite toy enables them to think like a ‘Scientist’ as they explore a range of materials and test out their own ideas. Building further on our oracy focus, children will be encouraged to employ subject specific language and terminology in foundation subjects, and such vocabulary will be modelled, both verbally and orally, by supporting practitioners. 

Developing Readers 

Each half term we introduce a theme with a focus book. Through this we intend to:  

• Multiple opportunities to read and engage with the text. 

 It is important that children have repeated experiences of high-quality texts and have opportunities to engage and enjoy the text independently. 

 • Language development opportunities. 

 We have carefully considered the opportunities for language development offered by each book.  

 • Connect to the book. We have planned opportunities for children to connect to the book through nursery rhymes, action songs, poems and songs that link to the text. This will provide opportunities for children to develop a rich repertoire of these rhymes and songs, which will support language development and enjoyment. 

Learning nursery rhymes and action rhymes  

Singing a range of nursery rhymes and action rhymes is part of our daily routine. Children need to experience a rich repertoire of nursery rhymes and action rhymes that include multi-sensory experiences, such as action rhymes in which children have to add claps, knee pats or foot stamps, or move in a particular way. They need to build a stock of rhymes through hearing them in different contexts. In order to share nursery rhymes and action rhymes in an effective way we : 

 • Use a wide range of nursery rhymes and action rhymes. 

 • Repeat these often, so that children learn the words and actions for themselves. 

 • Use actions and clapping. • Use different voices and sound effects. 

Phonics in Little Acorns 

We follow the Little Wandle approach to foundations in phonics that focuses on developing skills needed for listening and attention. 

Phonics and Reading in Reception

We follow an exciting, new DfE commissioned phonics scheme that puts emphasis on ensuring every child can read by the time they leave Year 1. This is called Little Wandle Revised Letters and sounds, We teach reading through the following steps: 

• Daily phonics sessions  

 • Regular exposure to taught sounds 

 • Phonics as a route to decoding; to be able to blend to read and segment to spell.  

• Learnt in ‘phases’ as a whole class  

• 4 new sounds per week and a review lesson  

• Keep up sessions that may be 1:1 or group as needed  

• After 5 weeks of teaching the children are assessed on the sounds they have been learning, their blending skills, reading of words with key sounds and tricky words that have been introduced. 

 • 3 reading practice sessions with a decodable book 

Reading books 

 Children will read 3 times per week on the same book focusing on different skills:  

-Decoding -Prosody (expression) - 

Comprehension  

They will bring home a decodable book that contains words with the same focus sounds as the book they have been reading in school. They will keep this book for a week. You can use the prompts inside the front and back cover to support your child as they read. We ask that the book comes to school every day. This book is matched to your child’s phonic ability and should be fluent and automatic. The aim is that the children read at a 95% fluency. This means that the children should need little to no support reading the words. We assess them every 6 weeks to match their reading ability to the right book.  

Sharing Book 

In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together. 

Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun! 

Impact  

Baseline: Prior to children starting, staff spend time speaking to previous settings to gain an understanding of the whole child and where they are at. During the first half term in Nursery or Reception, all staff use ongoing assessments, observations and conversations with the child to develop a baseline assessment. This identifies each individual’s starting points in all areas so we can plan experiences to ensure progress. The following baseline assessments are also carried out. The RBA (Statutory Reception Baseline Assessment) This assessment focuses on ‘Language, Communication and Literacy,’ and ‘Mathematics.’ The purpose of this is to show the progress children make from Reception until the end of KS2. 

Ongoing Observation: All ongoing observations are used to inform weekly planning and identify children’s next steps. This formative assessment does not involve prolonged periods of time away from the children and excessive paper work. Practitioners draw on their knowledge of the child and their own expert professional judgements through discussions with other practitioners and physical examples such as a child’s drawing / making. We closely monitor the children's progress throughout the EYFS and offer individual catch up to children who need extra support. In Summer Term 2, the EYFSP is completed where teacher judge whether the child has met each of the 17 ELG’s. They will be assessed as either ‘emerging’ or ‘expected.’ Whilst there is no judgement to state if a child is exceeding beyond an ELG, teachers, have a duty to provide a narrative for both parents and the Year 1 teacher. 

 Impact is also evident through our successful transitions into Year 1. EYFS staff have a good understanding of how ELG’s link to the National Curriculum, and through our robust planning and delivery across the spectrum of subjects – both core and foundation - children leave the EYFS stage with the skills, knowledge and confidence to continue their journey as scientists, historians, artists and geographers.