Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

"When we give every child the best start in their early years, we give them what they need today.

We also set them up with every chance of success tomorrow."

(Development Matters, Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage)

All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes.

At Hackbridge Primary School, teachers in the early years carefully plan what the children learn in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments. Continuous provision enables them to learn from their own interests, alongside extending their knowledge and understanding from direct teaching.

Each day, we stimulate children’s interests, respond to each child’s emerging needs and guide their development through warm, positive interactions coupled with secure routines for play and learning.

There are seven areas of learning:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development
• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design

In their Reception year, as the children develop and their skills progress, we use more direct teaching and modelling and plan specific sequences of lessons. These strategies help us to focus on teaching the essential skills and knowledge in the specific areas of learning so that the children can develop the skills and confidence required by the end of their Reception year and on into Key Stage 1.

More information is available here: Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage