EYFS Curriculum

The Curriculum

We follow the EYFS Framework which is the curriculum set out by the Department for Education. This includes the seven key areas of learning and development. These seven areas of learning and development are split into three prime areas and four specific areas. Children are supported to develop in the three prime areas first.

These are:

Communication and language
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in four additional areas.

These are:

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design

These seven areas are used as a framework to plan your child’s learning and activities, but the professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s individual learning and developmental needs.

Learning Through Play

We ensure learning is fun and engaging; we want our children to develop a love of learning in this first school year. The EYFS approach is to ‘Learn Through Play’ and through this approach, a child can learn to make sense of the world around them. Play allows children to develop social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally, and gain the self-confidence required to engage in new experiences and environments.

Our children also benefit from a mixture of learning opportunities including:

carpet time - when the teacher facilitates interactive, whole class teaching sessions. This can include stories, singing, phonics and early number skills.
free flow - the children are encouraged to explore the Bears learning environment, both inside and out, accessing the high quality resources and learning activities made available by the staff.
small group work - practitioners in the setting may carry out collaborative learning with small groups of children. This is mainly play based and offers the opportunity to play and learn alongside other children, with the support of an adult.
1:1 learning - occasionally adults may work on a ‘one on one’ basis to support a child’s learning. This may include reading, writing work or to develop early maths skills.

Learning Journeys

The practitioners in the setting record the children’s achievements through observations, photographs and examples of their independent work. These are compiled into your child’s personal ‘Learning Journey’ to show their progress through the EYFS. They are fantastic documents that show the excellent learning opportunities that the children experience at Bandon Hill and showcase each child’s attainment. We encourage the children to look through these whenever they would like to and we share them with parents at Parent’s Evenings. Please do send in contributions from home; it is important to include ‘parent voice’ in their Learning Journeys. Class teachers can advise you on how best to do this should you like some inspiration!

Parent Partnership

We understand that your child starting school is a very big step for you all. We want to build a relationship with our parents to ensure that this handover is as smooth as possible. All children starting Reception at Moss Lane will have a home visit. This is an opportunity for you to talk with your child’s new teacher, to ask questions and raise any worries or concerns that you or your child may have. It also provides your child with the chance to meet their new teacher in a safe and familiar environment, laying the foundations for a positive relationship.

Please click on the link here to view the DfE guidance for Early years foundation stage statutory framework