EYFS (EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE)
Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage at Holy Trinity Primary School. Within our setting, we recognise the importance of creating a safe, secure and stimulating environment, to enable all of our children to be confident to learn.
We promote children’s learning through the provision of structured activities, alongside opportunities to explore and discover through child initiated activities. As such, we are able to meet the differing individual needs and interests of all of our children.
We recognise that in order for children to learn and make progress, their curiosity, independence and imagination need to be developed. As such, we ensure that our provision promotes children’s critical thinking skills and resilience, whilst encouraging children to take risks.
EYFS
At Holy Trinity, emphasis is placed on high quality interactions between adults and children to ensure they are exposed to good models of language and vocabulary throughout each day. We prioritise the development of personal, social and emotional skills, as well as physical skills, as we believe this will encourage the holistic development of every child.
We value the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers. In order to work collaboratively, we use the Tapestry Online Journal to share the activities and experiences that your child has enjoyed engaging with at school. It also enables you as parents and carers to contribute to your child’s learning journey by sharing home experiences.
The EYFS Framework
There are seven areas of learning and development that help to shape educational provision in Early Years settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. None of the areas of learning can be delivered in isolation from the others. Our children’s learning experiences enable them to develop competency and skills not just academically but also socially, emotionally and physically.
The three prime areas which are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, and form relationships are:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
Staff will also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
All of those areas of learning are connected together. The characteristics of effective teaching and learning weave through them all. That’s because children in the early years are becoming more powerful learners and thinkers. These characteristics develop as they learn to do new things, acquire new skills, develop socially and emotionally, and become better communicators.
We plan learning experiences considering both the children’s individual needs and achievements as well as a range of learning experiences that will assist them to make progress. Well-planned play is a key way in which children learn with enjoyment and challenge during the Foundation Stage. Children deepen their understanding by playing, talking, observing, planning, questioning, experimenting, testing, repeating, reflecting and responding to adults and to each other.
Our learning environment is made up of areas which reflect all areas of the curriculum. Here children can make their own choices, encouraging them to play and explore. They can be active learners and are able to create and think critically. We operate indoor/outdoor learning experiences for our young children, as well as Forest School provision. Links are made between all learning environments, to ensure that all children receive a rich and varied curriculum that supports their learning and development.
