THE EYFS CURRICULUM
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework sets out key areas of learning and development for children (2024).
Learning and development is categorised into three prime areas of learning:
- Communication and language.
- Physical development.
- Personal, social and emotional development.
Additionally there are four specific areas of learning:
- Literacy.
- Mathematics.
- Understanding the world.
- Expressive arts and design.
Phonics
Discreet phonics sessions are delivered daily as soon as all children are full time and the duration of these sessions lengthen as the year progresses. We use SuperSonic Phonics for all phonic sessions. More information about the teaching of phonics can be found on the website under Curriculum / English: Phonics.
Our curriculum is also informed by evidence from current research publications in early years education, including 'Strong Foundations in the First Years of School (October 24), Bold Beginnings (2017) and Best Start in Life (2022).
THE FOUR 'M'S
In EYFS, we maximise the amount of time that children are actively engaged in learning and play; we use the principles of the ‘4 Ms’ to facilitate their learning by:
- Making Conversation
- Mark Making
- Mathematics
- Muscle and Movement
MAKING CONVERSATION
Facillitating high-quality talk and conversation lie at the heart of our curriculum in the Early Years. This takes many forms:
- Adult to Child Chat - facillitating conversations with all children to develop their language and communiction skills
- Child to Child Chat - enabling conversations between children through access to talk friendly spaces in the environment, inluding dens, seating areas and a cosy reading corner
- Access to Vocabulary - exploring and extending vocabulary through regular reading and book talk as well as poetry and story telling
- Commentary Play - adults narrate what they or children are doing during play
MARK MAKING
This ‘M’ incorporates reading and writing. We carefully plan opportunities to introduce writing or mark making into play.
Below are some of the ways we do this:
- Mark making opportunities in all areas, for example shopping lists in cooking area, labelling in construction area and painting in the art area.
- Using a variety of materials – chalk, paint brushes, pens, choice of paper, vertical surfaces etc..
- Message Centre – encouraging mark making and written communication without worrying about ‘getting it right’ or calling it a ‘writing or drawing area.
- Opportunities to practise skills taught in discreet phonics sessions
MATHEMATICS
Early Maths, including crucial mathematical vocabulary, is learnt through carefully planned opportunities integral to the indoor and outdoor learning environments. Examples include:
- Construction - shape, position, ordering.
- Cooking - weighing, counting, number recognition.
- The outside environment - shapes, ordering, weighing, comparing, position, counting, number recognition.
MUSCLE AND MOVEMENT
Developing muscle and movement are also crucial aspects of the EYFS curriculum. Developing gross and fine motor skills precedes the ability to hold a pencil and form letters. We encourage children to be physically active throughout the day. Our outdoor environment allows for children to balance, climb, dig, travel up and down slopes and lift heavy items.