Early Years
The Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) begins at birth and continues until the end of the Reception year. Our days are full of play-based learning experiences, both indoors and outdoors with dedicated time to the teaching of phonics and mathematics.
To prepare our children for Year 1, after Christmas we begin to follow school structures by joining in with Collective Worship, KS1 playtimes and Celebration Assemblies as well as having dedicated hall time for Physical Development Education.
Intent
At St. Joseph’s we aim to provide a warm, secure and Christ-centred environment where every child feels loved, valued and respected. We believe that every child should have access to motivating first-hand experiences, memorable learning opportunities and the opportunity to grow and develop as independent, creative and confident children. We encourage our children to build resilience, ambition and a life-long love of learning through a curriculum built on skill progression. Our curriculum is loosely planned to immerse our children in language, vocabulary and unique experiences to inspire, challenge and influence play. Our day-to-day practice is child-centred, following the interests of the children, ensuring there is a balance between child-initiated learning and adult-directed tasks. We are passionate about children leading and engrossing themselves in their learning, and therefore we provide a rich environment with resources aimed to provoke children’s natural curiosity. We recognise that all children are unique in the eyes of God and we celebrate and welcome differences within our school community.
We aim to:
• Provide a curriculum that offers children a wide range of opportunities whilst broadening their experiences, we aim to provide opportunities to try new things, promote curiosity and embrace new challenges.
• Have high expectations and encourage children to develop perseverance and self-belief so that they can problem solve and achieve beyond their own expectations.
• Provide a learning environment that helps children achieve their potential and support those who need additional help in order to maximise their chances of achieving the Early Learning Goals.
• Provide children opportunities to develop their sense of wellbeing and ability to regulate their feelings so that they feel confident in our community, and are equipped with all the tools they need to transition to Year 1 effectively.
• Develop the skills and expertise of staff working in EYFS by taking part in network meetings and engaging in up-to-date research opportunities.
Areas of Learning:
The EYFS is made up of three prime areas of learning:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
There are four specific areas of learning:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
All seven areas of learning and development are important and interconnected.
At St. Joseph’s, we aim to provide our children with a range of rich, meaningful first-hand experiences to inspire and promote curiosity, independence and a lifelong love of learning. We plan varied tasks in which children can explore, think creatively and are active. Through a loosely planned curriculum, our planning ensures that each child has the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in every area of the EYFS. Each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful activities and through a mix of adult led and child-initiated learning.
Assessment in Reception
September
In September, your child will take part in the Reception Baseline Assessment. This is nothing to worry about and is a simple task that is delivered by the class teacher.
June
At the end of the Reception year, all children will be assessed to build their EYFS Profile. This tells us how much your child has learned this year and we do this by assessing against the 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs). This is nothing to worry about and the judgements are used to help us plan the support your child may need in Year 1. To achieve a 'Good Level of Development', your child's teacher will use their knowledge of your child to ascertain if they have met the goals in: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development as well as Literacy and Mathematics.
If you have concerns about anything, please speak to the Reception class teacher (Miss Laidler).
Click the link below to see all of the wonderful things happening in Reception class this year!