Early Years

INTENT

Our Early Years Curriculum aims to lay a secure foundation for all children to become lifelong learners. We are fully inclusive, understanding that all children are different and unique. We recognise that children start school with a range of experiences, and so our curriculum aims to enhance opportunities, and ensure all children gain the essential knowledge needed, to prepare them for future successes. We expect our children to leave us as happy, confident learners who are curious about the world around them.

Our Early Years team works together to create a positive, caring atmosphere in which children feel safe to try new things and achieve their full potential. At Cottesmore, we know that children do their best when all their emotional and physical needs are being met. We support children’s personal, social, and emotional development by encouraging a growth mind set, taking part in daily meditation, building teamwork skills and, above all, encouraging them to dare to dream.

Every child is a competent learner who can be resilient, confident and independent. Through the use of our Learning Muscles, children are able to develop these skills along with imagination, cooperation and teamwork from an early age. These enable children to develop positive learning characteristics they need for future learning.

Our school values are embedded into everything we do. We foster a respectful, caring ethos, whereby all children are expected to think of the needs of themselves and others. We recognise that knowing the children is key to excellent Early Years practise and that parents know their child best. Therefore, we respect all families and aim to develop strong relationships with parents, building positive links and communications with them.

We want children to be immersed in their learning and so we take a hands-on, holistic approach to teaching. Through the seven areas of learning, we provide rich indoor and outdoor experiences in which adult interactions during planned, child-initiated activities are at the heart of our teaching.

Topics are exciting and engaging, building on children’s own interests and developing their experiences of the world around them. We use our forest school area to create memorable experiences where children are able to use all their senses, make links to other learning and develop skills and knowledge in a meaningful context. We aim to provide children with the best start in school life and equip them with the tools they need to face new challenges. We want children to make the most of all learning opportunities and strive to be whoever they wish to be.

We aim to provide a broad curriculum which will enable each child to develop in their own way. In order to do this, we follow four guiding principles from the EYFS:

We aim to provide opportunities for learning through:

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IMPLEMENTATION 

The Early Years Framework

At Cottesmore, teaching in the EYFS is delivered in accordance with the government’s statutory document ‘The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ (March 2021). This document is a principled approach to the Early Years education, promoting teaching and learning to ensure children’s readiness for the next stage of education and bringing together children’s welfare, learning and developmental requirements through four main themes: ‘A Unique Child,’ ‘Positive Relationships,’ ‘Enabling Environments’ and ‘Children Learn in Different Ways and at Different Rates.’

Our curriculum at Cottesmore is centred around the three prime areas of learning. The prime areas play a significant role in encouraging children’s curiosity and enthusiasm. They are a driving force behind helping children as they learn to form relationships, moderate emotions and thrive in their day-to-day life. The three prime areas of learning are: 

The curriculum is further supplemented through the four specific areas which provide opportunities to develop essential skills and knowledge. The specific areas of Learning cannot be developed alone, and rely on well-developed prime areas of learning. The four specific areas of learning are:

The seven areas of learning are also underpinned by the characteristics of Effective Learning, which bring focus to the ways in which children learn. The three characteristics are:

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At Cottesmore, we value play as a fundamental part of the learning process in the Foundation Stage.

The indoor and outdoor environment are set up so that the children are able to access resources and develop their own play and learning both independently and through adult interaction and direction.

We organise the day to provide a balance between the following:

 

Phonics

The phonics curriculum is delivered in a systematic way. We follow the Read, Write, Inc. The program ensures precision teaching, based on children’s starting points and progress. Phonics lessons are daily in Reception and Year 1, as well as for those still continuing on the program in Year 2. Everything in our phonics program is taught in a specific order to ensure progression and to build upon skills acquired.

 

In Reception children are taught Set 1 sounds and blending skills as a whole class for the first 5 weeks of school. Following this, they are assessed to monitor progress and placed into streamed groups – Read Write Inc uses colours to name these groups. The streamed groups ensure that all children are taught at a level that provided new learning and new challenges daily. Previous sounds taught are continually consolidated and revised to ensure they are embedded fully. Precision teaching is delivered daily and in the same style by all reading leaders. This ensures consistency between groups as children may have different phonics teachers delivering their lesson throughout the year, but the format remains the same with no new routines to learn when they change group. 

 

Planning

Good planning is the key to making children’s learning effective, exciting, varied and progressive. Effective learning builds on and extends what children know and can already do. Planning is always informed by observations the Foundation Stage staff have made of the children, in order to understand and consider their current interests, development and learning needs.

Staff plan activities and experiences for children that encourage learning and development across both the prime and specific areas, while encouraging the characteristics of learning daily. They take into account individual children’s needs and interests to maximise engagement and progress. Staff meet together weekly to plan for the week and half term ahead, adapting planning as needed to fit the children’s interests and progress. Staff also interact with each other daily to share relevant observations to inform future planning, whether for the whole class or an individual’s needs.

 

Learning Environment

The learning environment is structured in such a way to encourage children’s curiosity and to maximise engagement, as well as learning securely and safely. The classroom and outdoor area consists of specific areas linked to the Curriculum where children can explore new concepts and practice and consolidate skills. Children are encouraged to access resources independently through continuous provision, leading their own play. They will also be encouraged to access learning invitations created by practitioners to support a learning intention. Children will have ‘free flow’ access to the outdoor area, which will also provide daily opportunities to interact with the EYFS curriculum.

Assessment

Our practitioners use effective and manageable procedures to assess what children can do and any areas where further adult support is needed to build on next steps in their learning. Adults work daily with groups of children on a specific skill or objective. Further master classes and interventions are offered to children who need further support to achieve the learning intention. We termly assess if children are on track to meet the Early Learning goals and ensure that individual children’s next steps are discussed regularly and a plan put in place to support children’s progress.

Phonic assessments are carried out using phonics Tracker every half term to quickly identify pupils that are not making expected progress. Our aim is for children to ‘keep up’ rather than ‘catch up’ where possible. 

 

  

 

IMPACT

We strive to ensure that our children’s progress across the EYFS curriculum is good from their varied starting points. We also strive for children to achieve a Good Level of Development and many of the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception, and to be as close as possible to National Expectations. Evidence in children’s Learning Journals and Tapestry, support all areas of the EYFS curriculum.

The impact of our curriculum is measured by assessment procedures which allow us to measure outcomes against all schools nationally. We measure the percentage of pupils achieving age related expectations and that are on track for GLD throughout the academic year, and put supportive interventions in place if and when needed. Teacher’s assessments are regularly moderated internally ensure accuracy. The impact of our curriculum will also be measured by how effectively it helps our pupils develop into well rounded individuals who embody our values and carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learners and valuable future citizens