Our Early Years Vision
Each child has a positive, meaningful and enriching start to their early years education. Children are equipped with skills and knowledge for life linked to social interaction, language development and metacognitive skills enabling learning across various disciplines. Children flourish in independence, with their sense of self, strength, determination and patterns of thinking. Their daily environment at Eaves Primary School will be nurturing, understanding and full of appropriate challenge.
Our Early Years Intentions
It is our intention to teach core knowledge within our Early Years Curriculum that will support the children to develop essential skills across the seven areas of development and of course beyond! Our high expectations will enable each child to develop emotionally, socially, physically, verbally and intellectually to achieve their full potential. Learning is structured for the range of children’s starting points and there is unlimited opportunity for each child to make progress. Children are supported to build relationships, develop co-operation and appreciate each other. Children are always celebrated as individuals and they are supported to recognise their own strengths and achievements whilst developing their resilience to work towards individual goals. Children’s preparation for adulthood is always in sight, we build on their firm foundations and every interaction, play experience is intentional.
Our Early Years Pedagogy… what we do
Through stimulating and motivating environments, accompanied by high quality play, and supported through thoughtful adult interactions we scaffold the children’s experiences, so their knowledge and skills grow. Children have the opportunity to learn through their play, through exploration and through immersive experiences within a structured environment. Children are given the chance to revisit, to develop, to broaden and deepen their knowledge, skills and understanding across time. It is our utmost priority that children are kept safe, that they maintain physical and emotional health so that they can access their day as successfully as possible. Early learning experiences promote the children’s sense of self and of place so that they formulate knowledge about their immediate world, building on current experience and of course immersing them in new. We equip the children with the skills and knowledge they need on their bespoke educational journey to develop their independent thought, resilience and problem-solving as we prepare them for their future years.
Our pedagogy is rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles:
A Unique Child – we recognise that every child is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive Relationships – we recognise that children learn to be strong and independent from secure relationships.
Enabling environments – we recognise that children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. We know that children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
Learning and development – we recognise that children learn and develop at different rates.
Our learning environments are inviting and accessible to all to promote the children’s curiosity and help them make links in their learning. The classrooms and outdoor areas are places where children can feel safe to explore, investigate and be challenged. The seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage are promoted throughout continuous and enhanced provision and certainly through various adult-led activities. Throughout the year in Nursery and Reception, continuous provision is enhanced and developed to meet the ever-developing needs of the current cohort through adaptation to resources, ensuring the layers of challenge and support are relevant.
Effective planning consolidates, builds on and extends what children know and can do. It is vital to make learning relevant, stimulating, varied and progressive for all children. Children are observed across a variety of contexts in order to understand and consider their current knowledge, learning and developmental needs. Informed new and next steps can then be implemented for the children’s learning and experiences. We plan for the Long Term and the Short Term, always remembering each Unique Child and factoring in time and space for self-initiated lines of enquiry. Long Term planning tabulated below shows an overview of the knowledge, skills and experiences to be covered. Our Short Term Planning then brings this ‘to life’ through continuous provision experiences, play based learning with their peers and purposeful, specific interactions with Key Adults. Observations are completed individually, in small groups, as part of class or through adult led or child-initiated play. This can be captured photographically or through written logs on Seesaw. Assessments are the decisions then made about the child’s learning and development. The EYFS Profile is used as a summative assessment at the end of the Reception Year. It makes statements about the child’s progress towards the Early Learning Goals.
Our Early Years Impact
The impact of being in the Early Years at Eaves Primary School is demonstrated in having happy, self-assured, sensitive yet confident children ready to transition into Year 1. Practitioners measure children’s achievement and progress throughout the year both in Nursery and Reception, making decisions based on Practitioner knowledge of each child and through the collation of significant moments gathered through observations on Seesaw.
Our Link Governor for Early Years is Mrs K Thomas who visits school regularly.
