Early Years Foundation Stage

At Barncroft Primary School, our philosophy is to value every child as a unique individual, who enjoys learning and thinking for him or herself. Our aim within the Early Years Foundation Stage is to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment, which allows all children to feel secure and valued and therefore ready and eager to learn. We provide a supportive and secure environment in which every child can flourish and learn at their own pace and in their own individual way. Our role is to stimulate and encourage their development and enjoyment of learning through a variety of different activities, both adult directed and child initiated in secure indoor and outdoor situations.

We believe the relationships which the children develop in the Early Years, with each other and with our staff, are central to their happiness and will lay the best possible foundation for them to become independent lifelong learners.

Children in our Early Years phase follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, which consists of seven areas of learning. We teach children by ensuring challenging, playful opportunities across both the prime and specific areas of learning. We recognise that all children develop and learn at different rates and so our EYFS curriculum is designed flexibly to meet the needs of all individuals. We support individual learning through our skilful interactions and observations which lead to detailed next step planning. The Characteristics of Effective Learning underpin our curriculum and pupils learning, through an enabling and well-planned environment we ensure we provide meaningful opportunities for playing and learning, active learning and creating and thinking critically. As children utilise and develop these characteristics they become effective and motivated learners who demonstrate high levels of well-being and involvement.

Our early years setting follow the curriculum as outlined in the 2021 statutory framework of the EYFS. The EYFS framework includes 7 areas of learning and development that are equally important and inter-connected. However, 3 areas known as the prime areas are seen as particularly important for igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, for building children’s capacity to learn and to form relationships and thrive.

The 3 prime areas are:

1. Communication and Language (Listening, Attention and Understanding, Speaking)
2. Physical Development (Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills)
3. Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Self-Regulation, Managing Self and Building Relationships)

The 4 specific areas are:

1. Literacy (Comprehension, Word Reading and Writing)
2. Mathematics (Number and Numerical Patterns)
3. Understanding the World (Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities, The Natural World)
4. Expressive Arts and Design (Exploring and Using Media and Materials, Being Imaginative)