Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.                                      

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage March 2021

The EYFS is based upon four principles:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and who can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured.
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
• Children learn well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and helps them to build their learning over time.
• The importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates,

At Christ Church CE Primary School, all teaching staff deliver the EYFS through high quality teaching alongside an enriched learning environment. Our philosophy is to nurture every child’s enthusiasm for learning, developing both skills and confidence as they take their first steps on their own unique journey of lifelong learning.

CURRICULUM

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

In the Early Years at Christ Church CE Primary School we foster and make the most of children’s instinctive need and desire to communicate by:

• Role modelling the qualities and characteristics of an excellent communicator
• Immersing children in a rich environment of words, sounds, rhythm, verbal and non-verbal expression
• Engaing children in conversation through-out the day
• Providing genuine reasons, provocations and a real purpose to listen and talk
• Valuing the different ways and means children use to communicate.

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL

In the Early Years classes at Christ Church CE Primary School we create a supportive and nurturing atmosphere and ethos which provides our children with a sense of safety, security, belonging and self worth. We do this by:

• Establishing and developing mutually respectful relationships with and between adults and children.
• Understanding children’s idiosyncrasies, qualities, and attributes so they feel values and develop positive attitudes towards themselves and others.
• Knowing and understanding our children’s family contexts and dynamics.
• Setting rules, establishing boundaries, following routines and explaining consequences.
• Modelling and explaining behaviours and emotions and how to manage and resolve conflict.
• Empowering children to be independent enabling them to make informed choices and decisions.
• Using praise to build confidence.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

At Christ Church we nurture children’s strong need and desire to be physically active which builds the foundations for other areas of their development by:

• Building children’s strength, stamina, balance, co-ordination and dexterity
• Developing a range of large and small movements which they can control
• Improving and refining children’s control and manipulation of a variety of tools
• Instilling a sense of confidence in children’s own physical abilities enabling them to negotiate spaces
• Promoting independence by teaching them to make decisions and choices that will keep them healthy and safe