EYFS at Gerrans
"When we give every child the best start in their early years, we give them what they need today. We also set them up with every chance of success tomorrow." - Development Matters 2021
Intent
- To recognise children’s prior knowledge from previous settings and their experiences at home
- To provide first-hand learning experiences
- To build resilience, ambition and integrity
- To recognise every child as a unique individual
- To teach basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values
- To provide enhancement opportunities to engage learning and to increase our first hand experience of school which should be happy and positive
- To encourage involvement with parents and to celebrate the children’s learnt skills after each topic
- To understand and follow children’s interests and to provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum. We will support learning, consolidate and deepen knowledge through next steps
- To create an indoor and outdoor environment which supports all areas of learning
- To prepare children to reach the Early Learning goals at the end of Reception and to ensure children are making good progress from their starting point
- To support transition into KS1
- Recognise children’s prior knowledge from previous settings and their experiences at home
- Embed positive behaviours for learning through the Characteristics of Effective Learning by providing play and exploration, active learning, creative and critical thinking
- Recognise every child as a unique individual
- Work collaboratively with parents and carers to encourage independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential
- Teach and build upon early skills, knowledge, concepts and values
- Provide enhancement opportunities to engage learning and to increase our first-hand experience of school which should be happy and positive
- Provide vibrant continuous indoor and outdoor provision, that follow children’s interests, to support learners in investigating, developing and challenging skills and knowledge
- Enable children to achieve the Early Learning Goals at the end of reception and to ensure children are making good progress from their starting point
- Support transition so that children are prepared and ready for Reception and Key Stage
- Children will progress across the EYFS curriculum from their starting point
- Most children will have reached the Early Learning Goals by the end of Reception
- Children will have support throughout the year in order to progress
- Children will investigate, have a go, concentrate and encounter difficulties which they can overcome with confidence
- Children will have developed their own ideas, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing this
- Evidence in children’s learning journeys support all areas of the EYFS curriculum
- All children’s needs will be met to enable them to learn to their full potential
- Children will develop into well rounded individuals who embody our valves and carry with hem the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them lifelong learning.
- Children will be ready to start Year 1
Our Curriculum for our Early Years reflects the learning aims and objectives set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum
EYFS has four of these, each with principles that inform them:
A Unique Child, Positive Relationships,Enabling Environments and Learning and Development.
We support our children to become independent and collaborative learners by providing a range of activities and experiences. Through these experiences we encourage children to take risks, discover and make links between their explorations. At Gerrans School, we provide a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities to allow children to develop to their full potential. We provide the children with opportunities to obtain a good level of development at the end of Reception. In order to achieve this, children are required to reach their Early Learning Goals in all of the prime and specific areas.
Prime Areas
Communication and language - Listening and attention and understanding, speaking. Communication and Language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development- Self Regulation, Managing Self, Building Relationships
Personal, Social and Emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of
themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Physical Development- Gross Motor Skills, Fine Motor Skills
Physical Development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Specific Areas
Literacy- Comprehension; Word Reading, Writing
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Within the classroom we encourage this with the use of Talk for Writing, daily stories and singing. At Gerrans school we follow the UK's leading synthetic phonics programme, Read Write Inc.
Mathematics - Number, Numerical patterns
Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; to describe shapes, spaces, and measures. We follow the Master the Curriculum scheme which links to White Rose Maths.
Understanding the World - Past and Present, People, Culture and Communities, The Natural World Understanding of the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive Arts and Design - Creating with Materials, Being imaginative and Expressive Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role- play, and design and technology.
Throughout the year we address the different areas through a range of themes that are largely initiated by the children. Staff carefully observe the interests, ages and stages of learning of the children and plan activities and topics to capture those interests and ensure they build on what children can do and take their learning forward.
Importance of Play
Through play, children develop language skills, their emotions and creativity, social and intellectual skills. For most children play is natural and spontaneous although some children may need extra guidance from adults. Play occurs indoors and outdoors and it is in these different environments that children explore and discover their immediate world. It is here they practise new ideas and skills, they take risks, show imagination and solve problems on their own or with others. The role that adults have is crucial. Adults provide time and space and appropriate resources. These might include clothes, boxes, buckets, old blankets that will inspire play and fire children’s imaginations.
They observe play and join in when invited, watching and listening before intervening. They value play and provide safe but challenging environments that support and extend learning and development. (Early Years Matters, 2022)
At Gerrans School we strive to cater for the individual needs and interests of our children. Children may choose from a wide and varied selection of activities:
- Creating imaginative games in their role play
- Sharing stories and books together in the book nook
- Using a variety of construction toys to create interesting models and structures both inside and outside
- Choose their own mark making tools and media to develop early writing and drawing skills
- Get messy with sensory play such as snow, gloop and shaving foam
- Paint, print and explore colour, shape, pattern and texture
- Get creative with dough, collage materials and junk modelling.
- Explore and investigate sand and water
- Build dens and structures with loose parts outside
- Enjoy our mud kitchen
- Make roads and ride the trikes and scooters around the garden
- Play in our woodland area and use our climbing walls and bars.
Outdoor Learning We have a large outside area and children are encouraged to learn through investigating their environment, building confidence, resilience and independence. We provide children with waterproof trousers (or they can bring their own) so that they can get active and dirty and encourage children to bring in their own wellies so that we can use the outside space all year round.
Additionally, we teach our children about the importance of a healthy diet, keeping fit and being clean. We provide a snack during the morning where children are welcome to have a piece of fruit and milk. Children bring in their own water bottles which can be refilled in the classroom.
Assessment
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework is clear that assessment needs to be carried out in a way that minimises the time that the adult is taken away from the children since we know children learn best through positive and sensitive interactions with adults. At Gerrans, assessment happens all the time through interactions and spotting what children can do and their next steps. Where children are making little or no progress, we would identify barriers to learning and implement support in order to support all children to succeed.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework supports an integrated approach to early learning and care. It gives all professionals a set of common principles and commitments to deliver quality early education and childcare experiences to all children. This document sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes. As well as being the core document for all professionals working in the foundation years, the EYFS framework gives mums and dads confidence that regardless of where they choose for their child’s early education, they can be assured that the same statutory commitments and principles will underpin their child’s learning and development experience.
The Reception Baseline Assessment is an age-appropriate assessment of early mathematics and literacy, communication and language. It is delivered in English and is administered within the first six weeks of a pupil starting reception. The assessment has two components, each consisting of practical tasks using physical resources. There is an online scoring system for the practitioner to use as the pupil engages with the tasks. The Reception Baseline Assessment will be used to create school-level progress measures for primary schools which will show the progress pupils make from reception until the end of key stage 2.
The EYFS framework identifies three characteristics of effective teaching and learning:
- Playing and Exploring
- Active Learning
- Creating and Thinking Critically
reception year, which will help them to prepare for year one.
Tapestry
This is a platform that we use and share with our parents. Tapestry allows us to keep a record of children's achievement (`Wow moments`) and connects parents and teachers on a student's conduct and performance through real-time reports as well as a feed for photos and videos during the school day.
In Reception, we use a target tracking system this allows us to see and record children who need extra support. Target Tracker links with the Early years statements from Development Matters and is an effective way to track progress not just through Reception years but the whole school.
Special visits, family and friends
We enjoy welcoming guests and visitors from the local community into our classroom to make our learning more exciting and real. Some of these have included visits to the Roseland Farm, whole school trips to see a Pantomime at the Hall for Cornwall or a Christmas film at the cinema, walks to local beaches, the local fire station, and the local harbour. We also regularly take part in village activities such as the Horticultural Show and Carol singing.
Important Parent Information
Pupils Premium
•The pupil premium is additional funding given to schools in England to help raise the attainment of a group of pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.
•Children who can benefit from pupil premium funding are those that will be entitled to free school meals once they reach KS2.
•In the past we have put the money towards additional teaching assistants to work with small groups/individuals. It also subsidises swimming sessions and camps for those children identified.
Looking to enroll your child at Nursery?
Please see our welcome pack below and contact for enquiries about our nursery or to book a visit.
New to the School?
Early Years Pupil Premium is an additional sum of money provided by the Government to help schools close the achievement gap which affects some of the most disadvantaged children. It is for schools to decide how the premium is spent as they are best placed to access what additional provision should be provided.
The Government has extended the Pupil Premium scheme to include 3 and 4 year olds which is called the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP). For each child that qualifies, the nursery is able to claim extra monies, £0.60 per hour to be used for the children’s education and learning. This additional money is paid to our nursery termly through the 3/4 year old funding entitlement. Please speak to a member of staff if you think you may be eligible.
Please contact our secretary Tracy Hooper or Ashley Dredge at secretary.gerrans.cornwall.sch.uk or phone 01872 80442 to find out more information and organise a tour of the school.