Our Early Years setting is made up of our Nursery class and our Reception class. Our learning is mainly play based with a free flow continuous provision setup in our spacious open friendly setting. The focus groups are carried out by our teacher Mrs Gilmour for Reception and teaching assistant Mrs McAteer for Nursery.
Reception are taken in focus groups of no more than four to carryout their curriculum work of phonics, maths, writing and reading activities. Nursery can also join the focus groups, increasing in time and frequency as they progress towards a Reception start in September.
The whole class join in with daily worship, PE, lunchtimes and whole school activities. They enjoy many ways of learning with outside learning featuring heavily in our curriculum.
We want children to be engaged in the learning process and for their learning to be relevant and purposeful. Therefore, we believe that children learn best by doing. We believe that play, both indoors and outdoors are an ideal vehicle for young children’s learning. Play helps children to explore, investigate and make sense of the world around them. Children are inquisitive and curious and we wish to build upon this in a positive and enjoyable manner.
Our core reference document is the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021. We also use Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021. This is a non-statutory guidance material that supports practitioners in the delivery of the EYFS and learning requirements. The Early Years Foundation Stage is based around four guiding principles, three Prime areas of learning and four Specific areas of Learning.
Please see the link below for the EYFS Statutory Framework 2021:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf
Early Years join in with all of our additional activities such as:
- Sports Day.
- Careers talks- so far this year we’ve had a vet and a doctor to come and talk to us!
- Whole school worship.
- Seasonal walks at Eland Lodge.
- Our 50 things to do before you’re 9.
- Our scrapheap challenge and stem events.
- Our harvest festivals, nativities and celebration days.
- Our science week.
We believe they flourish in this environment and thoroughly enjoy being like the older children! They also wear the school uniform and PE kit which we feel gives them a real sense of belonging. They are able to take part in the after school clubs and our sports club during the week if they would like.
We have a quiet area in the classroom with Ted, our ginormous teddy bear, who is freely available if the children need some relaxation or quiet time. Our Christian Values of Friendship, Love and Hope are heavily weaved through all we do in our Nursery and Early Years stages. We encourage the children to treat each other with kindness and respect and show love and friendship to others at all times. This is evident in all we do and the children flourish with these values at the forefront of every challenge they may face throughout the day.
Starting in Nursery and becoming used to the routine, even for a few days a week, we have found to be beneficial for a lot of the children starting Reception in the past few years. We don’t have a staggered intake or start with shorter days for the new Reception and we have found with the flexible wrap around care, and 30 hours which we now provide it has made for a very happy, easy transition into school life for the little ones.
There are seven areas of learning in the EYFS curriculum. All seven areas of learning and development are all important. There are three prime areas which are crucial for igniting children’s curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and for helping their capacity to learn. These are:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language
There are four specific areas through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. These are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
The seven areas of learning support and develop children’s learning. At St Augustine’s, we plan for the seven areas taking into account the children’s interests, needs and abilities. These are delivered through broad topics and themes, as outlined in the long term planning.
Within the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021, there is a commitment to the following:
The Characteristics of Effective Learning
Playing and exploring
- finding out and exploring
- playing with what they know
- being willing to have a go
Active learning
- being involved and concentrating
- keeping on trying
- enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and thinking critically
- having their own ideas
- making links
- choosing ways to do things and finding new ways
Children’s engagement when learning, form part of the statutory assessment of the EYFS profile. Part of our daily practice in the EYFS setting is to reflect on ways in which children learn and the ways in which we can facilitate this.
