EYFS

 

At Salfords School we are committed to helping children have the best possible start in life by providing rich learning opportunities. Such opportunities are based around the development of rewarding relationships, which lead to consistently high outcomes for all children from two to five years in our nursery settings and Reception classes. This includes close working relationships with linked family centres and multi-agency professionals.

We will ensure that the best interests and care of the children come first by providing quality, meaningful, broad and balanced learning opportunities that meet their needs and interests in a context relevant to them as unique individuals who learn in different ways and at different rates.

Children’s experiences in the early years have a major impact on future life chances. Our holistic approach will provide children with the knowledge, skills and abilities to make sense of their world. This will encourage a love of learning which will enable the children to reach their potential and become successful, confident lifelong learners.

We will achieve this through:

• focusing on the needs of the children, their learning and care

• enabling children to recognise their own value, that of others and their place in the world

• encouraging exploring and risk taking

• ensuring a responsive, adaptable approach to learning which recognises the importance of effective teacher-led and child-led opportunities

• ensuring strengths are developed and development gaps are closed in order to raise attainment

• focusing on the Characteristics of Effective Learning which provide the foundations for future success

• building resilience through promoting challenge and sustained effort

• developing children’s independence, autonomy and collaborative learning skills

• encouraging a “growth mindset” which sees mistakes as positive learning experiences.

• providing practical, play-based learning experiences based on quality interactions that lead to sustained understanding

• promoting a wider curriculum which allows all children to succeed

• ensuring practitioners’ accurate knowledge and understanding of child development, attainment and next steps in learning

• working with parents to develop a shared, valued approach to their children’s learning

• working collaboratively with practitioners and settings to share good practice and enhance provision

We know that, for children and parents alike, the first year at school is the most important. In reception at Salfords your children will create new friendships (some that will last forever) and continue their journey of learning. 

Learning Process

EYFS classes follow and deliver the EYFS curriculum by steering the learning towards childrens’ passions and interests. The children are exposed to a carefully sequenced GLF STEAM curriculum. We have overarching project titles that allow us to do this. We follow Development Matters, the non statutory curriculum guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are seven areas of learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three prime areas are essential for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving. These are: Communication and Language, Personal Social and Emotional Development and Physical Development.  We also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. These are: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding The World and Expressive Arts and Design. 

Children get to choose their ‘Learning Time’ through Continuous Provision. They can decide if they want to go inside or outside and are encouraged to visit every area of learning, independently at least once. The inside space covers all seven areas of learning within the EYFS curriculum and is designed to ensure children access all areas of learning through play. Each area of the provision has ‘I can’ stands which are directly linked to a learning objective. These ‘I can’ stands ensure that the children are accessing purposeful, meaningful learning opportunities in every area of the provision. 

Literacy,Reading and Phonics

At Salfords, we follow the Read Write Inc phonics scheme to teach your children the knowledge they need to become confident readers and, eventually, confident writers. Your child will receive daily phonics sessions. In addition, we enjoy phonics games daily that teach children the listening and sound discrimination skills they need in order to read. It is essential that you read to your child daily. 

Children in EYFS have a daily Literacy lesson. We follow Pie Corbett's Talk4Writing approach which is designed to allow children to orally rehearse what they are going to write before committing to paper. Talk4Writing allows children to imitate any given text type, then teaches them how to innovate upon the structure before, finally, independently applying the skills they have learnt. 

Daily ‘Talk through stories’ sessions provide the opportunity for children to really explore key texts, understand the principle of the story, learn new vocabulary and explore new characters. We focus on one key text at a time which the children will become very familiar with. 

Children are given a school reading record for communication with parents and recording home learning. Children in Nursery receive a book for enjoyment (chosen by themselves from the Library). These are changed weekly and our expectation is for parents to read and record in the planners daily.  We change reading books every Monday. We listen to your child read across the week, so please make sure that your child comes to school with their planners and books every day. 

Mathematics
Nursery has a weekly maths focus activity which is delivered in small focus groups linked to children's interests. Nursery has a daily maths song/rhyme/ activity time. Key children are identified weekly with next steps which may be a maths focus. That specific objective is then threaded into the provision through areas of interest and passions. e.g counting dinosaurs in the sand tray. 

In Reception, we follow GLF maths and Mastering Number from the NCTEM.  Children have a 20 minute daily direct teaching lesson. The Reception provision maths table reflects that weeks area of maths learning for example ‘the number 5’. There is a daily challenge table which is used to practise the learning of the day from direct teaching. A maths mastery linked question is in every area of the provision. This is on the ‘I can’ stands so that all adults can link our learning to the maths weekly theme. All children are seen weekly in their adult guided time on the maths table. 

Woodland Discovery & Cookery Club

All children in EYFS  have the opportunity to venture down to our Woodland Discovery area and do a cooking activity every week.

To view our EYFS Statement please click here.

To view our EYFS policy please click here