Shottermill Infant School

                        Early Years                                             

INTENT

At Shottermill Infant School our intent is to create an environment where all children feel happy and safe, enabling them to confidently explore and learn. We want children to develop their independence skills as well as their ability to play and work effectively with others. Effective communication skills are vital for all children and we have a strong focus on developing children’s vocabulary, communication and phonics skills. We begin the school’s programme of systematic synthetic phonics, giving a strong start to children’s reading and writing skills. We aim to provide a curriculum and environment which is challenging, motivating and exciting – we have ambitious expectations for all children, including those with SEND.  Our environments are designed to reflect our aim of children accessing resources to support their own paths of learning and finding their own challenges and inspirations, as well as building on skills introduced through adult-led learning. We aim to work closely and collaboratively with parents in order to ensure we value home experiences and develop a true understanding of the whole child. We recognise the value and importance of this final year of the Foundation Stage and also want to prepare children for their next steps in their learning as they move forward through the school.

IMPLEMENTATION

We follow the Early Years Statutory Framework. This “sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.” (DFES 2021) The Reception classes follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and work towards the Early Learning Goals. The seven areas of learning are: • Personal, Social and Emotional Development • Physical Development • Communication and Language • Literacy • Mathematics • Understanding the World • Expressive Arts and Design. The Characteristics of Effective Learning are incorporated into all teaching and learning experiences. These are: playing and exploring, active learning, creating and thinking critically. We work as a Foundation Stage unit and the staff work to build positive relationships with all of the children, supporting and extending their learning. All adults contribute towards building a picture of each child’s current level of knowledge and understanding, enabling us to build on this.  Our focus on being part of a team and working together helps children understand the importance of working collaboratively and gives them opportunities to build the necessary flexibility, resilience and communication skills to enable them to do so. Both the inside and outside areas are stimulating environments providing resources and opportunities for children to extend their skills and learning, and safely challenge themselves. All staff are trained in delivering a high-quality programme of systematic synthetic phonics, and children practise their reading using books that match their phonic knowledge. In Reception, we have a balance of high-quality teaching, adult-initiated learning experiences and child-initiated learning.

IMPACT

Through the delivery of a well-planned, challenging curriculum, children will leave the Early Years Foundation Stage as confident and independent learners, with the skills necessary to succeed in Key Stage One. The children’s attainment is measured at the end of the Reception year through the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. We aim that our pupils will leave the Foundation stage having achieved a Good Level of Development. By the end of reception, children will demonstrate positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity, concentration, resilience and enjoyment. These qualities will provide the foundation for all future learning and success.

The Early Years Curriculum 

This document shows the progression of skills and knowledge through the Early Years. 

Progression through the Early Years 

Please click on the letters for parents or knowledge organisers to find out what the children are learning each term.