Early Years

Our Early Years Curriculum

Intent

At our school, we believe that every child deserves the very best start to their education. Our Early Years curriculum provides a rich, ambitious and inclusive foundation that nurtures children’s natural curiosity and inspires a lifelong love of learning. The curriculum is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours children need to succeed in school and beyond, ensuring they are ready for the next stage of their education. The EYFS statutory framework highlights the importance of enabling children to learn and develop well, be kept healthy and safe, and gain the knowledge and skills needed for future learning.

In Reception, children learn through a carefully balanced blend of adult-directed teaching, guided learning and child-initiated play. We recognise that play is fundamental to children’s development and that meaningful learning happens when children are actively engaged, exploring their interests, taking risks, solving problems and collaborating with others. Our provision encourages children to become confident communicators, independent thinkers and resilient learners. The importance of play, exploration and active learning is reflected throughout the EYFS and Development Matters guidance.

Our curriculum is built around clear learning goals and carefully sequenced experiences that enable children to make strong progress from their individual starting points. We place a strong emphasis on developing communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, and physical development, recognising these as the foundations upon which future learning is built. Through high-quality interactions, purposeful teaching and ongoing assessment, we ensure that every child is supported and challenged to achieve their full potential.

The learning environment is a key part of our curriculum. Both indoors and outdoors, it is thoughtfully designed to promote independence, creativity, enquiry and sustained shared thinking. As children’s interests, strengths and needs develop, our provision evolves to provide new opportunities for challenge, exploration and discovery.

We are committed to providing equitable opportunities for all children. By getting to know each child as an individual and working closely with families, we ensure that every child feels valued, included and able to succeed. We believe all children can make excellent progress when given the right support, encouragement and opportunities. This reflects the principles within Development Matters, which emphasise that every child can achieve with effective support and high expectations.

Our Early Years curriculum embodies our school vision:

“To build a kind and respectful community of resilient, curious and creative learners who become global citizens equipped with the skills and values to shape a better future.”

Through carefully planned experiences, children develop the characteristics of effective learning: playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically. These qualities help our children become confident learners who are ready to embrace future challenges and opportunities.

Drawing on the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Development Matters guidance, our curriculum is organised through our 12 Curriculum Goals, which define the key knowledge, skills and understanding we want children to secure by the end of Reception, ensuring they are exceptionally well prepared for a successful transition into Year 1

Phonics and Early Reading

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum because we believe it is the key that unlocks all future learning. Developing confident, fluent readers is one of our highest priorities, and we work closely with children and families to foster a lifelong love of reading from the very start of their school journey.

To teach early reading, we use Read Write Inc. Phonics, a highly successful systematic synthetic phonics programme approved for use in schools. Through daily phonics lessons, children are taught to recognise sounds, blend sounds to read words, develop reading fluency, and apply their phonic knowledge to spelling and writing. The programme is carefully structured to ensure that children build knowledge and skills progressively and securely.

At our school, children benefit from:

• Daily, high-quality phonics teaching that follows a carefully sequenced programme.
• Lessons that build on prior learning, ensuring children revisit and consolidate previously taught sounds and skills.
• Targeted teaching groups, enabling learning to be closely matched to children’s current stage of phonics development.
• Regular assessment and monitoring, allowing children to receive the right level of challenge and support to make rapid progress.
• Rich opportunities for speaking and listening, helping children develop vocabulary, language, confidence and comprehension alongside decoding skills.

Through the Read Write Inc. approach, children learn to read accurately and fluently while developing a strong understanding of what they read. Partner talk and oral rehearsal are embedded throughout lessons, enabling children to explain their thinking, share ideas and deepen their understanding.

Alongside phonics teaching, we promote a love of reading through daily story times, carefully selected class texts, opportunities to discuss books, and access to a wide range of high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We want every child to see themselves as a reader and to experience the pleasure that reading can bring.

Children are assessed regularly throughout Reception and Key Stage 1 to ensure they receive the support they need. In Year 1, pupils participate in the statutory Phonics Screening Check, which assesses their ability to apply phonics knowledge in reading words and pseudo-words. Children who do not meet the expected standard receive additional support and retake the assessment in Year 2.

We recognise that parents and carers play a vital role in supporting children to become successful readers. We work in partnership with families by providing guidance, resources and opportunities to learn more about our phonics approach so that reading can be effectively supported both at school and at home.

For further information about Read Write Inc. Phonics and how you can support your child at home, please click on the documents below

RWI Home Guidance Set 2 and 3

Early Mathematics

At our school, we believe that strong mathematical understanding begins in the Early Years. Through a carefully planned and engaging curriculum, children develop confidence, curiosity and enjoyment in mathematics, building the foundations for future success.

Mathematics is woven throughout our daily provision and is taught through a combination of adult-led learning, practical experiences and purposeful play. Children are encouraged to explore mathematical concepts through meaningful, hands-on activities that allow them to investigate, problem-solve, reason and make connections in the world around them.

In Reception, children develop a deep understanding of number, patterns, shape, space and measure. We place a strong emphasis on helping children understand numbers rather than simply counting them, ensuring they develop secure number sense and fluency. Children learn to recognise patterns, compare quantities, explore mathematical relationships and use mathematical language with increasing confidence.

Our Early Mathematics curriculum enables children to:

• Develop a secure understanding of numbers and numerical patterns.
• Build confidence when counting, recognising and representing numbers.
• Explore addition and subtraction through practical experiences.
• Compare quantities and identify relationships between numbers.
• Recognise, create and extend patterns.
• Investigate shape, space and measure through play and exploration.
• Use mathematical vocabulary to explain their thinking and reasoning.
• Apply their mathematical knowledge in real-life contexts and problem-solving situations.

Mathematical learning is embedded throughout the learning environment. Children encounter opportunities to count, measure, sort, compare, estimate and problem solve both indoors and outdoors. Adults carefully model mathematical language and thinking, helping children to articulate their ideas and deepen their understanding.

We recognise that developing positive attitudes towards mathematics is just as important as acquiring mathematical knowledge. Through engaging activities and purposeful challenges, children learn to persevere, take risks and develop resilience when solving problems. We want every child to see themselves as a mathematician and approach mathematical learning with confidence and enthusiasm.

By the end of Reception, children have developed the mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding needed to achieve the Early Learning Goals and make a successful transition into Key Stage One, where they are well prepared for the next stage of their mathematical learning.