EYFS
EYFS Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement
Our early years curriculum lays a secure foundation for future learning. Our aim is for all children to leave the EYFS stage of their education happy and confident learners. We value and follow children’s interests and ideas to develop a life-long love of learning.
When a child starts at Harpur Hill Primary School whether that be in nursery or reception they are welcomed into a nurturing and positive environment where staff take the time to get to know children and their families on an individual basis. Staff have a good knowledge of child development and how children learn. We understand that all children are different and learning does not follow a linear pattern. Therefore, we provide a learning environment that all children can relate to and are comfortable and confident using.
We intend:
- To deliver a broad and progressive curriculum based on the EYFS Statutory Framework.
- To work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential from their various starting points.
- To understand and follow children’s interests and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning, consolidate and deepen knowledge.
- To provide an engaging indoor and outdoor environment where children’ skills in the seven areas of learning can thrive.
- To enable children to achieve Early Learning Goals at the end of the Reception year and ensure children make at least good progress from their individual starting points.
- To provide children with good phonic knowledge that will allow them to read and write sentences.
- To promote a love of reading and extend children’s vocabulary by carefully selecting texts that excite and enrich language development.
- To develop a strong grounding in number so that children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically.
- To develop a strong foundation in the three prime areas. Children are then encouraged to apply their learning in the prime areas to the learning opportunities in the specific areas of learning.
- To have high expectations for all pupils including pupils with SEN.
- To quickly identify gaps in development and learning. Working with parents/ carers and other agencies we intend to support pupils to meet their next steps and reach their full potential.
- To embed routines that teach children the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
- To give children access to a range of physical development play that includes fine and gross motor play opportunities.
- To provide opportunities for children to build on what they already know by exploring their local environment through regular visits to the woods and walks around the local community.
- To support transition from nursery to reception and reception to year 1.
Implementation
We plan, model and encourage learning in the seven areas of learning set out by the EYFS Statutory Framework;
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Staff implement effective and consistent routines that encourage independence and deepen understanding of various concepts. Eg. Helping with milk and snack time, teeth brushing, watering plants, completing the class calendar/ weather chart and self-registration. We provide a progressive curriculum that has a balance of adult-led and child-led learning opportunities. Our continuous provision has been carefully planned and is regularly evaluated to ensure that the resources provided are open-ended and appropriate for all ages and stages of learning.
By providing an appropriate, un-interrupted amount of time in continuous provision, children develop key life skills such as independence, innovation, creativity, enquiry, analysis and problem solving. Children enjoy playing and learning independently and collaboratively with the support of adults.
Our staff value children’s play and ideas and are skilled in supporting children to learn through play in authentic and organic ways. Staff observe children, join in with play and ask questions that nurture and extend vocabulary and learning.
We deliver high quality, consistent Little Wandle phonics sessions daily starting in nursery. In nursery the teaching of phonics enables our children to develop an awareness of sounds and important listening and attention skills including oral blending alongside promoting a love of reading in our ‘Love of Reading’ story sessions. In Reception Little Wandle phonics is taught daily and children are taught blending/segmenting, decoding and fluency skills. Children also enjoy taking part in a small group reading practice sessions three times a week where they are taught decoding, prosody, fluency and comprehension skills. Staff teach and encourage children in reception and to apply their reading and writing skills when playing in provision indoors and outdoors. Children in reception draw, design and write about their interests daily whilst playing in provision.
We use a combination of adult-led and child-led approaches when teaching mathematics. EYFS children have individual next steps that all staff are aware of and skilfully plan and deliver activities based around these next steps alongside teaching and embedding maths skills whilst playing in provision. In nursery children engage in routines which support the development of mathematical skills eg. Snack time, self-registration and singing time. In reception children continue to develop maths skills through more focussed daily teaching sessions. We follow the Mastering Number scheme which aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children in Reception. The aim over time is that children will develop fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention is given to key knowledge and understanding in subitising, cardinality, ordinality, counting, comparison and composition.
Impact
At Harpur Hill our Early Years children demonstrate curiosity, enthusiasm and high levels of engagement in activities. They develop good listening and speaking skills, enabling them to access more areas of learning and communicate to both adults and children. Children are aware of their environment and are confident in selecting resources and leading their own play. They are curious about the world and show a love of learning by asking questions and celebrating their own and others successes.
Children will develop a wider sense of the world around them and draw on these experiences during interactions with others. They will also be able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations making links, by explaining their ideas and understanding. Children are confident to take risks and discuss their successes and failures with adults. Children are resilient and can effectively self-regulate their emotions and behaviour.
We have high expectations for all children, including those at risk of disadvantage and expect all children to make good progress academically and socially to give them the best foundations to prepare them for lifelong learning.
At Harpur Hill, the Foundation Stage has both Reception classes as well as our own Governor-run Nursery.
Please click on the following links for further information.
Phonics in EYFS
Phonics in Nursery
Bear Cubs
Phonics is taught daily through a range of child-led and adult-led experiences. Through the teaching of phonics our children develop an awareness of sounds and important listening and attention skills.
Rhyme Time
Children engage in daily Little Wandle ‘Rhyme Time’ sessions where nursery rhymes are taught alongside videos, actions and props.
Click on the link below to access Rhyme Time videos at home:
Foundations for Language
Staff are trained in how to interact effectively and teach vocabulary by following children’s interests with a play-based approach to learning. Children are given extended time to play, explore and select their own learning in the nursery provision. During this time staff use a variety of strategies to ensure children receive high quality interactions that support children’s language development.
Brilliant Bears
Little Wandle Phonics is taught daily following the 3 aspects set out in the Little Wandle Scheme.
Foundations for Phonics: Tuning into Sounds
Staff teach phonemic awareness, oral blending and listening and attention skills every day. Children practise and apply these skills by playing various Little Wandle phonics games in a fun and age-appropriate way.
Foundations for a Love of Reading
Staff carefully select texts that excite children and enrich their language development. During these sessions we:
- Provide multiple opportunities to read and engage with the text.
- Teach and explore new vocabulary focussing on nouns and verbs.
- Connect to the book through nursery rhymes, action songs, poems and songs that link to the text. This provides opportunities for children to develop a rich repertoire of rhymes and songs, which supports language development and enjoyment.
Foundations for Language
Staff are trained in how to interact effectively and teach vocabulary by following children’s interests with a play-based approach to learning. Children are given extended time to play, explore and select their own learning in the nursery provision. During this time staff use a variety of strategies to ensure children receive high quality interactions that support children’s language development.
*Little Wandle phonics progression in nursery doc*
Phonics in Reception
Little Wandle Phonics is taught daily following the 3 aspects set out in the Little Wandle Scheme.
Daily Little Wandle Phonics Sessions:
During these daily phonics sessions children learn to make the connections between letters and sounds. During a phonics lesson children will;
Recap previous learning (graphemes and tricky words).
Be introduced to new learning (x1 grapheme and x1 tricky word).
Learn how to form letters correctly and practise their letter formation skills.
Practise their oral blending skills.
Learn how to blend sounds to read words.
Learn how to read words fluently.
Read sentences and understand the structure of a sentence.
Segment and write words and then sentences.
Click on the link below to see how you can support you child with phonics at home:
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/#tabnametabSupportForPhonics
Reading Practice Sessions:
Children have regular opportunities (x3 per week) to apply the phonic knowledge that they have learnt by reading fully decodable books in a small group. The phonic progression in these books match the progression of the Little Wandle Scheme and children read books that match their secure phonic knowledge. This helps to build children’s confidence, automaticity, fluency and comprehension.
Each session in this ‘three read’ model has a clear focus:
- Read 1: decoding
- Read 2: prosody – reading with meaning, stress and intonation
- Read 2: comprehension – understanding the text.
Each of these sessions follows the same structure:
- Pre-read: Revisit and review
- Reading practice: Practise and apply
- Review: Pacy review of any misconceptions
After reading the book three times in school children then take this book home to read with their parents/ carers. We strongly recommend that parents/carers read this book with their child 5 times a week.
Click on the link below to see how you can support your child with reading at home:
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/#tabnametabBooksComingHome
Foundations for Language
Staff are trained in how to interact effectively and teach vocabulary by following children’s interests with a play-based approach to learning. Children are given extended time to play, explore and select their own learning in the reception provision. During this time staff use a variety of strategies to ensure children receive high quality interactions that support children’s language development.
