Reception class- Early Years
What is the Early Years Foundation Stage?
All children deserve the care and support they need to have the best start in life. Children learn and develop at a faster rate from birth to five years old than at any other time in their lives, so their experiences in early years have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe, and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high-quality early learning provide the foundation children need to fulfil their potential.
-Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (January 2024)
The Early Years Foundation Stage is a distinct phase of education for children from birth to the age of five. Children join Trowse Primary School in the Reception year, the final year of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is shaped by four guiding principles:
- Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured;
- Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;
- Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time;
- The importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates.
What does that look like for children at Trowse Primary School?
First-and-foremost, we recognise that each child is unique.
In Reception Class we set high expectations for our children. We want them to achieve their best, whatever their starting point. We celebrate positive, personal qualities and attitudes to learning, alongside progress in academic areas.
In Reception Class, we strive to:
- Form positive relationships between school staff, children and families, based on good communication, mutual respect and cooperation.
- Build on those nurturing relationships to support children as they develop emotionally and socially, helping them to understand fairness and being thoughtful towards others.
- Establish a calm, purposeful learning environment where children are encouraged to create and enquire, through both play and adult-led tasks.
- Foster a positive attitude to learning, by developing their resilience and giving them the confidence to be independent.
What is the learning like?
In Reception Class, we aim to lay the foundations for not only the children’s journey through our school, but their journey through life. As a whole school, we wish for our children to be
- successful learners who will have an enquiring mind, enjoy learning and achieve their full potential.
- confident individuals who show resilience and are able to live safe, healthy, fulfilling and aspirational lives.
- responsible global citizens who believe in equality, develop empathy and show kindness to all.
The EYFS framework includes seven areas of learning and development that are equally important and inter-connected. The Prime Areas (Communication & Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social & Emotional Development) are crucial for building on children’s capacity to form relationships, acquire positive attitudes towards learning and to thrive as an individual. These Prime Areas are strengthened and applied through four Specific Areas (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts & Design).
Another key element of the EYFS are the Characteristics of Effective Learning. Children should have the opportunity to display these characteristics every single day. They are: playing and exploring; active learning; creating & thinking critically.
We deliver learning for the above areas through purposeful play and learning experiences, allowing children to explore and make sense of the world around them. Through a balance of adult-led tasks and child-initiated play, children learn to manage their emotions within a safe, supportive environment. They think creatively alongside other children, they solve problems together and they learn to take manage risks. Through positive interactions, the staff play a crucial role in responding to each child’s emerging needs and interests.
In Reception Class, we have set times to deliver whole class teaching, alongside extended periods of indoor and outdoor play. Staff plan these sessions to help move thinking and learning forward, as well as linking to the children’s interests as much as possible. As the year goes on, the adult-led times are gradually increased, in readiness for Year 1.
We use a range of resources to enhance the curriculum delivery for our children, making it as inter-connected and meaningful as we possibly can. Years 1-6 follow the International Primary Curriculum, so we begin this journey in Reception by basing our units of learning with the International Early Years Curriculum. We use the ‘Success for All’ phonics and reading scheme, as well as basing our maths planning on White Rose Maths.
Through excellent relationships, careful interactions and thoughtful observations, staff are able to recognise children’s next steps for development and plan accordingly. We aim to know each child in detail and celebrate their successes, big and small.
