early years foundation stage
Early Years Foundation Stage
Children are competent learners from birth and develop and learn in a wide variety of ways. All practitioners should, therefore, look carefully at the children in their care, consider their needs, their interests, and their stages of development and use all of this information to help plan a challenging and enjoyable experience across all areas of learning and development.
The EYFS identifies three characteristics of effective learning:
Playing and exploring (engagement), this characteristic is evidenced by children finding out and exploring, playing with what they know and being willing to ‘have a go’. Active learning (motivation), as evidenced by being involved and concentrating, perseverance and enjoying and achieving what they set out to do. Creating and thinking critically (thinking), this involves encouraging the children to have their own ideas, make links and choose ways to do things.
Within the group, all children are supported in developing their potential at their own pace. Our key-person system enables us to ensure a planned curriculum tailored to the needs of each individual child. By means of developmentally appropriate play activities and a high level of individual adult input, we offer the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (from age 0 – 5) which works towards the nationally approved Early Learning Goals. The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum carries on until the end of reception year, leading to Key Stage 1 National Curriculum and is organised into seven areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:
Communication and language: listening and attention; understanding; speaking
Physical development: moving and handling; health and self-care
Personal, social and emotional development: making relationships; self-confidence and self-awareness; managing feelings and behaviour
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:
Literacy: reading; writing
Mathematics: numbers; shape, space and measure
Understanding the world: people and communities; the world; technology
Expressive arts and design: exploring and using media and materials; being imaginative
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it’s suitable for very young children, and it’s designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child’s unique needs and interests.
For further information please access ‘Parent’s Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework’ at:
www.foundationyears.org.uk/eyfs-statutory-framework/
For more information on the EYFS please visit:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2