Early Years Foundation Stage

There are seven areas of learning and development which shape the curriculum in the Reception class. These are divided into prime areas (personal, social & emotional development, communication & language and physical development) and specific areas (literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts & design). 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development:
This involves helping your child to develop a positive sense of themselves and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups and to have confidence in their own abilities.

Communication and Language:
This area of learning involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Physical Development:
This area of learning involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and to develop their co-ordination, control and movement. Children will learn about the importance of physical activity and will learn to make healthy choices in relation to food.

Literacy:
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Your child will be given access to a wide range of reading resources (books, poems and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

Mathematics:
In this area of learning your child will be provided with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers.  They will also learn to calculate simple addition and subtraction problems and describe shapes, spaces and measures.

Understanding of the World:
Your child will be supported as they begin to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. 

Expressive Arts and Design:
Your child will explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as being provided with opportunities and encouragement to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, dance, role-play and design & technology.

These areas of learning and development all interconnect and cannot be delivered in isolation from each other.They are equally important and depend on each other to support a rounded approach to children’s learning and development. All the areas are delivered through planned, purposeful play, with a balance of adult-directed, adult-initiated and child-initiated activities.The children are encouraged to learn both within our indoor and outdoor environments. The outdoor spaces in and around our school grounds are used as an outside classroom. Poor weather is not seen as a problem, but rather as a learning opportunity!

Here you can see the children enjoying their inside and outside classrooms.