Early Years  

 

Early Years 1

 

Introduction

‘Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five 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 together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up’. 

Statutory Framework for the Early Years foundation Stage, March 2021

The Early Years Foundation Stage applies to children from birth to the end of the reception year. At Chacombe CEVA Primary children are admitted to reception in the September following their fourth birthday.

Early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives. At Chacombe we greatly value and understand the importance that the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) plays in laying secure foundations for future learning and a child’s preparation for life. 

 

 Curriculum intent 

At Chacombe we aim to deliver our Early Years curriculum in a happy, safe and nurturing environment. 

We provide a robust, stimulating and creative curriculum, underpinned by the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, 2021,  to set in place firm foundations for further learning and development in Key Stage 1 and beyond. We encourage children to be decision makers, fostering independence, resilience, self regulation and self-confidence.

We provide a caring and inclusive learning environment which is sensitive to the requirements of the individual child including those who have additional needs, valuing  what each child can do, assessing their individual needs across and helping each child to progress across the 7 areas of learning highlighted in the EYFS framework:-

Prime Areas

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:

• Communication and language: listening; attention; understanding and speaking.
• Physical development: gross motor skills; fine motor skills.
• Personal, social and emotional development: self-regulation; managing self; building relationships.

We recognise that these prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

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Specific Areas

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:

• Literacy: comprehension; word reading; writing.
• Mathematics: numbers; numerical patterns.
• Understanding the world: past and present; people, culture and communities; the natural world.
• Expressive arts and design: creating with materials; being imaginative and expressive.

At Chacombe we recognise that children learn best through playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking. These are known as the ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ and will be used to gain information on the way in which each child learns

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
2. Communication and Language
3. Physical Development

Staff will also support children in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.

Specific Areas:

1. Literacy
2. Mathematics
3. Understanding the world
4. Expressive arts and design

Early Years 2