EYFS Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement
September 2024
The Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to 5 years.
Intent
Our curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, both from previous settings and their experiences at home. We work in partnership with parents, carers and other settings to provide the best possible start at Frizinghall Primary School, ensuring each individual reaches their full potential from their various starting points. Our curriculum has been designed to enable children to succeed through cooperative and collaborative learning principles. As such, there is a strong emphasis on the Prime Areas of Learning; Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Communication and Language, including Oracy and the development of spoken language. At Frizinghall Primary School, we recognise that spoken language not only improves academic outcomes, but is a life skill to ensure success beyond school, in life and future employment. Spoken language develops children’s thinking and understanding, which in turn promotes self-confidence, resilience and empathy which support the child’s well-being. Our enabling environments and warm, skilful, adult interactions, support the children as they begin to link learning to their play and exploration right from the start. We believe that high level engagement ensures high level attainment. We therefore provide an engaging curriculum that maximises opportunities for meaningful cross-curricular links and learning experiences, as well as promoting the unique child by offering extended periods of play and sustained thinking. We following children’s interests and ideas to foster a lifelong love of learning both in and outside of school. Through our SCARF curriculum, we support children to become strong, independent learners with instilled resilience. By the end of the reception year, our intent is to ensure that all children make at least good progress from their starting points and are equipped with the knowledge to have a smooth transition into Year 1.
Implementation
Each half term, EYFS staff introduce a new theme to provide inspiration for learning, whilst providing the flexibility for children to follow their own interests and ideas. Children learn through a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities. The timetable is carefully structured so that children have directed teaching during the day. The timetable changes throughout the year to take into consideration the changing needs of the children. Where needed, sessions are followed by small focused group work. This means the teacher can systematically check for understanding, identify and respond to misconceptions quickly and provide real-time verbal feedback which results in a strong impact on the acquisition of new learning. Children are provided with plenty of time to engage in ‘exploration’ throughout the variety of experiences carefully planned to engage and challenge them in the provision. The curriculum is planned for the inside and outside classrooms and equal importance is given to learning in both areas. English / Literacy Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and our aim is to encourage a love of reading right from the start. In EYFS, we have focus texts each half term. The aim is to expose children to a range of books that not only develop a love of reading, but also have been chosen specifically to develop their spoken language, vocabulary and comprehension. These texts will be embedded in our provision through activities, story sessions and on display for children to access independently. Through this, children begin to internalise new vocabulary, language patterns and begin to retell stories. There is cohesion and consistency with our approach to align with the whole school Literacy Curriculum that is followed from Years 1-6:
- The inclusion of high-quality texts which are age and stage appropriate
- Modelled reading and re-telling opportunities
- Dedicated phonics sessions, following RWI scheme.
- Cooperative learning behaviours which develop oracy and interdependence.
Phonics
At Frizinghall, we follow Ruth Miskin’s Read Write Inc programme to ensure consistency across the school. In Nursery, children focus on phase 1 phonics, which concentrates on developing children's speaking and listening skills and lays the foundations for the phonic work which starts in Phase 2. The emphasis during Phase 1 is to get children attuned to the sounds around them and ready to begin developing oral blending and segmenting skills, prior to Grapheme Phoneme Correspondences (GPC). There is emphasis on Fred games and activities. In Reception, Phase 1 continues but children are introduced to set 1 sounds, where they will develop GPC and segmenting and blending knowledge to decode words. During the Summer term, children may move on to set 2 sounds if they are ready. We encourage a breadth of understanding, including teaching children to read and understand multisyllabic words. Children are encouraged to read at home and are listened to regularly in school. They are given books that match their phonic knowledge in order for them to apply their learning with the aim of becoming successful, confident and fluent readers.
Mathematics
In Reception, we follow the White Rose Maths Scheme of work which is divided into units. High quality learning environments and meaningful interactions with adults, support children in developing mathematical thinking and discussion. Pupils learn through games and tasks using concrete manipulatives, pictorial structures and representations which are then rehearsed applied and recorded within their own child-led exploration. Children in Reception have daily maths inputs to develop fluency, revisit key concepts and address misconceptions. In Nursery, children develop a love of maths through games, songs, rhymes, and play using concrete manipulatives. There is a focus on the following counting principles; one to one correspondence, stable order and cardinal principle. Children’s fine manipulative skills are a focus to develop 1-1 correspondence so children count each object only once.
Wider Curriculum
Our wider curriculum is taught through the specific learning areas; ‘Understanding of the World’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design.’ EYFS staff have a good understanding of how ELG’s feed into the National Curriculum through our robust planning and CPD opportunities. In reverse, colleagues throughout the school are also aware of the key ELG’s that link to each foundation subject and the progression of the subject. Exciting, purposeful and contextual activities are planned to build on children’s natural curiosity. For example, building a boat for their favourite toy enables them to think like a ‘Scientist’ and ‘Engineer’ as they explore a range of materials and test out their own ideas and knowledge. Building further on our spoken language focus, children will be encouraged to employ subject specific language and terminology in foundation subjects, and such vocabulary will be modelled, both verbally and through actions, by supporting practitioners. Experiences, such as visits, school trips and visitors are planned for with many events scheduled each term to enrich our curriculum and provide children with first hand experiences so they can use these in their every day play and talk. Our inclusive approach means that all children learn together, but we have a range of additional intervention and support for children who may not be reaching their potential, or are showing a greater depth of understanding and need further challenge. This includes, for example, sessions for developing speech and language, social skills, fine motor skills, phonics, and mathematics. In addition, where children are on EHCPs, bespoke plans have identified that learning may need to take place away from the classroom due to sensory needs. We also underpin our extra support by the enhanced toolkit, ‘Launchpad for Literacy’.Regular monitoring of teaching and learning by SLT and the EYFS Leader, ensure staff develop good subject knowledge. The EYFS Leader ensures staff receive CPD specific to Early Years to develop their practice. For example, we offer CPD on effective observations, in order to understand where pupils are, and their ‘next steps,’ for learning.
Impact
Baseline: Prior to children starting, staff spend time speaking to the child’s parents, previous settings and read previous learning journeys to gain an understanding of the whole child and where they are at. Parents are handed an ‘All About Me’ booklet to fill in which has a variety of questions based around children’s learning and needs. During the first half term in Nursery or Reception, all staff use ongoing assessments, observations and conversations with the child to develop a baseline assessment. This identifies each individual’s starting points in all areas so we can plan experiences to ensure progress.
The RBA (Statutory Reception Baseline Assessment): This assessment focuses on ‘Language, Communication and Literacy,’ and ‘Mathematics.’ The purpose of this is to show the progress children make from Reception until the end of KS2.
Observation: All observations are used to inform planning and identify children’s next steps. This formative assessment does not involve prolonged periods of time away from the children and excessive paper work. Practitioners draw on their knowledge of the child and their own expert professional judgements through discussions with other practitioners, photographs and physical examples such as a child’s drawing / making.
Assessment: In Reception, phonic assessments are carried out every half term to quickly identify pupils that are not making expected progress. Our aim is for children to ‘keep up’ rather than ‘catch up’ where possible. Across EYFS, assessments, based on Development Matters, are completed three times per year and shared with parents, whereby the class teacher updates the progress children have made. Some children, who need additional support, will be assessed more regularly so that finer steps of progress can be monitored. They will be assessed using a Developmental Journal. In Summer Term 2, the EYFSP is completed, where teachers judge whether the child has met each of the 17 ELG’s. They will be assessed as either ‘emerging’ or ‘expected.’ Whilst there is no judgement to state if a child is exceeding beyond an ELG, teachers, have a duty to provide a narrative for both parents and the Year 1 teacher. Impact is also evident through our successful transitions into Year 1. EYFS staff have a good understanding of how ELG’s link to the National Curriculum, and through our robust planning and delivery across the spectrum of subjects – both core and foundation - children leave the EYFS stage with the skills, knowledge and confidence to continue their journey as scientists, historians, artists and geographers.
