Prospective Parents - Early Years

The Early Years Foundation Stage refers to the provision provided by Early Years settings, guided by a statutory framework for standards of learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5.

There are seven areas of learning that make up the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

These are as follows:

Prime Areas

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Communication and Language
Physical Development

Specific Areas

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

In both Reception and Nursery, we approach teaching and learning through a mixture of adult-led and child-initiated learning. We deliver a broad and exciting curriculum with daily phonics, mathematics and literacy sessions or activities. Children have regular and protected access to Continuous Provision where they can direct their own learning, guided and facilitated by skilful adult interactions. The provision offers opportunities for children to consolidate recent learning, retrieve previously taught content, make connections and problem solve.

By the end of the EYFS, our intent is to ensure that all children have made progress from their starting points and that we have equipped them with the skills and knowledge they need for a smooth transition into Key Stage 1.

Literacy

At St Barnabas, we aim to foster a love of reading in all our children. We share daily stories to support our pupils to grow and develop their vocabulary through engaging texts. Children are supported to make sense of themes and concepts from their Understanding the World topics by the use of high-quality linked fiction and non-fiction texts.

In Reception, our Literacy teaching is inspired by the Talk for Writing approach. Children are supported to internalise new vocabulary, text features and sequence story events by oral rehearsal of story maps. Structured Story Times are used to promote deep-thinking and high-quality talk around a texts’ themes and the lessons that we can take from them to inform how we engage with the world around us.

Phonics

We follow the ELS programme from Nursery to Year 2 (ELS Spelling). This ensures staff and students have a shared vocabulary and set of skills for approaching early reading and writing tasks.

In Nursery, the ELS Foundation Stage is designed to foster an increased understanding of vocabulary and language, listening skills and communication with others, awareness of the sounds both within a child’s environment and language, and encourage clear communication and expression.

In Reception, children are introduced to phonemes and graphemes in the order which can be seen below:

Maths

We are guided by the White Rose Maths scheme, which supports children to learn in fun, hands-on, practical ways. Pupils develop mathematical skills following a clear developmental progression. Coverage spans across numbers, counting, problem solving, pattern, shape and spatial reasoning through fun games and activities, developing positive attitudes and enthusiasm towards maths.

This programme of study is supplemented by short, impactful Mastering Number and Tens Town sessions, to support early number identification and composition skills.

Wider Curriculum

Our wider curriculum is taught through the learning areas; ‘Understanding of the World’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’. Themes structure learning to support children to make connections between new and prior learning and across areas of study.