EYFS INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT

Intent

At Roebuck Academy we aim to provide motivating first-hand experiences whilst encouraging children to build resilience, ambition, and a lifelong love of learning. We aim to build on the wealth of knowledge and skills children already have when they arrive.  Children who enter our EYFS begin their lifelong learning journey of becoming independent, energised learners who thrive to reach their full potential through sustained engagement.

Our Early Years provision is organised by highly skilled and experienced leadership who work collaboratively with parents and carers to ensure a valuable partnership is formed and a broad and balanced curriculum is delivered. We actively develop relationships with feeder settings through Early Years transition events. We recognise that all children are unique, celebrating, and welcoming differences within our school community. Therefore, our curriculum is child centered following the interests and fascinations of the children in the current year group. We are passionate about children leading and engrossing themselves in their learning. We embed a language of learning based on the characteristics of effective learning.

We aim to:

• Provide a curriculum that offers children a wide range of opportunities ensuring that we do not expect children to aspire to things they have never encountered. We will work on broadening their experiences providing opportunities to try new things and encouraging them to relish a new challenge
• Provide high expectations encouraging them to develop perseverance and self-belief so that they can problem solve and achieve far more than they expected
• Provide a learning environment that helps children achieve their potential and support those who need additional help to maximise their chances of achieving the Early Learning Goals
• Provide children opportunities to develop their sense of wellbeing and ability to regulate their feelings so that they feel confident in our community and are equipped with all the tools they need to transition to Year 1 effectively
• Develop the skills and expertise of staff working in EYFS through regular and comprehensive professional development either run by the EYFS Lead or attending courses run by other providers.

Implementation

Children in nursery and reception classes follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). 

The children learn through a play-based curriculum which is planned from the needs and interests of each child.  Individual children’s progress is tracked through consistent, continuous formative assessment across all areas of their development.

Outdoor learning is central to the curriculum and children have access to the garden for most of the day.  Staff divide their time between delivering planned adult led small group activities, planned large group activities, supporting child-initiated play, making observations and moving children’s learning forward.  Children are encouraged to be active learners, to think critically and creatively and to develop independence.

We currently have two reception classes and two nursery classes. Nursery classes offer both 15 and 30-hours provision. Reception classes are made up from children from our own nursery and children from many childcare settings across Stevenage.

The EYFS curriculum has 7 areas of learning: 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Physical Development

Communication and Language

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

The first three of these areas are called the Prime Areas. The prime Areas are fundamental, work together, and are crucial to development in all other areas. The other areas of learning are called the Specific Areas. These areas include essential skills and knowledge. They grow out of the prime areas and provide important contexts for learning. The focus is, therefore, now to develop children’s competence in the prime areas before focusing in on the specific areas as children develop confidence.

In addition to these areas of learning, the EYFS curriculum seeks to foster characteristics of effective learning. These are the ways in which children engage with other people and their environment – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas and support children in remaining effective and motivated learners.

IMPACT

The impact of the EYFS curriculum is reflected in having well rounded, happy and confident children transitioning into Year 1. Our children are often amazing role models for others in school. We measure progress and children’s learning across the year through formative and summative assessments which are based on the teacher’s knowledge of the child. Children have a variety of opportunities to develop their resilience and make good or better progress throughout their time in Early Years

The judgements of our school are moderated within school and at moderating events in other schools. This means judgements are secure and consistent with government guidelines.

The teaching and pedagogy are reviewed and evaluated regularly through weekly team meetings. These have an agenda and actions which are then reviewed in the following meeting. We ensure that the areas we discuss and develop are reflected in changes and developments in our classroom practice.

The Early Years provision features in all areas of the School Development Plan and has a rigorous plan for development each year. This is monitored and evaluated by the EYFS Lead, the Head teacher, and the governing body.