“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… The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.” (Statutory Framework for EYFS, September 2023)

Early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives. At St Augustine's CE Primary School we greatly value the importance that the EYFS plays in laying secure foundations for future learning and development.

However, we also believe that early childhood is valid in itself as part of life and not simply preparation for the next stage of education or adulthood.

There are 4 overarching principles of education in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception):
 

• every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured

• children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships

• children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents/carers

• children’s learning and development takes place in different ways and at different rates

There are 3 Characteristics of Effective Learning which are taken into account when planning and guiding children’s activities:
 

Engagement through playing and exploring – children play with what they know, have opportunities to investigate and experience things, and are encouraged to ‘have a go’.

Motivation through active learning - children will have time and space to concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy their achievements.

Creating and thinking critically - we encourage and support children to have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

Within the EYFS Curriculum there are 7 areas of learning and development - 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas.

Each area is then broken down into particular aspects each with an early learning goal (ELG) which should be achieved by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, i.e. the end of Reception Class.

As well as the EYFS curriculum, our children are supported to stay safe and develop safe behaviours with a series of sessions across the year that focus on personal safety and digital safety.  We use the NSPCC's PANTS Rule resources as well as Childnet's Smartie the Penguin sessions. safeguarding is an ongoing aspect of our children's learning.

For more information:

NSPCC Underwear Rule

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/underwear-rule/

Childnet

https://www.childnet.com/resources/smartie-the-penguin